Denarii Monroe

I am a Rutgers University alumna, Class of 2011 with a Bachelor’s in English. I am at graduate school at Pace University–downtown NYC campus. I’m getting my Master of Science in Teaching, Adolescent track (middle and high school). I am a native NYer. I have a graduate assistantship at Pace’s LGBTQA & Social Justice Center; that is where I work part time while attending school full-time. I love my job (I worked at Target before this…ugh, retail.) I love to write–poetry, songs, essays/blog-type pieces, etc. I love music–my favorite genres are rock, R&B, blues, and jazz. My favorite band is Hanson (yes, HANSON) and I also still love the Backstreet Boys, Lauryn Hill, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, System of a Down, and so so many others–very eclectic taste. I love to read, but I prefer non-fiction, because I’m a weirdo. :0) I’m a strong believer in the importance of mental health and mental difference/illness awareness, and some topics that interest me: body image/fatphobia/lookism, mental health, children/adolescents/young adults, bisexuality/non-monosexuality, radical politics, intersections of pop culture and identity, race, and gender, just to name a few. 🙂

Being bisexual, for me, means being awesome. ^___^ I’m only half-serious.

We are real and always have been. We love. We are individuals–don’t judge all of us by the actions of others. Take me for who *I* am, not who others have been. Also, it’s like eating a Reese’s, there’s no wrong way to be bisexual. One person’s journey is not like others. Get to know us as individuals. Don’t presume to know what it’s like for me to be bi based on another wonderful bi person’s experience. Like all groups, there are similarities, but we aren’t a monolith. 🙂

I was aware as a child that I was attracted to "boys and girls". I thought nothing of it, but although by 11 I knew what "gay" was, I didn’t know there were names for my identity. At 14, I started going to church on my own, and that was when I thought there was something wrong with me. I came out to myself right before my 19th birthday, on Feb. 21st, 2006, and I came out publicly (via Facebook) on National Coming Out Day 2007 (Oct. 11th). I haven’t looked back. 🙂

Fighting the biphobia, monosexism, and assumptions 🙁 being visible (both as bi and as a queer woman of color)

Not being limited by sex or gender–I love my gay and lesbian siblings, but gay or straight, I am in no way jealous of monosexuals. I get the best AND worst of all worlds, but the best by far outweighs the worst. 🙂

Most of my family is mainstream Christian, so there’s that. 😛 Trust and believe, "true believers" think no better of us than they do gays and lesbians–it’s not easier being bi. Most people I’m friends with are cool with it thankfully. I’m lucky that way. Whether bi, gay, or lesbian, I know there are so many out there who have no support. </3