Manchester Pride is committed to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people in Greater Manchester and beyond. We’ve engaged with bisexual+ members of our team and the wider community to deliver a Bisexual Awareness Week campaign that aims to challenge the discrimination that bi+ people face, promote the advancement of bi+ equality, raise awareness and support for bi+ mental health, and support grassroots projects and initiatives that encourage the wellbeing of bi+ people in Greater Manchester.
Bisexual Awareness Week is observed throughout the UK from 16th-23rd September with the aim of promoting cultural acceptance of the bisexual community, improving visibility of bi+ people and creating a platform for advocating bisexual rights.
For Bisexual Visibility Day, we're spotlighting some talented Manchester-based Bi+ babes that we think you should know about! Be sure to check out, follow and support their work.
Maddy Dann
A&E Doctor, internet sensation and self-titled ‘long boi’ Maddy has been gracing our TikTok for-you-pages since 2019. Maddy’s passion for comedy and penchant for side-splitting videos has led to social media virality on multiple occasions.
Maddy is also a credible source for health, wellness and taboo topics, drawing on her seven years of studying medicine.
Maddy most recently appeared as a Guest Comedian on Sky One’s Dating No Filter to a strong, positive response.
Follow and support Maddy:
https://www.tiktok.com/@maddylucydann
https://www.instagram.com/maddylucydann/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs6gwghZorRVnrvZnAEu4Fw
Pypah Santos
Pypah Santos is an animation and illustration freelancer based in Manchester.
Born and raised in Porto, Portugal, Pypah moved to the UK to pursue studies in animation and creates YouTube videos about her work.
Follow and support Pypah’s work:
https://pypahsart.com
https://www.instagram.com/pypahs_art/
https://www.youtube.com/PypahsArt
https://www.patreon.com/pypahs_art
Dr. Brendan J Dunlop Dr. Brendan J Dunlop (he/him) is a Principal Clinical Psychologist currently working for an NHS Trust in the North West of England. Brendan also works part time as a Clinical Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at a university in Manchester in England.
Brendan’s new book, The Queer Mental Health Workbook, is designed to specifically help LGBTQ+ people navigate and manage the messy world that we live in.
The first section is aimed at improving general mental health and wellbeing, exploration of identity and intersectionality, and consideration of relationships. The second section discusses specific mental health challenges such as feeling anxious, feeling low, self-harm, eating difficulties, sleep difficulties, trauma, shame and suicide. There are numerous activities and exercises throughout for you to complete if you like, plus extra downloadable copies of all worksheets and exercises online.
Follow and support Brendan’s work here:
https://www.drbrendan.co.uk
https://www.drbrendan.co.uk/book
https://twitter.com/brendanjdunlop1
Simaran Patel
Simaran Patel, aka Qwirk, is a Manchester-based producer and DJ who is influenced by a large variety of UK underground genres and further afield, including jungle, metal and dubstep resulting in aggressive, bass driven sounds in many of his own songs. His DJ sets are even more fluid, encompassing the camp side of queer as well as the darker side. You can usually expect to hear anything from Steps to SOPHIE, as well as packing in Desi influences from growing up in a large Indian family, which has landed him sets for Daytimers, Tough Act, and Fast and Bi-Furious.
Having found his queer identity later on in life, Simaran's bisexuality was unspoken within the family for a while until he was interviewed on Threads Radio as part of the Beatriarchy, a collective for musicians and DJs from marginalised backgrounds. During the interview, he talked about being a young bisexual brown man, and his mum dropped the link to the show in the extended family Whatsapp group, telling them they MUST listen to it.
You can find his music and upcoming sets on his socials and music pages:
linktr.ee/qwirk
Zach SullivanManchester Storm are a British professional ice hockey team originally founded in 1995 and re-formed in 2015. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and are based at Planet Ice, Altrincham, Greater Manchester.
Zach Sullivan is a professional player for Manchester Storm, and made history in 2020 by becoming the first known professional hockey player worldwide to come out as bisexual.
LGBTQ+ representation in sport is still limited, so we welcome a local team pioneering in their game to create a safe space for the community.
Support Zach and Manchester Storm:
https://www.manchesterstorm.com
https://twitter.com/ZachSully11
https://twitter.com/Mcr_Storm
Not forgetting the Bi+ babes of Manchester Pride!
We asked the Manchester Pride team to share a few words...
"In the spirit of Bi Visibility Day, here is a gentle reminder that a person in a 'straight passing' partnership can still be proudly bisexual!
Coming out as as an adult whilst in a relationship seemed counterproductive, and I was paralysed by the fear of not feeling queer enough, being stereotyped, and worrying that those around me would question mine and my partner's choice to be monogamous - staying quiet about my sexuality was the safest choice for years. But that's why visibility for the Bi+ community is imperative, our sexuality isn't defined by who we choose to spend our life with, it's defined by us and us alone <3"
~ Amanda
"PSA: Bi+ Visibility is life-altering for young queer people!
As a scared teen without any bisexual role models to look up to, I rejected my queerness before I learnt to love myself for who I was. I spent the majority of my adolescence tormenting myself for 'not being queer enough' or confident enough to come out, and I became convinced that my time to share who I was with the world had passed... I was only 18!
I had a lot to unlearn; There's no such thing as 'too late', a bisexual person does not have to prove their dating history for their identity to be valid, and there's no such thing as 'not queer enough'! A year into working with the wonderful team at Manchester Pride, I finally felt safe enough to come out. Exploring my sexuality has not been a linear experience for me, and that's okay. I see the world in a new way now and I'm privileged that my experience of queerness as an adult is joyful and freeing and intricate and beautiful."
~ Phoebe
5 minute read
