Last year, less than two-dozen people stood outside William Way LGBT Community Center to watch Nellie Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Office of LGBT Affairs read a proclamation under a bisexual pride flag.
When Bi Visibility Day comes around again Sept. 23, a crowd is expected to celebrate from 4-6 p.m. at the Board Game Art Park in front of the Municipal Services Building, 1401 John F. Kennedy Blvd. Afterward, people are invited to gather at Woody’s, 202 S. 13th St.
“The ‘L’ and the ‘G’ get a lot of attention, a lot of focus” in the LGBT community, said Steven Johnston, a Montgomery County resident who’s organizing the rally. “Sometimes bisexual people and transgender people get forgotten about.”
Johnston is bisexual.
“In my experience, we get told it’s just a phase or ‘You’re just doing this before you come out as gay,’” he said. “This tells the world we exist.”
The Office of LGBT Affairs has sponsored the event. Fitzpatrick, who initiated last year’s city proclamation, will again proclaim Sept. 23 Bi Visibility Day in Philadelphia.
This year’s activity is the first time a community-organized rally has marked the day in the city.
“It’s exactly what should be happening,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m happy to get behind the communities and help them in any capacity.”
She added it’s great to have such increased public awareness.
“To go from that small gathering to a bigger, more visible and public space is wonderful,” she said.
City Hall stands across the street from the Board Game Art Park.
The Independence Business Alliance, the region’s LGBT chamber of commerce, has promoted the Bi Visibility Day rally on social media.
Johnston hopes Friday’s activity will become an annual event in Philadelphia. It’s been celebrated since 1999 across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and elsewhere.
“This whole event was started with one person deciding to stand on a corner with a bisexual pride flag,” Johnston said. “My number-one thing is one person can make a change. But it’s only all together that we can change hearts and minds.”