This week we received the below letter from a bisexual Lutheran pastor in the closet. It is a good reminder that bisexual identities are the most invisible in the LGBTQ community. After you read it, click the “Bi Visibility Day” image to the right and share on your facebook page to show support for this pastor and all people in your life who may identify as bisexual.
Dear ReconcilingWorks,
I want to tell you how important it is to me that you’re celebrating Bisexual Visibility Week this week.
I’m a not-yet-out bisexual pastor in the ELCA. I can’t be publicly out yet. My congregation isn’t actively and intentionally hostile to the LGBTQ community–aside from a few folks–but to have a bisexual pastor, even one in a heterosexual marriage, is not a step they’re ready for. It would likely mean the end of my call. I am literally an INvisible bisexual person, because my bisexuality is neither seen nor heard.
It’s easy for me to hide, to present myself as heteronormative. I’m happily married to my wonderful wife who knows I’m bisexual, as do a few family members and friends. But that part of my identity, who I am, is unseen, hidden away, to protect myself.
That you have taken the time to promote and advocate for bisexual visibility and awareness means a lot to me. One day, probably as soon as my current call is over, I’ll be able to come out publicly and proudly, standing with my bisexual siblings and the LGBTQ community. Right now, I’m too afraid to. I am an ally and advocate, but one day, hopefully soon, I’ll no longer be invisible.
Sincerely,
A Pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
For more information, stories, or resources about bisexuality, visit: www.ReconcilingWorks.org/Bi.