"Coming out as..."

From an exercise in the workshop "Fitting and misfitting in the bi community" at BiCon 2002.
For the full context, please read the account of the workshop.

Everyone had a sheet of blank stickers and was invited to write down some of their different identities or roles - aside from bi, if they identified as bi. We had already touched briefly on what kinds of things might be identities, in the first exercise of the workshop.

Then I put up a long piece of wallpaper horizontally onto the wall at one end of the room, labelled at each end like this:

EASY TO
COME OUT AS / DISCUSS
IN THE BI COMMUNITY
(in general)

HARD TO
COME OUT AS / DISCUSS
IN THE BI COMMUNITY
(in general)

Next, people came up (in no particular order) to stick their identity labels onto the wallpaper strip. For each person, if a particular identity or role was something they found easy to talk about in the bi community, they'd stick that label near the left hand end of the strip. Conversely, if they found a particular identity hard to come out as, or hard to discuss, they'd stick that label nearer the right hand end of the strip. By the end, there were labels all the way along the strip.

(This pic shows only about the first third of the strip)

photo of left hand end
of the strip of wallpaper,
with identity labels stuck onto it -
see below for transcription

More than one person could have the same identity or role, so the same label can appear several times. Also, whether it's easy to discuss something is a subjective feeling or thought, so if two different people did have the same identity, they wouldn't necessarily put it at the same point on the strip.

Notes on the transcription below:

Because it's generally better to have long vertical web pages than wide horizontal web pages, the sequence has been rotated to fit on this page. So the left hand end of the wallpaper strip is now the top of the page.
Things in brackets (e.g. "(?)") were on the original.
As you can see from the photo (if you've got graphics turned on), the wallpaper strip had enough room so that several labels could be virtually at the same place left to right. So the difference in placement between two things in this list might only be a few millimetres. Also, there was a cluster of things along at the "easy" end, so the relative placements there may not be that significant.

EASY TO COME OUT AS/DISCUSS IN THE BI COMMUNITY (in general)
Friend of Kay
Partner
Poly
Academic
Buffy fan
Queer
Queer
Non-monogamous relationship
Livejournalist
Female
Goth
Poly
Irish
Irish
Poly
Hungry
Femme
Smug
Poly
SMer
Goth
Red-head
LJ
White
Geek
Vegetarian
Community activist
BDSMer
Queer
Goth!
SF fan
Young
Male
Genderqueer
Poly
Trans
Atheist
Non poly
Feminist bisexual
Enjoy cooking
Sexually active
Atheist
BDSM
Enjoy opera
Cat owner
Lapsed art student
Individual bisexual
Poly bisexual
North of Watford
Clubber
BDSM
Scottish
Pagan
I'm 30!
Asexual
Daughter
Abstract oil artist
Tart (?)
Witch
Goth-fancier
Daughter
Gamer
Wife
Bilingual
Cyclist
Married
Femme
Geek
Student
Cyclist
Lover
Hippy
Wanker
Geek
Sub
Mostly out
Trade unionist
Healthy
Socialist
I am a highly motivated label writer
Research student
Talkative
Leftie
Green
Cyclist
Top
Asian bi
Bi-racial
Veggie
Wanker
Foreign
Single
With a trans partner
Ex-Lesbian
Woman
Aspiring to be in a group relationship
Lover
Tattooed
Pagan
Mental health system survivor
Druggie
Bi-cyclist
Non-exhibitionist
Girl
Reiki healer
Hospital worker
Pansy
Bicultural
Uncaring
Academic
Fan of really crap music
Goth inside
Ex-activist
Vanilla!/SM (flexible)
Vegetarian
Trainee drag king
Feminist
Diverse
Academic
SM
Middle class
I'm an individual bi who doesn't always associate with labels, but I can see why some people would feel safety or proud to have one. And bloody hell there's so many!
Fangirl
Vegan
Bipolar
Queer/non bisexual specific
Parent
Vegan
Separated
Italian
Depression
Furry
Slightly closeted
I sometimes wonder if I am a heterosexual
Lapsed vegetarian
Self harm
Spiritual
Religious
Witch
Adult boy
Superman fan
Monogamous
Virgin BiCon
Bi in open bi relationship
Vanilla
Depressive
Passive poly
Feminist
Communist
Straight
Asian
Conventional gender identity (male/female)
Vanilla
Vanilla
Mental illness
Tactile
Dieter
Poly
Attraction to men and women is unequal
Alein
Non community spirited
Single
Sinhalese
Sexually not v. active
Shy
Swinger
Ex-person of prejudiced views
Inexperienced BDSM-er
Masochist (BDSM)
Can't see bisexual
Banker
Cynic
Inconsistent/complicated/confusing
Hidden disability
Woman who prefers women
Monogamous bisexual
Shy
Shy
Impotent
Dislike soap operas
Not out to parents
Lonely
Scruffy
DIY enthusiast
HARD TO COME OUT AS/DISCUSS IN THE BI COMMUNITY (in general)