How the Bisexual and Gay/Lesbian Communities Interact With Each Other July 15, 2009

The Bisexual and Lesbian/Gay Community(s) each have unique interactions with the Poly community and Polyamorous behavior. This forum discussion will look at the similarities and differences between the Bisexual and Gay/Lesbian Community(s) in the spirit of inviting better understanding between them.

Our Panelists:
o Tom Limoncelli is a long-time bi-identified LGBT activist, organizer and speaker from New Jersey. He is the recipient of the 1995 AT&T League "Community Involvement Award", the 1997 New Jersey Lesbian and Gay Coalition "Honor" award and the 2006 PFLAG/Queens Brenda Howard Award. He was involved in the successful passage of New Jersey's LGB anti-discrimination law (1992) and Domestic Partnership law (2004). Limoncelli is the author of several technical books and is currently a System Administrator at Googl.

o Estraven, is a long-time bi-identified LGBT activist, organizer and blogger. She facilitates the Bisexual Support Group at The LOFT, the LGBT Community Center serving NY's Westchester County. A therapist for 28 years, for the last 10 years she has activily been developing a specialization working with the LGBT community. Estraven currently serves on the Board of BiNet USA.

o Deb Morra is an ordained, openly-lesbian Unitarian Universalist minister and a licensed clinical social worker. Deb is a psychotherapist at a large HIV/AIDS Services agency, and at a community-based mental health clinic. She has been involved in LGBT advocacy and education and has spoken publicly in support of marriage equality for many years.

o Mike Atoria is a gay activist and has been involved with Marriage Equality New York (MENY) for the past four years as the Volunteer Coordinator. He's responsible for recruiting individuals with specialized skills to fulfill staff positions. He also manages volunteers during events, rallies, and general organizational tasks, and engages New York State Senators by linking them to their constituents via MENY's District Community Organizer (DCO) program.

Polyamorous-NYC meets regularly on the third Wednesday of every month in Room 101 of the LGBT Center. $10 admission; $5 youth/students.

Official Website: http://www.poly-nyc.com/calendar.html