BiPhoria is social and support group for bisexual people in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England. It is the oldest extant

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

organisation in the UK having launched in 1994. As its central mission since then it has welcomed people who are just coming out or new to the area to have opportunities to meet and talk with other bisexuals, and those who are questioning their sexual orientation who think they may be bisexual. As the only bi-specific organisation in the

North West of England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,052,000 in 2011. It is the th ...

for much of the time since its formation, its work has extended beyond the city of Manchester including sparking similar groups in other cities including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Liverpool. The group's aim is to provide space and voice for bisexual people and to facilitate the development of a cohesive bisexual community in Manchester and across the North West. The group works to promote bisexual visibility, to protect the bisexual community from discrimination and biphobia and assists and empowers the individual community members, their families and friends to live fuller and happier lives. It has been shortlisted for a number of LGBT related awards and took fifth place for Best LGBT Group in the Pink Paper's 2010 reader awards.

History

The first meeting was on 1 September 1994 at the Lesbian and Gay Centre on Sidney Street. In September 2000 main meetings moved to the

LGBT Foundation LGBT Foundation (formerly known as The Lesbian & Gay Foundation) is a national charity based in Manchester with a wide portfolio of services. With a history dating back nearly 40 years, it campaigns for a fair and equal society where all lesbian, ...

, at the time called the Lesbian & Gay Foundation. By 1997 it had its own webpage as part of the then bi.org worldwide bisexual site, and in 2003 it was the first UK bisexual group to acquire its own web domain, biphoria.org.uk.

Services

In addition to its core social-support meetings, BiPhoria provides support to the

bisexual community The bisexual community, also known as the bi+, m-spec, bisexual/pansexual, or bi/pan/fluid community, includes members of the LGBT community who identify as bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, polysexual and sexually fluid. As opposed to hetero- ...

, including a website and links to resources, outreach work and research publications. Like other UK bi organisations, its work covers the broad "bisexual umbrella" of people who are attracted to people of more than one gender - whichever they prefer amongst labels like bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, or multisexual.

Publications

* In 2003 BiPhoria published the Bisexual Life report, identifying bisexual community priorities for the local council based on focus group interviews. * In 2010 as part of work with local NHS services a guide to "Bisexuality and Mental Health". * In 2011 the booklet "Getting Bi In A Gay / Straight World" was published, a 24-page guide to coming out and staying out as bisexual. Further editions followed in 2014 and 2017. * In 2013 the "BiCon Survey" explored the backgrounds and motivations of people who attend bisexual community events in the UK.

Awards

The group has been shortlisted for a number of LGBT community awards. * The

Bolton Pride Bolton Pride is an annual Pride event celebrating LGBTQIA+ life in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, and was first held in 2015. The event includes a parade through the town and live music in the town centre. History The first Bolton Pride wa ...

Awards 2016 saw BiPhoria shortlisted for best support group. * In 2015 it was shortlisted for Best LGBT Support Group in the ShoutOut awards. * The 2015 Inclusive Networks awards shortlisted BiPhoria for best network. * The European Diversity Awards in 2015 saw BiPhoria shortlisted for Community Group of the Year. * In 2009 the group was shortlisted for Best Local Group in the Pink Paper Readers' Awards

References

{{reflist, 2

External links