https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/censorship-divides-let-books-unite
Sep 27, 2021
I am a huge advocate for allowing everyone access to whatever books they choose. As a librarian, censorship is something that I will always fight against. The Respect Together Libraries recognize Banned Books Week (September 26-October 2, 2021) as a chance to join with other libraries around the country in an effort to make all books available and accessible to everyone. Every year, the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom puts together a list of the ten most challenged books within the past year. It just so happens that we have most of these books within our collection
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/confronting-biphobia-blog-series
Sep 22, 2021
Biphobia, or the fear or rejection of Bi+ identities and people, has been pervasive throughout history and is still present today. This not only has a lot to do with a lack of understanding about human sexuality, but also due to society’s reliance on binaries. Bisexuality is often wrongly regarded as a place between being ‘straight’ and ‘gay.’ Bi+ members of the LGBTQIA+ community often face challenges which are not addressed uniquely as distinctive issues in themselves. This ‘lumping in’ effect sometimes assumes that being Bi+ can be a ‘catch-all’ identity that mirrors other issues in
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/Bi-phobia-series/bi-resources-and-unmet-need
Sep 22, 2021
The Bi+ community has struggled to be seen both as part of the LGBTQ+ spectrum and a community of its own kind, particular to itself. As a result, Bi+ specific resources are less common than resources for other LGBTQ+ communities. Despite this, there has been a growing awareness of the unique needs of the Bi+ community.
Guides & Publications
Serving their goal of creating a safer world for LGBTQ youth, The Trevor Project has created How to Support Bi+ Youth, which is a guide on the ways to emotionally nourish and care for bisexual, pansexual, fluid, and queer youth who are attracted to
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/Bi-phobia-series/disparities-bi-health-and-sexual-violence
Sep 22, 2021
*This blog covers issues of sexual violence, self harm, and discrimination and may be triggering for some readers.
Sexual Violence Statistics
While sexual violence is disproportionately perpetrated against the queer community across the board, the Bi+ and trans communities are found to have the highest rates as subcommunities. Studies indicate that 61 percent of bisexual women experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, compared to 35 percent of straight women. Thirty-seven percent of bisexual men experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/Bi-phobia-series/bi-issues
Sep 22, 2021
The Bi+ community has faced and continues to face adversity and difficulty in being recognized and respected. Many queer scholars have theorized that much of the social pushback is due to society’s reliance on binaries (two set ways of being, like male/female, gay/straight, etc.). Social movements of the past century have increasingly rallied for the understanding and acceptance of fluidity — or the understanding that sexuality, identity, and gender work on a spectrum instead of two rigid categories. This is often due to patriarchy.
Patriarchy relies on strict gender and sexuality
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/Bi-phobia-series/bi-history
Sep 22, 2021
In the book A History of Bisexuality, Steven Angelides raises an important question: How can we construct the history of an identity which, until recently and even now, is thought to not exist? As with any history of social movements and identities, it’s first important to understand that learning history can also inadvertently be a practice of erasure. This means that “documented” or more dominant experiences are usually the only ones included in the historical narrative. This is especially so in the case of bisexuality, as its existence as a category and label has been protested
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/exploring-conversation-trauma-blog-series/Trauma-Voyeurism
Sep 16, 2021
Viral content is the most prevalent form of media in our current day and age. Videos, stories, and photos can span the globe within a matter of seconds through the reach and accessibility of technology. Viral content tends to be eye-grabbing, shocking, or outlandish, and acts as a form of entertainment that feels like news or current events. However, much of our obsession with viral content has to do with trauma voyeurism, which not only perpetuates harm but often marks its victims so they may be forever remembered through the event. As such, trauma voyeurism and viral content breaches their
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/exploring-conversation-trauma-blog-series/Trauma-and-sexual-violence
Sep 16, 2021
Although all forms of trauma are damaging, trauma that comes from sexual violence is uniquely difficult. Borrowing the definition from the Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center, "Sexual trauma can be many things and we use this as an umbrella term to describe any sexual act that is imposed on another person without their consent. Oftentimes the word 'abuse' is used to indicate that the violence was ongoing or long-term. This can be a one-time event or an ongoing experience and does not have to be physically violent."
Sexual trauma can be difficult to talk about and, as such, survivors
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/exploring-conversation-trauma-blog-series/why-do-we-have-trauma
Sep 16, 2021
Trauma occurs because of the way the human brain is wired. We are programmed to remember things that will be useful for our survival and help us remain safe in the future. When something very bad, painful, or scary happens, our brain wants to keep us safe and make sure it doesn’t happen again. If something very overwhelming happens, the brain expends a lot of effort to navigate us to safety using the fight, flight or freeze response.
The fight, flight or freeze response happens automatically when our minds perceive a threat. This is why humans usually experience similar (although various
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/exploring-conversation-trauma-blog-series/Glossary
Sep 16, 2021
ACEs: Also known as Adverse Childhood Experiences, ACEs are childhood experiences of abuse (be it physical, emotional, sexual, or mental) and neglect or larger incidents of household challenge. Household challenges includes things such as the prevalence of addiction, mental illness, and incarceration in the home. ACEs can also be a childhood marked by excessive stress, worry, or poverty. ACEs scores are a tool used to calculate a person’s vulnerability to trauma and the impacts of trauma. Higher ACEs scores have been associated with increased experiences of
