Our History and Achievements

June 2017

When a fury of bisexuals meet…

The Melbourne Bisexual Network grew out of discussions between mental health professionals and activists at Thorne Harbour Health. They were concerned about the poor mental health outcomes for bi+ people in Australia following the ‘Who I Am’ survey, conducted by Julia Taylor from LaTrobe University, Australia’s largest ever study on the mental health of bisexual people. The goal was to form an organisation to deliver formal responses to the findings and recommendations of the study, an organisation led by bi+ people, that would focus on advocacy and education.

Present at first meeting: Anthony Lekkas, Ruby Mountford, Juniper Muller, Mellem Rose, Karen Styles, Jessica Olivio, Keir Saltmarsh, Fenella Hanson, Rebecca Dominguez, Ella Buczak.

November 2017

Melbourne Bisexual Network was incorporated and the in augural committee was elected.

Committee 2017-18; Anthony Lekkas (President), Ruby Mountford (Vice President), Juniper Muller (Secretary), Ella Buczak (PR Manager), Mellem Rose (Education Coordinator) with support from Jess Olivo, Ordinary committee: Ella Buczak, Jess Olivo.

2017-18 Annual Report - President’s Report (Ruby Mountford)

Welcome to the very first annual report for the Melbourne Bisexual Network (MBN), for 2018.

This has been an exciting year for our organisation, and for bisexual+ communities across Australia. Since first meeting on June 26th, 2017, and our public launch in January at the Equality Project’s 2018 Better Together conference, MBN has achieved some incredible things, with more on the horizon.

The Melbourne Bisexual Network was founded in response to the extremely concerning mental health outcomes of bisexual and multi-gender attracted people. And while the results from the ‘Who I Am’ survey have just started to be published, MBN has done significant work in raising awareness around the bisexual community, and in fostering a strong sense of identity and pride in bisexual+ people across the state.

Since January this year, members of MBN have presented and participated in conferences and workshops, provided consultations and training, and hosted regular social events for the community, including a picnic on September 23rd, Celebrate Bisexuality Day.

The success our organisation has experienced in its short life has been made possible due to the time, energy and experiences volunteered by my fellow committee members, and I would like to recognise them for their efforts. Jes Olivo, our vice president, Juniper Muller, our treasurer, Anthony Lekkas, our secretary and founder, Ella Buczak, our education coordinator, and Jo Williams. On behalf of MBN, and myself, please accept my sincere thanks for the contributions you make to our organisation, and to the lives of bisexual+ Victorians and Australians.

MBN recognises that tackling the issues faced by the Bisexual+ community cannot be achieved in isolation, which is why we have stayed actively involved in the broader LGBTIQA+ community and service sectors, communication and advocacy, networks, and to work closely with Bisexual Alliance Victoria in many of our undertakings as we establish ourselves.

Some of our current collaborations:

• Bisexual Therapeutic Support Group - in partnership with Thorne Harbour Health.

• Bi Visibility Day Event Grant Application - in partnership with ShOUT, the youth LGBTIQA+ choir, to secure funding for a Bi+ showcase on Bi Vis Day 2019.

• The Bi Five Project - in partnership with Bisexual Alliance Victoria and Drummond Street Services, with the support of Department of Premier and Cabinet, a project that will help us identify gaps in services, both in the LGBTIQA+ sector and outside of it.

• We have also seen the establishment of the Sydney Bisexual+ Network, and the Sydney Bi+ Community Facebook group, and expect to see the Brisbane Bisexual+ Network launch soon. The founders of these new groups are keen to work closely, and we are excited to see where our collaborations will go. This, more than anything, has demonstrated the positive impact of visibility and representation for our communities, and the need for Bi+ spaces.

I conclude my report with a reminder as to why we do what we do:

• In 2018, less than 50% of bisexual+ people under 30 have come out.

• Bisexual+ women are still one of the most at risk groups when it comes to experiencing sexual assault and family violence.

• Bisexual+ people continue to report some of the highest rates of depression, anxiety, and distress in the LGBTIQA+ community.

There is a lot to do, but MBN has already made a significant difference in the lives of bisexual+ Australians and I wholeheartedly believe that it will continue to do so. I thank all of you for your support, and encourage you to continue to assist us and to spread the word so MBN can continue its work long into the future.

Regards,

Ruby Susan Mountford

Ruby Mountford (President), Jes Olivo (Vice President), Juniper Muller (Treasurer), Milla Galea (Secretary), Anthony Lekkas (PR and Marketing Officer), and Meg Alexander (Education Officer), Ordinary Committee Members: Serge Rebrov, Ellie Watts, Kali Zahira, Marina Larsson and Jodie Lyons.

2018-19 Annual Report - President’s Report (Ruby Mountford)

Welcome to the second AGM for Melbourne Bisexual Network Inc. It is my great pleasure to present our 2nd Annual report to share some of our achievements from the past year, sketch out our plans for the future, and thank the many people who have contributed to this pivotal year.

Over the last 12 months, MBN has continued to grow in size and reputation, and we have continued to raise awareness of the unique challenges faced by the bisexual+ community, providing education and consultation on inclusive practise, and encouraging the visibility and celebration of bisexual+ identity in both the broader LGBTIQA+ community and in bisexual+ Victorians.

Firstly, I would like to mention our incredible 2019 (extra)Ordinary Committee Members: Serge, Ellie, Kali, Marina and Jodie, who have all contributed their time, skills and passion to the development of our young organisation. Thank you for sharing perspectives and ideas for improvement, and for supporting myself and the executive committee throughout the year. Your input and efforts have been invaluable.

I will also take this opportunity to recognise and thank my fellow executive Committee Members: Jes Olivo as Vice President, Juniper Muller as Treasurer, Milla Galea as Secretary, Anthony Lekkas as PR and Marketing Officer, and Meg Alexander as Education Officer. Their dedication, and commitment cannot be overstated, and it has truly been the greatest of privileges to work alongside them.

Thanks also to everyone who has volunteered their time to attend meetings, paint signs, march at Pride and make badges. Our organisation could not exist without the support of our community, and we encourage community members to stay engaged in the new year.

The MBN committee has organised, collaborated and participated in many events this year, with some highlights including:

• The 2019 Better Together conference in Sydney, where we also had the great pleasure of supporting the launch of the Sydney Bi-plus Network, and attending one of their social events.

• Midsumma Pride March, where the Victorian Bi+ Community received an honourable mention in the Midsumma March Awards.

• The Bisexual+ Community float at Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which was featured on SBS.

• La Trobe University’s Pride Festival.

• Several community picnics organised by admins of the Bi+ Community of Melbourne Facebook page.

• The LGBTIQ Round Table held by the Royal Commission into Mental Health

• Rainbow Health Victoria - The Next Chapter.

• Rainbow Network’s all-day workshop “What does it mean to be a bi or pan young person”, on supporting multi-gender attracted youth.

• A Bi+ 101 and Bi Ally workshop with Monash University.

This year we have also responded to over 90 emails requesting help, resources and guidance, and have supported community-building initiatives, including the Bi+ Community of Melbourne Facebook group, which grew to over 1,200 members this year.

We have also achieved great progress in our collaboration with Drummond Street Services and Bisexual Alliance Victoria on the Bi5 project, which we believe is the first bisexual+ targeted initiative to receive government funding in this country’s history.

As well as presenting at conferences, providing consultations, holding workshops and making badges, this year we have taken actions that will ensure the sustainability of our organisation, our committee, and our members.

We have focused on building the processes and governance structures MBN needs for sustainable growth, and to meet the rapid pace our community organisations move at. This has included a policy writing working-bee, and successfully applying for a grant with the LGBTI Capacity Building program to fund ongoing business and governance consultation, as well as training in governance, boards, volunteer coordination and fundraising that will be open to all of our members.

This year has also seen a major shift in our strategy. While we have seen improvements in bi+ inclusion from LGBTIQA+ organisations, and continue to work alongside them, the lion's share of demand for education and resources has come from our own community. This shift has been mapped out into the development of a 5 year strategic plan, which was done with the valuable assistance of Marion Frere.

Due to these demands, we have increased our efforts on building bisexual+ resilience and capacity through community events, workshops and other activities designed by bi+ people, for bi+ people, including:

• A pilot of the workshop Bye Bye Biphobia, aimed at helping tackle internalised biphobia within the community

• Advising on Thorne Harbour Health’s new Bi+ and Mighty therapeutic group

• An age inclusive event for 40+ bi+ community members

• Out for Australia’s Bi+ Visibility Day event: Being Bi+ In The Workplace

• The Big Bi+ Bonanza, an all-day bisexual+ festival, made possible thanks to an event grant from the Victorian Government, and the product of collaboration between MBN and ShOUT Youth Choir

The response to these events has been overwhelmingly positive, and I would like to thank everyone involved for their dedication, time and energy.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has volunteered their time to serve on the MBN committees for 2019-2020.

It is no secret that my heart has been in this organisation since the inaugural meeting in July 2017, and that has not changed. However, as MBN moves into the next stage of its development it is the right time for a change in leadership. The decision to step down was not easy, but that is why I believe it is also the right time for me to take on a different role. I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to serve my community in this capacity, and I wish the incoming President every success. MBN is in a strong position to develop and grow, has a brilliant team, and an excellent reputation in the community, all of which are indicators for great things in the years to come.

On behalf of the MBN Ordinary and Executive committees, thank you for your ongoing support. As the end of 20-bi-teen approaches, we encourage you all to stay in touch with us in 2020!

Yours sincerely,

Ruby Susan Mountford

Juniper Muller (President), Megan Ayres (Vice President), Marina Larsson (Treasurer), Milla Galea (Secretary), Ruby Mountford (Education Officer), Anthony Lekkas (PR & Marketing Officer), Jessica Olivo, Ellie Watts, Kali Zahira, Jodie Lyons, Sergey Rebrov, Karen Mehzentsef.

To celebrate Bi+ Visibility Day on Sep 23, we collaborated with shOUT Youth Chorus to put together Big Bi+ Bonanza, a Bi+ Visibility festival celebrating community and wellbeing through visual and performance art, with music, panels and a market.

This event was made possible thanks to an event grant from the Victorian Government.

2019-20 Annual Report - President’s Report (Juniper Muller)

Welcome everyone to the Annual General Meeting of Melbourne Bisexual Network. It is my honour, as President, to present to you the summary of our group’s achievements across the last 12 months.

When MBN started in 2017, I said that I’d only be in the group if we got stuff done, more than just talk. I did not expect that within three years of starting, we’d have some of the first and largest government grants for Bisexual specific projects in the world, helped run an online Bi+ conference with almost 30 events, and beyond incorporation, develop professional governance and strategy. We’re undoubtedly a group that gets things done, so here’s some of what we did this last year.

MBN was a big part of the Better Together conference in Melbourne, where we hosted the great Robyn Ochs, celebrity activist bisexual, who gave us our favoured definition of Bisexuality. The caucus we helped facilitate was bigger and better than the years before, and we welcomed Bi groups from interstate. Midsumma brought Carnival, and we made signs before Pride March where we had over 80 marching Bipans, the biggest contingent yet. We supported Bi+ at Mardi Gras, “Bi Vis” theme. We were integral in the Stand Bi Us conference, where Bi+ groups from Australia and Aotearoa hosted events for Bi Visibility Week including The Art of Bisolation and Play Bi Play. Victorian government funding secured by MBN helped run the event by paying performers, buying software, and accessibility through live transcription. MBN were also part of many smaller events: The Bi 40+ meet ups, Bisolation Discussion Group, IDAHOBIT activations, and collaborations with Climbing QTs and Yellow Kitties. The Bi+ Community of Melbourne swelled to over 1580 members! We helped each other get through COVID with movie and games nights, and made time for care, connection, and joy.

It wasn’t all fun and games; we also contributed to a number of research projects and policy. MBN helped complete year one of the Bi5 project, along with Bi Alliance Victoria and drummond street services, producing a set of Bi+ inclusive practice guidelines. We supported two Federation University social work students to create an online Bi+ e-learning module. Our members supported the ‘Writing Themselves In’ National LGBTQIA+ youth research, the Victorian Government LGBTI Strategic Plan, ALGA queer heritage study, and advocacy for LGBTI Census Inclusion. MBN members continue to present in a number of settings, including on JOY FM, Triple J, Bent TV, online articles, professional development, inclusive practice trainings, and more.

A focus for MBN this last year was strengthening our structure and policies, to ensure we move into the future sustainably. We used our government capacity building grant to hire the Our Community Group train us and provide business consulting. MBN opened these trainings to the wider LGBTQIA+ community, and we had wonderful participation in board governance, financial management, personnel, and strategy, first in person and then online. We’re polishing up our policies, and tonight we will vote to update our constitution, putting us in good stead for the future.

The level of commitment and contribution from the MBN Committee and our members has been nothing short of extraordinary, especially in a year like this. I want to specifically thank Vice President Megan Ayres, Secretary Milla Galea, Treasurer Marina Larsson, Education officer Ruby Mountford, and general committee members Serge/Penelope Rebrov, Kali Zahira, Jess Olivo, Ellie Watts, Jodie Lyons, and Karen Mezentsef. Thank you to outgoing member Anthony Lekkas, who was the founding president of Melbourne Bisexual Network, who has moved on to facilitate the Bi+ Oceania group. A huge thank you also to Jess Olivo, who was a founding member of MBN, and has served on the committee since incorporation. Jess brought incredible passion, warmth, and expertise to MBN, and we are glad to have her remain a member as she makes time in her life for other opportunities. Special thank you to two of our members Mark Planigale and Megan Grigg, who have contributed greatly this year and who I’m looking forward to working with further.

I could go on about how each and every one of those mentioned gave of themselves in different ways, their time, expertise, effort, and kindness. But I won’t. Instead I invite you to talk to them yourselves, learn about what part they played in the force of nature which is MBN. I was hesitant taking on the President’s role last year, but I’m glad I did. I couldn’t have been better supported by such lovely people, doing important work. I want to leave you with our newly refined purpose, why we’re here.

"Melbourne Bisexual Network is a Bi+ led community organisation, proudly improving the health and wellbeing of Bi+ Victorians through advocacy, education and community engagement."

We’re proud and we’re here, and we’re not going to stop any time soon.

Thank you,

Juniper Muller

President, Melbourne Bisexual Network

Juniper Muller (President), Ruby Mountford (Vice President), Marina Larsson (Treasurer), Milla Galea (Secretary), Megan Ayres (*Education), Ellie Watts (*PR & Marketing), Kali Zahira, Sergey Rebrov, Karen Mezentsef, Mark Planigale, Megan Grigg.

From Megan Ayres, MBN VP and co-ordinator of MBN’s efforts towards the Stand Bi Us event in Sep 2020.

Gosh, what a year!

The last 6 months have been a wild, anxiety-fuelled time for the entire planet and MBN has itself, been through a number of tests, too. I have felt enormously proud to be a part of an organisation that works so hard to care for community, and to support one another, through these trials. I think we should all feel a huge amount of pride in weathering these storms, and in not only continuing our important work throughout them, but also finding the strength to rise to new challenges, too. MBN, and the brilliant Big Bi+ Bonanza team – Megan Grigg, Ellie, Serge, Kali, Riley, Ipek, Jes and myself - were a vital part of the recent collaborative Stand Bi Us Bi+ Conference 2020, which was an enormous success, despite all that stood between us and connecting with one another, across borders and beyond.

We supported the arts in Melbourne with our gloriously celebratory evening, a collaboration with the magical Themme Fatale, The Art Of Bi-solation, and we introduced the Big Bi+ Bonanza audience to the wonderful Climbing QTs with our collaborative sports panel, Play Bi Play. MBN’s grant money, from the Pride Events and Festival Fund, also supported a website for the conference, lovingly created by our own Kali, the streaming of the fabulous Bi-Conic in Sydney, and also Otter live-captioning, for the entire conference.

Working towards greater accessibility has been a big focus this year and I feel so glad to be part of a collective that really cares about not just actively including, but truly welcoming everyone who wishes to be here with us. I want to specifically thank, the wonderful, Megan Grigg, who has been an integral part of this work, and say how happy I am that she found MBN and stayed along for the journey! There is more work to be done here and we look forward to finding more ways to welcome those who don’t always feel included.

MBN has also been tirelessly building Bi+ community here, in Melbourne, throughout the entire year and Covid-19 has not slowed that down for one moment! We have worked to keep our ties to community strong, whether on Discord, or through the Facebook group, or during Ruby’s meticulously-planned, wholesome discussion evening (supported by Mark on the tricky-tech!), MBN has been there for our often-vulnerable community, throughout our incredibly tough lockdown, curfews, and extensive disconnection. I truly feel so lucky to have found myself within such a wondrous group of human beings, that are not just colleagues, but more importantly, friends.

Thank you to the executive team for being amazing - Juniper for your warmth and leadership, Milla for your dedication and care, Marina for your joy and money-whizzery and Ruby for your enthusiasm and brilliance. The extra-ordinary committee were just that – thank you Serge, Kali, Karen, Jes and Ellie, for being here with us and for all that you bring to MBN.

I look forward to supporting MBN through the next year, and beyond.

Thank you.

Megan Ayres

VP MBN

2020-21 Annual Report - President’s Report (Juniper Muller)

Welcome to the Annual General Meeting of Melbourne Bisexual Network 2021. It is my pleasure to present to you my report on our activities this last year. To begin, I want to start where I ended last year, our newly refined purpose:

"Melbourne Bisexual Network is a Bi+ led community organisation, proudly improving the health and wellbeing of Bi+ Victorians through advocacy, education and community engagement."

Our group is a community group, and a community is made up of people, along with the web of relationships which bind us together. MBN’s first few years were of furious energy, bursting to address the injustices and inequalities faced by bisexual, pansexual, and otherwise multi-gender attracted people. We got a lot done, never perfectly, sometimes with scars to bear from speed and ambition. My 2020 report was still one of many events, projects, actions, though also of consistent consolidation. We started maturing as a community group, updating our constitution and setting up solid policies and strategy to guide us forward. Then COVID hit, and the losses multiplied. I’m sad to note that many members in our group have faced enormous challenges in this past year, though this isn’t what this report is about.

Our community group is Bi+ led, and it is about improving health and wellbeing for Bi+ Victorians, and that includes our committee. I’m proud to say that when faced with adversity, MBN prioritised the wellbeing of group members and committee, instead of pushing us into burnout. Sometimes this meant postponing or cancelling a meeting the day a new lockdown was introduced. Sometimes it meant saying no to conference opportunities, or delaying exciting projects to a time where we had more capacity. I’m proud of the committee members who spoke up to say they needed a break, in order to come back to the work later. That takes courage, to bear that responsibility in a way that cares for all involved.

Though as a committee, we were only able to meet face to face a handful of times, we worked hard on Zoom, Slack, and email to continue things digitally. We completed capacity building trainings online, offered to LGBTQIA+ community, and submitted our report for our first major grant. We made use of Our Community support to do an organisational ‘health check’, develop useful policies, redraft and ratify new constitution, and create a strategic plan for moving forward. MBN members contributed again to JOY FM, Triple J, Bent TV, and other mediums where the queers might be found. After a considered design process, we have helped launch four t-shirt designs from Rainbow Roo, which will help raise funds for us to continue our work together.

There is a history in Australia of Bi+ groups forming, doing work, then dissolving. Though specifics of why they might have dissolved are up for debate, the pattern is something we’re resisting. Wellbeing for multigender attracted people is rarely prioritised or specified as being of importance, even by Bi+ people. This is across the backdrop of Bi+ people often experiencing more difficulties in life than monosexual peers across a range of contexts, as recent research continues to show. Yet here we are, four years on from our beginning, still moving forward. My goal through this last year for MBN was to weather the storm as best we could, so we could live to fight another day in the future. That felt important not just for our broader community, or for my fellow committee members, but for myself as a bisexual person.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to the wonderful people who have joined me in collaboration this last year, every single one of you. I cannot wait until we can regularly meet in person again, put on picnics and pub nights, go to conferences, and generally be our Biconic selves out in community again. Thank you.

Juniper Muller

President, Melbourne Bisexual Network

Juniper Muller (President), Ruby Mountford (Vice President), Milla Galea (Secretary), SP Rebrov (Treasurer), Megan Grigg, Karen Mezentsef, Mark Planigale, , Felipe Bermudez.

2021-22 Annual Report – President’s Report (Juniper Muller)

Welcome all to the Annual General Meeting of Melbourne Bisexual Network 2022. This is my third AGM as president, and it is with great honour that I share our group’s activities over the last year. I’ll be stepping back in my role within the committee at the end of this year, after being one of the founding members, so I hope you’ll indulge me a little with this report. I wanted to share a quote from one of the articles we funded at Archer magazine, by Patrick Lenton, a wonderful local writer.

“It was a mistake to treat my sexuality and my personhood only as a rebellion, as a form of protest. Sometimes it is, but that can’t be everything. Bisexuality, I’ve come to realise, is just as much about glamour and abundance as it is about rebellion.”

This is what I see MBN as. Not just a protest, though sometimes that’s what it is. We started this group with a bundle of energy to change things, but effective activism can’t be sustained with righteous anger alone. Glamour and abundance in people is our real strength, and I’m so proud to have worked with every person on the MBN committee.

2022 brought us out of the lockdowns of past years, and into a world where everyone was accelerating at different paces, many of us still burned out from Covid, even more actually getting Covid. This came with many challenges in considering capacity and what we chose to do with our energy. Even with these set backs, this year was one of our most active, with a renewed vigour to get things done and see people, now that we could leave our homes more safely. MBN received two significant grants this year, one for running our Bi Visibility Day event at Alphington Bowls Club, and another to connect with different organisations for a variety of projects. This second grant has seen us project manage community events with RMIT, articles for Archer Magazine, Research Guidelines with ARCSHS, and inclusive practice reporting for domestic violence and mental health. It has been a huge amount of work, and will continue to require attention until early 2023, though the returns have been great.

MBN has achieved many long term goals this year, and that couldn’t have happened without the vast contributions of our volunteer committee. We’ve updated our website, including a more streamlined sign-up process. We’ve bought a badge maker, and had a successful badge making day together to ensure we have many more bisexual badges for spreading the good word. We’ve contributed to the Stand Bi Us conference, and been a part of Bi Collective Australia, connecting with Bi+ activists across the country. We’ve responded to numerous incoming requests for support, directing people to resources and community. We’ve privately and publicly connected with so many wonderful Bi+ people of all ages, that I think we have glamour and abundance truly covered.

Sometimes people who don’t volunteer will ask me something to the effect of ‘why do you do it?’, when it takes time, engagement with challenging topics, sometimes tedious admin or stressful challenges. The best answer that I can come up with is that volunteering gives me as much as I put in. I’ve grown in so many ways through my different roles in committee, and seen others within the group grow as well. In some sense, I’m lucky that this group is so supportive and kind, that I’ve made friends through it. But I think to call it luck diminishes the efforts of all of those who lift each other up, who express praise and gratitude freely, who honour commitments as best they can, and who step up when the call comes. I know we have some new committee members coming on board today, and I’m excited to see what you all bring to this group for the years to come. Thank you.

Juniper Muller

President, Melbourne Bisexual Network

Ruby Mountford (President), Gabi Boyd (Vice President), Felipe Bermudez (Treasurer), Penny McKay (Secretary), Milla Galea, Megan Grigg, Andrew Macdougall, Karen Mezentsef, Juniper Muller, Mark Planigale, SP Rebrov.

Highlights from our activities in 2022-23

MBN had a busy year in 2022-23, with many activities focusing on Bi+ community, research and advocacy.

Bi+ Pride Community Celebration

A relaxed community gathering held on 25 September 2022 at Alphington Bowls Club. This event had a focus on social connection, helping multi-gender attracted people to re-connect with community after the isolation of pandemic restrictions in 2020-21. The event included an accessible barefoot bowls program and a Bi+ community photography project. Around 85 people attended, comprising a diverse cross-section of the Bi+ community. Feedback was very positive.

MBN Project Leads: Mark Planigale & Felipe Bermúdez

Bi+ Voices writing project

In collaboration with Archer Magazine, we commissioned four articles by Bi+ writers, including a photo shoot, advertising and promotion. The articles were published between September 2022 and March 2023.

• Patrick Lenton: Dating as a bisexual man: The joy of holding space

• Adele (delsi cat) Moleta: Bisexual pride: How to thrive as a bi+ person

• Ulysses Thomas: Blak, bi and not a guy: On intersecting identities

• Cynthia Spleen: Discovering aegosexuality through art: Neurodivergence, desire and Jessica Rabbit

These articles contribute to positive representation via a diverse range of Bi+ voices, as well as strengthening Bi+ community engagement and identity.

MBN Project Leads: Ruby Mountford & Juniper Muller

Bi+ Research Guidelines

MBN initiated a collaboration with researchers from the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, to develop a set of inclusive practice guidelines for research involving Bi+ people and communities. The guidelines were developed in collaboration with an Expert Advisory Group, and with feedback from Bi+ and sexuality researchers, Australian Bi+ community activists, university ethics departments, and LGBTQIA+ community groups.

Bi the Way: A Guide to Bisexual+ Research was finalised in May 2023 and will provide an important resource and reference point to improve research and data collection involving Bi+ people in future.

MBN Project Lead: Juniper Muller. Big thanks to Dr Natalie Amos, Rebecca Cavarra, and all those who contributed their thoughts to the guidelines.

Bi+ Intimate Partner Violence Research

We undertook ground breaking research on the level of capability of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) services in Victoria to respond effectively to Bi+ women. The research was based on surveys, lived experience interviews, and workshops with professionals working in service delivery and primary prevention. We collaborated with Safe and Equal in the primary prevention sector, and Berry Street in the response sector.

Research findings demonstrated a clear need for further education and capacity building in these sectors, to better understand and respond to the needs of the Bi+ community. We produced a report on the findings which we will use as a springboard for further action and collaboration, which included input from Meg Grigg and Penny McKay, as well as Amber from Sydney Bi Network.

MBN Project Leads: Ruby Mountford & Juniper Muller

Bi+ Community Events with RMIT

MBN collaborated with RMIT University’s Diversity and Inclusion Coordinators to organise three community events:

• Panel on Bi+ inclusion in Academia, September 2022

• “Queer Enough: Unpacking multigender attraction and biphobia” virtual event with Miles the Bisexual, October 2022

• Queer AF Trivia, November 2022

These events brought Bi+ people together for learning and fun, and helped build community connection and engagement with Bi+ students, academics and researchers.

MBN Project Leads: Ruby Mountford & Juniper Muller

Other events, networking and advocacy

In addition to the above, MBN members participated in a range of community events and forums including the Midsumma Carnival and Melbourne Pride March, along with presentations at Sydney World Pride Human Rights Conference: Bi+ Caucus, LGBTQ+ Women’s Health Conference, and Stand Bi Us Conference.

In July 2023, MBN undertook a Committee Planning Day with a Leadership and Purpose session facilitated by Commissioner for LGBTQIA+ communities, Dr. Todd Fernando.

MBN wrote a submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission, and co-signed an objection in collaboration with others, to object to a request by the Lesbian Action Group for an exemption from the Sex Discrimination Act to enable the hosting of events at the Pride Centre that would exclude bisexual, transgender and other queer people. The Commission ultimately decided against the exemption request.

During Bi Visibility Week 2023, MBN hosted a public, hybrid ‘Launch Event’ in collaboration with RMIT and special guests, to celebrate and distribute our two major publications: the Bi+ Research Guidelines and Bi+ Intimate Partner Violence reports. We distributed hard copies at this event, the LGBTQ+ Women’s Health conference, and via mail.

Melbourne Bisexual Network thanks the Victorian Government for funding which supported aspects of our activities in 2022-23, including the Bi+ Pride Community Celebration, Bi+ Voices writing project, Bi+ Research Guidelines, Bi+ Intimate Partner Violence Research and Bi+ Community Events with RMIT.

President’s report - Gabi Boyd (Acting President)

As 2023 draws to a close, I reflect with pride on the myriad achievements of the Melbourne Bisexual Network over the last year. The highlights of our activities span a full two pages in this report, and our work culminated in several concrete publications that we hope will go on to make a genuine impact on Bi+ wellbeing and advocacy for years to come. The spirit of Bi+ pride that was generated through our community events and advocacy cannot be understated, and I am exceptionally proud and grateful to everyone who contributed to MBN’s success. In particular, I thank each and every member of the 2022-23 MBN committee for their passion, their good-natured cooperation, and their genuine desire to serve the Bi+ community. You are all superstars, and I am so honoured to know you.

The journey was certainly not always easy, with various challenges that, as a group, we have been able to overcome. I feel it is important to acknowledge to our members that changing personal circumstances for many committee members meant that over the course of a few months, we saw a substantial turnover in the committee, including at the executive level. This necessarily impacted on the velocity and quantity of work that MBN was able to produce.

Perhaps most significantly, founding MBN member and elected President, Ruby Mountford, resigned their position to pursue exciting new career challenges. Since then, I have made my best efforts to fill Ruby’s very big shoes. On behalf of MBN, I extend my sincere thanks to Ruby for their fearless, tireless and brave advocacy for the Bi+ community at large. On a personal level, I thank Ruby for being a remarkable role model and mentor. Another monumental loss was our amazing past Secretary, Milla Galea. Milla had been the engine room that kept MBN going for many years, and is a bright spark of joy to all who know her. We thank Milla for their enormous contribution.

Looking to the future, further farewells are anticipated. Juniper Muller, another past President and founding member of MBN, has indicated her intent to step away. Juniper has been a mainstay of this organisation since its inception, and was a driving force behind much of the project work accomplished by MBN over the last year. Their loss will be sorely felt, and we thank Juniper for all of their hard work over the years. Penny McKay, current Secretary and absolute powerhouse of advocacy and organisational skills, also has exciting new career prospects ahead that will demand most of their attention. I thank Penny for her generosity of spirit and utter dependability in times of turbulence.

These various departures, amongst others, have significantly reduced MBN’s operational capacity - a problem which the committee has confronted with realism and grace. In the absence of meaningful recruitment of new volunteers, we have taken a proactive approach to addressing this problem. We are pleased to now be able to report to our members, that an in-principle collaboration agreement has been reached with Bisexual Alliance Victoria. We intend to make the best use of both organisations’ limited resources, working in close collaboration to ensure that the future needs of the Bi+ community continue to be met. The precise form of this collaboration has yet to be determined, but may even go so far as a formal merger of our two groups.

With this in mind, I view my role over the coming months as a caretaker - helping to usher MBN over the threshold from its original form to its new shape, whatever that may prove to be. Throughout this transition, I will ensure that MBN stays true to its values and overarching purpose, honouring our history while ensuring that the organisation has a viable future to continue serving the Bi+ community. I invite all our members to join us and support us on this journey.

Gabi Boyd

Acting President, Melbourne Bisexual Network

Gabi Boyd (President), Mark Planigale (Secretary), Felipe Bermudez (Treasurer), Megan Grigg, Sean Cooney.