How to Find Bisexual People in Your Community

The bisexual community seems to be where the gay and lesbian community overlaps with the straight community. Since bisexuals are sometimes found in one community and sometimes in another, finding others like you can be difficult. But it's not impossible.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Yellow Pages

1. Get to know the city's gay community. It's often more welcoming of bisexuals than the straight community.

2. Pick up a copy of a local gay and lesbian newspaper or magazine, and consider attending some of the events listed or advertised there. You might find these publications in the lobby of some mainstream bookstores, or on college campuses.

3. Search to see if there is a gay guide Web site for your city - it will probably contain some bisexual information, and it might list personal home pages of local bisexuals. You can find a pretty good list of guides at GayGuide.Net.

4. Visit your city's Metropolitan Community Church, if there is one - it's a predominantly gay denomination of about 300 congregations. Look for these churches in the yellow pages or find a list of them on the denomination's Web site (mccchurch.org).

5. Attend a meeting of the local chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays - called PFLAG (pflag.org). The group includes bisexuals and transgendered people in its mission.

6. Drop by a bookstore and stay awhile in the gay and lesbian section, if you're comfortable with that. The other people who visit that section are likely to talk to you because they already know you have something in common.

7. Answer or place a personal ad - preferably in a gay publication or in the city's alternative weekly newspaper. It may not work, but they are inexpensive and sometimes free.

8. Try visiting a gay bar. You might be surprised to find some pretty nice people there who - like you - just want to make some friends.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be too surprised if you get snubbed a few times. Not everyone is looking to make new friends, so don't take it personally when they aren't interested in even a chat.

on 11/22/2005 If you're bisexual and in a gay bar, and you find yourself attracted to someone of the opposite sex, it's OK. Don't suddenly pretend you're straight. You're in a safe place. It's bound to happen.