Bi Social Website News

September 14th, 2003

Concentrating!

A lot of stuff has happened over the past year. We've continued building the new student bi group at Iowa State University, called BLUR. It's a sub-group of the LGBTA Alliance, and is going strong. I'm also involved in helping out with the MBLGTACC - the Midwest Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Trangender, and Ally College Conference. And planning is underway for the BECAUSE 2004 conference to be held HERE in Ames in March of next year.

Is it any wonder the last update was a YEAR ago?? Eek. In any case, we did NOT pull together a contingent for the Des Moines Pride March this past summer, which was unfortunate. And we've not had an actual dinner out in some time, so I will want to fix that in a bit. Keep your eyes open for a dinner announcement!

August 28th, 2002

An important health message

Having been on the board of an HIV-prevention organization, I've gotten some peer education training in HIV risk reduction. But it's gotten a little rusty over time, which became painfully clear to me when I got a call this morning from a fellow concerned about something he had done recently. "So what do you think of what happened...?" was his question.

I said that I was not a doctor, that all sexual activity carried some risk, not only of HIV but other STDs, but that it was difficult to assess risk from a single encounter. I also said that if he was concerned about his exposure to STDs, he should get tested - and that many people do get tested regularly. I ended by telling him that it was important to "play safely" and take precautions when engaging in sexual activity.

But what he wanted was re-assurance that what he had done was somehow "okay."

...and, frankly, I could not then, nor can I now, provide that sort of reassurance. Please, if you are concerned about your exposure to HIV or other STDs, consult a health professional immediately.

I've added a reference for the AIDS Project of Central Iowa in the Links section of the website, and I can assure you that they are a good place to start in dealing with these issues.

August 5th, 2002

Wow.

What a summer!

It went by so very very fast! We had a great time at Pride in Des Moines, with about a dozen people marching behind the Bi Pride banner in the parade. There were folks from Des Moines, Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Iowa City, Ames, and other parts of the state - and the social at Java Joe's was great but too short (people had to get back home).

The other big news is that BECAUSE will be returning to Minneapolis in 2003, and then coming to Iowa in 2004, if we can put it together! An intrepid band of Iowans went to BECAUSE in Milwaukee and had a great time with all the bi folks there, and heard from Dr. Fritz Klein, Hanna Blank, and other notable speakers. I encourage people who have not been to a BECAUSE to consider going. It's a great opportunity to meet other bi folks.

And on the third paw...
Creating Change - the annual conference of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force - will have a bi leadership summit. Plans are underway to make sure Midwestern bi groups are represented.

March 19th 2002

BLUR is slowly growing, and that is a good thing. However, as some of you have noticed, the Bi Social's been neglected. This summer, we're going to fix that. Discussions are underway for having a BiSocial during GLBT Pride in Des Moines, just as soon as we know when Des Moines Pride will be taking place. In addition, I am looking into getting a subscription to the Journal of Bisexuality for the GLBTSS Office at ISU, which would be available to ISU students, staff and faculty. Thoughts, comments, ideas, are all welcome.

December 17th, 2001

Things have taken an interesting turn here in Ames. A number of other ISU students and myself have formed a new bi group at ISU for current ISU students. We're calling it BLUR - no, the acronym doesn't mean anything, and it was inspired by a Bay Area youth group of the same name. Right now, plans are to get together once a month, for social and support purposes.

Not too surprisingly, this has taken some time away from Bi Social planning. I hope to remedy this in the new year, as I can tell there is interest out there for more recognition of bisexuality.

For now, though, have a Happy Holiday and I'll update all of you in January about new stuff going on!

October 1st, 2001

Well, the Fall Semester started very very quickly, and my plans for updating things got slowed down. However, I have gotten some feedback about the website and activities, and I've made some changes already. Here's a short list:

If anyone is interested in future videos, I'd be up for picking that up, but I think we might do it at Sloss House on the ISU campus. It's a nicer setting than the Union, and we can bring in our own stuff, so long as we clean up.

July 27th, 2001

As some people may have noticed, it's been awhile since I updated the Bi Social webpage. This is partly due to the fact that I am a graduate student, and partly because I got a little burned-out on bi activism this past year. However, there are some exciting things going on in the bisexual community regionally and nationally, and I am committed to helping out. Updating the website and getting socials started up again is a part of this. I've done a small webpage update this evening, and expect to complete a redesign of the whole thing before school starts here in about a month.

I'd love to see any comments or suggestions you might have - thanks!

Please leave your comments or suggestions. Thanks!

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For more information about the Bi Social, contact:
Victor Raymond 602 Clark Avenue #1, Ames, IA 50010 515.233.3189

This page was last updated on September 14th, 2003.