Bisexuality - History - Activism

With September marking Bisexual Visibility Month, Han Tiernan delves into the legacy of bi activism in Ireland. Through a retelling of the work of the trailblazing Bi Irish group, discover stories too often overlooked and erased from the history books.

It is widely accepted that the ‘B’ in LGBTQ+ is all too often silenced. This erasure lends to the loss of bisexual activism from the history books, and Ireland is by no means innocent of this offence. Aside from documents in the Irish Queer Archive and articles published in GCN, there is virtually no public record of the phenomenal legacy of Bi Irish.

While studying at UCD in 1996, friends Jane Freeman and Jude Cosgrove identified a lack of support geared towards bisexuals and so, formed their own group, Bi Irish. They were joined by like-minded individuals, including Darragh Doherty, who would later become the group chair.

Initially, the group provided a support network for people identifying as bisexual, creating a space for members to come together and share their experiences through monthly meetings held in Outhouse, first at the South William Street site and later at the current Capel Street building.

As the group expanded, it became increasingly evident that common frustrations were reoccurring. Members would speak about the misconceptions and assumptions placed on bisexuals, the general negative attitude towards bisexuality in wider society, and the impact this was having on their lives and well-being.