Fluidity is celebrated within the LGBT conference at LBCC

Bisexual, pansexual and otherwise sexually fluid community members from far and wide gathered in the T Building of the Long Beach City College Liberal Arts campus on Saturday to create space, foster community, and share resources for a subset of the larger LGBTQ+ community that usually goes ignored or even ostracized.

Dr. Mimi Hoang, co-founder and board member of the Los Angeles Bi+ Task Force, opened the conference by welcoming attendees and setting the tone for a day full of workshops, free food, and prizes for lucky raffle winners.

But before anyone could head toward their designated gathering spot, Dr. Danielle Samuel, board president of the Los Angeles Bi+ Task Force, decided to impart a much-needed message.

“We are making history just by being here,” Samuel stated. “That’s why it’s so important for us to gather in community with each other. We are the elders paving the way just like the elders that came before us, and the ones that came before them.”

“So, we appreciate you all taking time to come and support us. It makes it easier for us to do the same,” Dr. Samuel said.

B+ Well Conference attendees then spent the next three hours attending workshops such as Exploring Attraction Through Creative Writing, Memory, and Imagination with Los Angeles B+ Task Force board treasurer Ross Victory.

^{The South Bay LGBTQ Center presented a table full of free goodies at the B+ Wellness Conference for Bisexual, Pansexual, & Fluid Community at LAC on Saturday. (Kiona Jones)}

Meanwhile, local business owners like Giovanni Estocin, owner of G-Medical Massage Spa, courted wandering conference attendees outside with promises of a safe space for queer folks looking to help in achieving their self-care goals.

“It’s so rare to find events that cater to bisexual people even within the LGBTQ community, because there can be hostility. But I can remember a time when gay men would treat lesbians the same way,” Estocin said.

“So, I think there’s room for growth and hope for the future, but we have to be there for each other in the meantime,” Estocin said.

Later on, Christina Fialho, founder & president of Rewrite the BiLine and Aaron Hammersley, Los Angeles Bi+ Task Force board member, presented the workshop From Heated Rivalry to Felices Los 6: Writing Positive Bi+ Stories, where they talked about the presentation of bisexual, pansexual, and otherwise sexually fluid community members in popular media.

^{Founder and President of Rewrite BiLine, Christina Fialho, speaking at the B+ Wellness Conference for Pansexual & Fluid Community at Liberal Arts campus on Saturday. Fialho is co-presenting a PowerPoint presentation on the representation of bisexual, pansexual, and sexually fluid people in media. (Kiona Jones)}

It was a busy day punctuated by free stickers, the trading of business cards, and a variety of conversations about what it means to be bisexual, pansexual, or sexually fluid in today’s political climate.

“This event means a lot to me. This is my first year attending. So, it’s wild to be in a room full of this many bisexuals – like, I’m taking it all in. It honestly makes me so emotional,” said Charmeé Taylor, board member & volunteer of the Los Angeles Bi+ Task Force and self-proclaimed active, loud bisexual online.

Taylor continues, “ It’s really great to have bi elders. I think that’s important. And Danielle, our president, was talking about today is that we are the bi history. Right? Like, in this unprecedented time, we are the bi history. So, carrying that with me, I hold a lot of pride,” Taylor said.

Organizations like the Los Angeles Bi+ Task Force are giving space to bisexual, pansexual, and sexually fluid people that one would not normally find, even in their own community.