Last year, as the bi rep for the Civil Service Rainbow Alliance, I ran a consultation to understand the experiences of bisexual, pansexual, queer and asexual civil servants. I particularly wanted to understand why the Civil Service People Survey results showed that staff who identify as bisexual or with anothe minority sexual orientation, as having lower engagement and wellbeing than their gay, lesbian and heterosexual peers.

In May 2018, the Civil Service LGBT+ Network published the results from that consultation. As part of this, we committed to a range of activities to support the staff who identify as bi, pan, queer or asexual, set out in our business plan. One of those was to “create a new community space for bisexual civil servants”.

I’ve been working with other bi people across the Civil Service to create “BiSpace”: a new initiative that’s been designed for and by civil servants that are part of the bisexual umbrella.

What BiSpace is for

BiSpace is a chance for bi civil servants to meet in a safe space and share their experiences. Each BiSpace is organised by civil servants that identify as bi, pan, queer or asexual.

These events will be informal and sometimes facilitiated; a chance for you to meet other bisexual civil servants, and talk to other people like you. They can be anything you want them to be - you said you wanted a community space, and this is your chance to shape it.

BiSpace is starting this month

We’re launching BiSpace to coincide with Bi Visibility Day this September. Volunteers from around government will be holding 3 events: in London and Bristol on 20 September, and in Manchester on 24 September. Bring along your lunch and join us. I look forward to meeting you there.

You can sign up for each of these events on Eventbrite.

20 September at 12:30 to 14:00 at Horizon House, Bristol. Sign up for the Bristol event

20 September at 12:30 to 14:00 at the BEIS Conference Centre, London. Sign up for the London event

24 September at 12:30 to 14:00 at Picadilly Gate, Manchester. Sign up for the Manchester event