Pride, Bisexual Erasure, and The Harm of Queer Gatekeeping | #168
Welcome to Pride Month... or as we like to call it here, Queer Wrath Month!This episode is for every bisexual person who has felt left out, questioned, or erased in the very spaces that are supposed to celebrate them. Caitlin is joined by Bailey Merlin—researcher, advocate, author, and co-host of the Bisexual Killjoy podcast—for a conversation about what it really means to be bi+ in a world that still struggles to make space for us.Bailey brings her lived experience and professional insight to the mic, sharing what she’s learned from years of community building and organizing, including her work with the Bi+ Book Gang. Together, she and Caitlin explore the complicated realities of bisexual identity, from partner-gender policing and “straight-passing” myths to the constant pressure to explain yourself in both queer and straight spaces. They also touch on something deeper: how infighting and gatekeeping weaken our collective power, and how we can return to something more grounded.If you’re bi, pan, queer in all directions, or someone who wants to do better by the bi+ community, this episode is a heartfelt invitation. Because we all deserve to be here. No gatekeeping. No paper-checking. Just more room at the table.💬 " Queer people should just be letting queer people into queer spaces. You cannot ask somebody like for their papers. That’s cop behavior!" - Caitlin Liz Fisher💬 "If you say bisexuality is transphobic, you're being biphobic, because it's not." - Caitlin Liz Fisher💬 " In my research, in the interviews that I do, I'd say like 60% of people will tell me that their identity doesn't matter. Like, 'oh, it's not a big deal.' But it is! It doesn't have to be all you are, but saying that it's not a big deal makes me really sad, because it means you're like distancing yourself from a part of yourself, which is not good for your overall mental wellness." - Bailey MerlinWhat We Talk About:- The ugly rise of biphobia during Pride Month and why it hits harder online- The ongoing pressure to "do queer correctly" and the exhaustion of having to justify your place in the community- Why bisexuality is still misunderstood, misrepresented, and debated even within the LGBTQIA+ community- The harm of the bi vs pan discourse, and policing queer identities- How fascism and scarcity culture feed queer infighting (and what we should be doing instead!)📚 NEW! THE SACRED FIRST DRAFT SOCIETYA witchy, soul-nourishing membership for writers who are done treating their creativity like a productivity app.Weekly coaching, co-writing, guided rituals, affirmations, and woo—on purpose.$69/month, because we’re reclaiming pleasure in pricingPerfect for neurodivergent writers who feel like their story ghosted them🎟️ Join here: https://www.askfishfisher.com/sacred-first-draft-societySupport the Podcast: Membership Drive on Patreon!If you want to keep hearing spicy, emotionally intelligent, deeply comforting takes like this one...🎟️ Join Caitlin’s Patreon for bonus content, unfiltered rambles, exclusive merch, and the best little weird creative family on the internet: https://www.patreon.com/caitlinlizfisherJoin our Neurodivergent Creative Pod!🌞 Want to support heartfelt conversations about mental health, creativity, and neurodivergence?Join the Neurodivergent Creative Pod community: https://www.askfishfisher.com/pod📩 Subscribe to Cait’s newsletter and grab your copy of the Audacity Bill of Rights—a weekly dose of "you’re not broken, you’re brilliant": https://www.askfishfisher.com/audacity🎧 Leave a comment, send a DM @caitlinlizfisher, or scream into the void (and tag us!)We love hearing what hit home for you!
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