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Proud to be bi: celebrating bisexual voices in the arts at Toronto Bi Arts Festival

Written by gaytourism

Get ready to wave that purple, pink and blue flag for Bi Visibility Day. | Photo: Gay Star News

Bisexual visibility month is upon us and Toronto is celebrating bisexual artists with its second Bi Arts Festival.

Kicking off on 18 September, the Bi Arts Festival boasts six days of vibrant and original programming. The festivities coincide with Bi Visibility Week, culminating in Bi Visibility Day (23 September).

The festival is an all-encompassing celebration of bisexuality in arts and culture, including visual art, craft, storytelling, performance, theatre, video, and dance. Their events aim to be ‘creative, playful, impactful and transformational’.

Furthermore, the organizers will launch the second issue of their zine, CRUSH.

Fifty bi artists from all over the world will contribute to the festival. Bi Arts Festival wants to increase bisexual representation in the arts, but also to convey a message of inclusivity and intersectionality.

Eris Eady will perform at the Bi Arts Festival

Ohio native Eris Eady will inquire identity and diversity. | Photo: Courtesy of Toronto Bi Arts Festival

Bi people of color, non-binary transgender bisexual artists, in fact, are among the guests performing at the festival.

The work of American writer Eris Eady is particularly significant in this regard. A ‘black, bisexual and mostly cisgender’ artist, she explores what it means to be a bi woman of color.

Womannish: Redefining Womanhood in a World That Won’t Make Room is her show, taking place on 20 September. The two-hour show dares to interrogate identities through ‘laughter, love, and a fair amount of cussin”.

Trans writer Katie Sly will explore their own journey

Furthermore, Trans writer, performer, curator, and producer Katie Sly will give an intimate performance on 22 September. How to Self-Suspend is their voyage through their existence in three cities. The performance explores their childhood being raised in instability and violence in Montréal, their ecstasy and injury in the Toronto BDSM community, and their year living on the edge of Vancouver’s Downtown East Side.

The cabaret night on Bi Visibility Day

The Bi Arts Festival will also include a cabaret night of performances, including music, dance, spoken word, burlesque, poetry, and drag. This will take place on 23 September, to celebrate Bi Visibility Day.

Read the full list of events here.

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