Berkeley became the first city in the nation to declare a Bisexual Pride day to honor and recognize the bisexual community, after approving a proposal Tuesday.

Berkeley City Council unanimously adopted the recommendation by Councilmember Kriss Worthington at the Tuesday meeting in hopes of making Sept. 23 a date for the city to support a community that has historically been marginalized.

“Bisexuals are glad to be lumped with the larger LGBT community but also seem to want a little bit of specific affirmation,” Worthington said.

Although June has traditionally been celebrated as Pride Month for the LGBT community, Worthington said he hopes to give bisexuals their own distinct day of honor.

Since the resolution was adopted, there has been considerable positive feedback, he said.

“Somehow, this has really hit a chord and resonated with the public,” Worthington said. “Both those who are straight and gay have come up to me and said that it was about time to recognize bisexuals.”

However, after national media covered the declaration, the city received several calls of  opposition Wednesday. Two individuals called to emphasize their feeling that the city’s proclamation was “disgusting,” Worthington said. One agreed that they understood Worthington’s world is different, but said he would “never agree.”

Worthington said he suspects the calls were not from community members, but from out-of-state individuals.

Such misunderstanding of bisexuals, along with other groups who are often criticized for their differences, is one of the main issues the  proclamation hopes to overcome.

Nancy Carleton, a former Berkeley zoning board chair who also identifies with the bisexual community, said by adopting an official day of recognition, the city hopes to increase awareness of the bisexual community.

“Its a wonderful thing to increase awareness,” Carleton said. “When you increase awareness, you increase people’s tolerance of diversity, and that changes how people treat each other on a day-to-day basis.”

CalSERVE Senator Nolan Pack said he commends the city for its actions in support of this marginalized group.

“It’s important we don’t categorize according to our own expectations, and let people self-identify,” Pack said.

Although the city does not expect any large plans for the first official Bisexual Pride Day next week, they hope in the future to organize a committee around the day’s celebrations.

Contact Alex Berryhill at [email protected]

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