Poem: Personal Ad Hell

No butches,

No bis,

No blacks.

 

No fat chicks,

No trannies,

No chaps.

 

Must be athletic;

a real girl, no prosthetics.

Long hair,

Very queer,

Good in the sack.

 

But I’m easy going,

If you’re young, hot and boring.

Why not give me a tinkle?

Cos for some reason I’m still single.

 

London preferred;

Brighton inferred.

Must drive,

Must drink,

Must not support Spurs!

 

Must own at least two cats.

Must put up with all my crap.

Must be delightfully ironic.

Must not be an alcoholic.

Must be seriously in love with the Stereophonics!

 

No kinky girls need apply.

No girls who wanna bit on the side.

No Asians, no straights,

No girls full of hate.

No one on the planning committee of London Pride.

 

I’m not into drama,

But I love Lady Gaga.

If you look like her, you’re in

(As long as you don’t wear that meat-dress thing)

 

You see, I think we’d make a good fit,

If you’re young, hot and rich,

So why not give me a tinkle?

Cos for some reason I’m still single.

*

*

Back when I was a closeted bisexual, I’d secretly look at newspapers and magazines like Loot, Pink Paper and Time Out.  Most of these publications had lots of Personals in their classified section.  I found it all quite disheartening to read row upon row of text, where each one would say, “No bisexuals” or “No butches.” It was rare to see, “No blacks” but the wording of most ads spelled it out in other ways.  I think the butch excluding confused me the most, but hey, femmes can be bigots too, I guess.  Now that things have moved online for the most part, I still see wording like this.  The only exception to this situation is on OK Cupid, where if you put that you’re a bisexual woman on your profile, zillions of men will flood your mailbox (with what, I don’t even want to know…)

Photo: J. Applebee, The Bisexual Stall at London Pride 2010

A Poem: I Can’t Be Bi. I’m a Man.

 I was saddened by the biphobia that’s on twitter.  The sexist assumptions, the implied violence, and the awful spelling are just staggering.  This is one of my ways of coping with it all.


All bi’s are girls.

All bi’s are ho’s.

They may look well fit

but my dick ain’t touching one of those.

 

No men are ever bi.

No blacks are ever queer.

Say different & you’re a liar;

nuthin I wanna hear.

 

Ain’t insulting at all,

to call something rubbish, “gay.”

I know plenty of battymen.  They don’t mind.

But I ain’t one. No Way!

 

Bi’s are just looking for attention.

Bi’s think they’re smokin’ hot.

Buy a clue, greedy bitches;

everyone else knows when to stop.

 

I ain’t never looked at another man.

Don’t you know, I’m dead straight?

I like beating queers up.

Put ‘em in their bloody place.

 

Messing about that one time don’t count.

I’m not queer, no way!

He was drunk. I was horny,

but that don’t make me gay.

 

Don’t you call me a bi boy.

I’m with the studs, not the ho’s.

Cos everyone knows all bi’s are girls

and I ain’t one of those.

 

Inspired by some very nasty comments on twitter re-posted by @biphobic_bigots,

 

@biphobic_bigots: “Collecting hate speech and outing biphobes and bigots on Twitter. Don’t troll the bigots. Just because they’re idiots, doesn’t mean you have to be.”


Photos from the Sharing Tongues project. Rukus run an archive of black LGBT experiences in the U.K. The event was really positive.  I thought I’d be the only bisexual person there, but I was wrong!

Do you know how rare it is to see non-white LGBT people represented anywhere in the U.K?  Very rare.  So I jumped at the chance to be involved with Sharing Tongues. The project is ongoing, so if you think you can contribute, please contact Rukus!

Rukus is housed within the London Metropolitan Archives, a beautiful space in Islington.

I was interviewed on KD Grace’s blog about why I wrote Bisexual Men.

“I wrote Bisexual Men because simply put, I’d hardly ever read about bisexual men as a subject or a group before.  I could find books full of erotic stories about bisexual women, where the men were strictly heterosexual; even in threesome stories men would never touch each other.  I knew that bisexual men existed, but in the realm of erotic fiction they were rarely seen.  This seemed to reflect the prevalent media image where men are either “gay, straight or lying.”

Some photos from the BiVisibility Day event at the Pembury Tavern.  Around 40 people turned up to celebrate bisexuality on September 23rd.  There was strong cider, crispy chips, party hats, balloons and happy bisexuals!  I may have kissed a few people.  I had a fantastic time.

The event was organised by Nye, who also does Bi Coffee London, a monthly meetup for bisexuals who don’t have to drink coffee to attend.

There are lots of events happening for Bisexual Visibility Day (International Celebrate Bisexuality Day) in the U.K on and around September 23rd.  I’ll be doing a reading in London, showcasing some stories from Bisexual Men which also comes out on the same day.

There are lots of events happening for Bisexual Visibility Day (International Celebrate Bisexuality Day) in the U.K on and around September 23rd.  I’ll be doing a reading in London, showcasing some stories from Bisexual Men which also comes out on the same day.

Since the publication of groundbreaking study that bisexual men do in fact exist, I thought it would be a good time to post something from my upcoming book.  Below is the introduction to Bisexual Men, which will be released on 23rd September (International Celebrate Bisexuality day).  Bisexual Men will be available in print and as an e-book on eXcessica, Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk
Introduction
 
In search of the Invisible Man
Where are all the bisexual men?  Where are the male role models, making it easier for others to accept who they are?  Where   are the male celebrities stealing kisses at award ceremonies?   Male-identified bisexuals don’t only exist in the media, they live next   door, stand next to me at the bus stop.  Bi men are friends and colleagues.  But   when I started thinking about bisexual men, I could only find a   handful; a famous wrestler, a couple of rock stars, and various men in   the European bisexual communities whom I’d see at BiCon (Convention of Bisexuality) every year.  As much as I admired these guys, I knew I wanted more.  But then maybe they were keeping quiet because bisexual men tend to get a raw deal in the grand scheme of things?  Bi   men bring queerness a little too close to home for the liking of some   who find it easier to dismiss them as either curious or experimenting;   never settling, but always a pretender to the throne.  

Bisexuality has often been marginalised by both straight and gay/lesbian communities.  It   seems that every year a study is published to state that there is no   such thing as bisexuality for men, as if sexual orientation can be boxed   up and disposed of as simply as that.  An attraction to more than one gender is not something just for women.  Not all bisexual men live in secret (or on the Down-Low if you’re in the U.S).  Some men are proud of their orientation, some are less so.  Regardless   of their visibility, I wanted to write something in celebration of   these fierce souls who have open arms and hearts too.  In doing so, I’ve learnt that these once-invisible men truly are everywhere.

Fuck ‘em all is a story about a man who completely accepts himself, including his sexuality.  He only gets angry at people who don’t do the same.  Homeless tells of a man who buys sex from men, with the full knowledge of his angelic wife.  What’s in a Name? shows how a faux pas in bed (calling out the wrong lover’s name) can lead to self-discovery for all involved.  Not with a bang, but a whimper sees a sexual surrogate observe her changing relationship with two men—one a lover and one a friend.  

Some of the characters have to reach rock bottom before they start living the life they truly want.  In How Special is Special? A man faces a terrible dilemma on his wedding day; choose the bride or the best man.  My Generation is all about a man who finds himself taking a bit too much interest in the boy bands his daughter loves.  He doesn’t want to call himself bisexual in case the name sticks, but he learns to embrace his changing desires with time.

Bisexual men come from all backgrounds: in David does BiCon, the central character falls for a man with ‘skin the colour of soot.’  I’ve found my man takes place during the Notting Hill Carnival, which is the largest multicultural event in Europe.  The players quickly change their views as to what types of people are bisexual during a sexy evening of fun.

Bisexual men exist, period.  If you still think they’re invisible, then maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.  I love bisexual men, every single chance I get.  Please enjoy these stories and see why that’s the case.
****
Bisexual Men will be available in print and as an e-book on eXcessica,  Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Since the publication of groundbreaking study that bisexual men do in fact exist, I thought it would be a good time to post something from my upcoming book.  Below is the introduction to Bisexual Men, which will be released on 23rd September (International Celebrate Bisexuality day).  Bisexual Men will be available in print and as an e-book on eXcessica, Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Introduction

 

In search of the Invisible Man

Where are all the bisexual men?  Where are the male role models, making it easier for others to accept who they are?  Where are the male celebrities stealing kisses at award ceremonies? Male-identified bisexuals don’t only exist in the media, they live next door, stand next to me at the bus stop.  Bi men are friends and colleagues.  But when I started thinking about bisexual men, I could only find a handful; a famous wrestler, a couple of rock stars, and various men in the European bisexual communities whom I’d see at BiCon (Convention of Bisexuality) every year.  As much as I admired these guys, I knew I wanted more.  But then maybe they were keeping quiet because bisexual men tend to get a raw deal in the grand scheme of things?  Bi men bring queerness a little too close to home for the liking of some who find it easier to dismiss them as either curious or experimenting; never settling, but always a pretender to the throne. 


Bisexuality has often been marginalised by both straight and gay/lesbian communities.  It seems that every year a study is published to state that there is no such thing as bisexuality for men, as if sexual orientation can be boxed up and disposed of as simply as that.  An attraction to more than one gender is not something just for women.  Not all bisexual men live in secret (or on the Down-Low if you’re in the U.S).  Some men are proud of their orientation, some are less so.  Regardless of their visibility, I wanted to write something in celebration of these fierce souls who have open arms and hearts too.  In doing so, I’ve learnt that these once-invisible men truly are everywhere.


Fuck ‘em all is a story about a man who completely accepts himself, including his sexuality.  He only gets angry at people who don’t do the same.  Homeless tells of a man who buys sex from men, with the full knowledge of his angelic wife.  What’s in a Name? shows how a faux pas in bed (calling out the wrong lover’s name) can lead to self-discovery for all involved.  Not with a bang, but a whimper sees a sexual surrogate observe her changing relationship with two men—one a lover and one a friend. 


Some of the characters have to reach rock bottom before they start living the life they truly want.  In How Special is Special? A man faces a terrible dilemma on his wedding day; choose the bride or the best man.  My Generation is all about a man who finds himself taking a bit too much interest in the boy bands his daughter loves.  He doesn’t want to call himself bisexual in case the name sticks, but he learns to embrace his changing desires with time.


Bisexual men come from all backgrounds: in David does BiCon, the central character falls for a man with ‘skin the colour of soot.’  I’ve found my man takes place during the Notting Hill Carnival, which is the largest multicultural event in Europe.  The players quickly change their views as to what types of people are bisexual during a sexy evening of fun.


Bisexual men exist, period.  If you still think they’re invisible, then maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.  I love bisexual men, every single chance I get.  Please enjoy these stories and see why that’s the case.

****

Bisexual Men will be available in print and as an e-book on eXcessicaAmazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Black Pride was good but the rain made me want to run and hide.  Everyone looked in a great mood and to be enjoying themselves.  The surprise of the day was that Stonewall were actually stocking ‘Some people are Bi’ badges!  Wonders will never cease.