REC*OG*NIZE Quotes

“Honey, wake up. Gender and sexuality are different things. I can be bi and trans*!”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“My sexuality has always been on a need-to-know basis and for the larger part of my life, since I’ve come to understand who I am, I learned that most people don’t or didn’t need to know.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“LGBT youth still need as much support as we can provide, so I encourage each of us to share our stories, so that we can be real together.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“My sexuality is a gift that allowed me to explore the bounds of my humanity and, finding answers, to move joyously beyond either/or.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“I needed to risk being unapologetically authentic, even in the face of potential rejection.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“When I tell people I am bisexual, I get asked certain questions. The one I am most often asked is, “How can you be attracted to more than one gender?” I reply, “How can you only be attracted to one gender?” The response to that question is “That is who I am.” Exactly! Me being attracted to more than one gender is who I am.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“However you identify, I promise to respect whatever label currently describes your identity but, please, return the favor.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“but the truth is that I’m bi, and I want people to know it. I want them to know that they know someone like me.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“Although I’ve experienced many curious and dubious reactions when I’ve mentioned my bisexuality, every person in my life who matters has validated me. What ultimately matters, though, is how I perceive and bless my own process.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“My sexuality is something that is not completely obvious. It is something that I could hide and keep a secret.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“So, how do we make things better? Given so many obstacles, both internal and external, discussed above, how can a bisexual person come to a positive bisexual identity? Understand the social dynamics of oppression and stereotyping. Get support and validation from others. Join a support group. Subscribe to an email list. Attend a conference. Read books and blogs about bisexuality. Get a good bi-affirming therapist. Find a friend (or two or twenty) to talk to. Silence kills. I encourage bisexual people to come out as bisexual to the maximum extent that you can do so safely. Life in the closet takes an enormous toll on our emotional well-being. Bisexuals must remember that neither bisexuals nor gays and lesbians created heterosexism and that as bisexuals we are its victims as well as potential beneficiaries. Although we must be aware that we, as bisexuals, may—because of the gender/sex of our partner compared to our own gender/sex at a given point in our lives—be accorded privileges that are denied to gays, lesbians and to transgender people of any orientation, this simply calls for us to make thoughtful decisions about how to live our lives. We did not create the inequities, and we must not feel guilty for who we are; we need only be responsible for our actions.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“Queer, in all senses of the word, is probably the best word to describe me. Queer is political. Queer is something “off the norm.” Queer is sexual and gender minorities. Queer rejects traditional sexual and gender identities. Queer is outside the bounds of normal society. Queer is breaking the rules for sex and gender. One can be queer and bi. For that matter, one can be queer and straight.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“That sexuality and gender are different is a simple fact and confusing to a wide swath of the population.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“That’s love, my love, entwining us upon the operating table,
Siamese twins joined at the groin, the despair of the hovering surgeon.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“I can assure you that you won’t find a single mention of Jesus Christ denouncing being gay in the New Testament. But you will find him teaching love, compassion, charity, peace and many other positive equality-based teachings.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“But who are we to assume someone is straight or gay?”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“Hopefully this inspires someone to live a more authentic life as well, or at least not to want to kill him or herself for being different.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“It’s not easy being an out bi pastor in rural Missouri. It has many challenges, and can be lonely and isolating. But if just one person sees from my example that even a pastor can be bisexual and a faithful Christian and that it’s possible to own both of these identities at once then it’s all worth it.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men

“I hope that what I do here as a pastor makes a difference in the lives of bi kids in this community who are wrestling with who they are.”
― Robyn Ochs, REC*OG*NIZE: The Voices of Bisexual Men