Bi+ Equal
Objective I
Mapping the existing bi+ initiatives, organisations and networks in Europe, conducting a needs assessment, and collecting and sharing good practices
Objective II
Facilitating capacity building, mutual learning and exchange, by organizing online and in person opportunities
Objective III
Explore and create a European bi+ legal entity through a participative process
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Frequently Asked Questions about the Bi+ Equal Survey
Collecting experiences and assessing the needs of bi+, including bi and pan, groups and main bi+ contact persons in Europe
1- What is Bi+ Equal?
Bi+ Equal is a 24-month project that started in April 2024 by Bi+ Nederland from the Netherlands and Spectrum from France. They are both bi+ organisations, doing local, national and international activism, advocacy and research.
Bi+ Equal focuses on three objectives:
- Mapping the existing bi+ initiatives, organisations and networks in Europe, conducting a needs assessment, and collecting and sharing good practices.
- Facilitating capacity building, mutual learning and exchange, by organising online and in person opportunities.
- Exploring and creating a European bi+ legal entity through a participative process.
We joined forces, expertise and experience, and of course passion for bi+ equality to respond to a longtime felt gap. Together, with you, we will create the European bi+ umbrella entity created by the bi+ community, for the bi+ community. The shape and functionalities of this umbrella entity will be defined by the community and the
Bi+ Equal role is to collect information, process and facilitate the decision making. This entity can be an organisation, a network, a collective or a community or any other structure that we decide on together. In this survey, and only for the sake of simplicity of the language, we refer to this entity as an organisation.
2- What is the purpose of the survey?
This survey is our very first step for all of us to imagine, design and create the bi+ umbrella entity. The survey aims to gather experiences, needs, and aspirations of bi+ groups and activists across Europe. The collected data will inform the creation of a European
bi+ umbrella entity, providing a stronger voice, power, and visibility for bi+ people in Europe. Inclusion and diversity, confidentiality and anonymity are the main values respected in the process of this trauma-informed survey, from design to process and presentation of results. The survey is designed by the Bi+ Equal research team Dr Jantine van Lisdonk, Dr Zeynab Peyghambarzadeh, Hilde Vossen, and Aida Marukyan, in collaboration with external advisor Dr Christian Klesse.
3- What are the key issues/areas covered in this survey?
The survey is broken down into seven sections: 1- Your bi+ activism, 2- The focus of your bi+ group or your bi+ activism, 3- Alliance building, 4- Background and financial sources of your bi+ group, 5- Changing societies, 6- Contact us, 7- Stay involved with Bi+ Equal.
If you answer the questions on behalf of a bi+ group, you will be able to answer financial questions such as annual budgets and key fundings. Thus, you will need to have access to and consent of the group to share this information. We acknowledge this latter information being considered sensitive for some of us, but the answers provide a clear overview and understanding of bi+ activism funding in Europe. We would like to remind you that data collected through this survey will be treated confidentially, not shared with any third parties, and reported anonymously.
4- What is the language of the survey?
The language we use in this survey is plain English so you can easily use online translators, such as DeepL.com, Google Translate or any other translator if the questions are not clear to you, or if you want to get help with translation of answers. In case of doubt, please contact us at research@biplusequal.org for clarifications.
5- Who is invited to participate in the survey?
We would love to hear from everyone who treasures bi+ visibility, equality and/or inclusion. Yet, we have to put limitations on the number of people and the experiences we collect information from. Please note that the following descriptions need to apply for you to qualify to take part in this survey:
- You are a person of 18 years or older
- Your bi+ activism concerns, in the present or in the past, a country or region in Europe (see the list of countries below)
- You are in one of the following categories:
- a representative of an active or non-active bi+ group in Europe that focuses on improving bi+ visibility, equality and/or inclusion locally, nationally, regionally or internationally;
- in case there are no identified bi+ groups in your country, you are considered a main bi+ contact person in this country;
- not a representative of a bi+ activist group, nor a main bi+ contact person, but given your bi+ activism experience you can and wish to contribute to this survey.
Filling in this survey is voluntary. We are committed to reflect and honour inclusion of all diverse experiences, participants anonymity and confidentiality. If you decide not to participate or withdraw at any time, there will be no consequences.
6- Definitions of key terms
To make sure we are all on the same page, we describe the key terms as used in this survey.
How do we define bi+?
Bi+ is an umbrella term for all people whose sexual orientation is focused on people of more than one gender. They may or may not identify as bi+, bisexual, pansexual, queer, fluid etc. The term bi+ is becoming common in communities, since compared to “bisexuality “, it is a broader and more inclusive term.
How do we define bi+ activism?
Bi+ activism focuses on bi+ issues and activities to change the conditions faced by bi+ people and communities. This includes individuals, groups, organised activism, in different levels and shapes.
How do we define a bi+ group?
A bi+ group can be a group of people gathered around bi+ issues or activism, as an initiative, network, platform, organisation, working group, committee, event organising team, forum, and/or online space, registered or unregistered. A bi+ group could also be part of a larger organisation, for example, an LGBTQI+ organisation or a larger human rights organisation.
We kindly ask each bi+ group to assign one person as their representative and fill in the survey on behalf of the bi+ group, and only once. If you feel you are not the right person to do this, please, feel free to discuss the survey with others in your group, potentially identifying another representative. As a representative you may want to consult other people in the organisation to answer the questions.
How do we define a representative of a bi+ group?
A person who has an active role in a group, who has formal or informal responsibility or responsibilities, and who has an overview of the history, status and activities of the group. A representative can be appointed without completing formal procedures.
How do we define a main bi+ contact person?
An individual bi+ activist who cares about bi+ issues and is engaged in activities to change the conditions faced by bi+ people and communities in local and/or national level where there is no identified bi+ group or organised bi+ activism.
How do we define Europe?
We aim to run this survey in the following countries in the European continent:
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, T ürkiye, Ukraine, the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland), Vatican City.
7- What does taking part in this survey involve?
The survey is expected to take approximately 30 to 50 minutes to complete. For individuals it may take less time. It is open until October 21. We acknowledge the lengthiness of the survey, but also the importance of the information you provide. If you wish to take a break and come back to the survey later, you are able and free to do so. Just click again on the unique link to the survey, which you received in the invitation e-mail. You can also change the answers just before October 21. We might send you a reminder before that date, to make sure everyone has provided all the information that they want to provide.
The questions to define your type of involvement in bi+ activism and the region you focus on are mandatory, so we will only ask relevant questions to you. All other questions are optional, and you can skip them, if you prefer not to answer them.
If you wish to receive a PDF or Word file with all survey questions and answers, please send us a request via research@biplusequal.org. This could be useful for people with visual or language limitations or for representatives who prepare for an internal consultation process.
Please note that the online survey offers a Low Vision Mode to adjust font size and contrast. You can find this button at the top right at the first page of the survey.
If you wish to take a break and come back to the survey later, you are able and free to do so. Your answers will be saved and you can continue where you left. Just click again on the unique link to the survey, which you received in the invitation e-mail.
8- Are there any risks if I participate?
Discussing bi+ activism may also tap into topics relating to challenging experiences (such as discrimination, oppression, violence, etc.). If you feel that any question triggers discomfort, please use a nervous system calming tool you might know. You might want to take some deep breaths, relax your body and mind, and come back to questions. Also feel free to skip any question stretching you out of your window of tolerance. The only exception is the very first question how you are involved in bi+ activism. However, we believe your answer to this question will not contribute to your identification.
If you live in and/or work in a country where LGBTQI+ activism is closely monitored or criminalised and you have to protect your identity or other information related to yourself, other people, audiences and groups, you may want to consider very carefully whether you want to include any information that may make yourself or your organisation identifiable within the survey data. We treat all the gathered data securely and confidentially and we guarantee that personally identifiable information gathered through the survey are not shared outside the Bi+ Equal project team. In all publications, reports and communications about the survey, individual participants and bi+ groups remain anonymous.
Nevertheless, data breaches, for example, acts of hacking are a possibility even with a low probability. We can ascertain that we follow all the recommended security procedures to protect your data, including using highly secured survey software to guarantee all requirements for anonymity including those related to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Data will be safely stored accompanied by a strict access procedure.
9- Are there any advantages if I participate?
The result of this survey will contribute to a better understanding of the experiences and needs of bi+ activists and bi+ activism in Europe, which will be used in the process of establishing a well-structured bi+ organisation to represent bi+ people in Europe. This will give bi+ people in Europe a stronger voice, power and visibility in advocating for bi+ equality, non-discrimination and bi+ inclusion, as well as providing expertise and advice at local, national, European and international levels.
At the end of the survey, you will be asked if you would like to receive the outcomes of the survey and/or sign up to Bi+ Equal newsletter, by providing your email address independently from your answers by following a separate link. This ensures your contact details will be separated from your answers and your answers are kept anonymous. In case you would like to be involved in Bi+ Equal activities or contribute to the creation and running of this new organisation, or want to share your bi+ activism best practice(s), you can follow the “Get involved” button just above and get in touch with us.
10-What information will be collected in the survey and why?
You have the choice to fill in the survey completely anonymously. If you decide to give us any identifiable information in open-ended questions that is your own and voluntary decision. This is not necessary, and we invite you to do so only if you find it necessary and free of risk.
In all publications, reports and communications about the survey, individual participants and bi+ groups remain anonymous. The information you would provide here will only be accessible to the Bi+ Equal team leaders group (the Bi+ Equal Research team lead is also part of this group) for the duration of the 24-month project. It will subsequently be deleted.
We ask participants in this survey in which country they you are (mainly) based in. We ask this because we are interested in understanding geographical variations within Europe for organising future activities. This information too, will be kept confidential and secured and safeguarded and we will not report on country level. We collect the following data about the membership profile of bi+ groups: the most common age range, and sexual orientation and gender identity groups within the respective bi+ group. We will also collect budget and financial data from the bi+ groups. Again, it is not obligatory to answer any of these questions and you are allowed to skip them, if you prefer to do so.
11-How will my information be stored and how will you look after it?
The data will be collected through a professional upgraded secure version of Alchemer, an online survey software programme. The cleaned and anonymised data set and data reports will we exported to an online secure drive. Only people in the research team run and save analyses and only in this secure online cloud service.
Bi+ Equal team leaders, Barbara Oud, Soudeh Rad and Jantine van Lisdonk may use some of the data that participants voluntarily provided in the survey for designing the next steps of Bi+ Equal in achieving the objectives.
12-How will you use my information?
We aim to finish the collection of survey responses by October 21, 2024. The final report is expected to be published in February, 2025. We may publish other articles, reports or communicate results based on this survey. You and/or your bi+ group always remain anonymous.
13- Will my data be sent anywhere else, or shared with other people or organisations?
Access to your information will be limited to the Bi+ Equal Project team. Other external stakeholders or consultants, including external research advisor Christian Klesse will not have access to the data, as only reports in which participants have been anonymised will be shared. Thus, no data will be shared with any third party.
14- When will you destroy my information?
We will destroy all the survey data at the final day of the Bi+ Equal project, which is expected to be in June 2026.
15- What if I want to withdraw from the survey?
Withdrawal means that you will no longer be part of this study. Please, note that we can accept withdrawal requests until October 31 to delete all your data.
If you wish to be withdrawn, you can do the following:
- While filling in the survey you can write in an open answer text box that you wish to be withdrawn.
- After having completed the survey, you can still withdraw your participation by sending us a request to research@biplusequal.org. This option only applies to participants who have completed the survey and who provided identifiable information or contact details in their survey answers. If not, participation is completely anonymous, and we cannot track which answers were yours.
If you do decide to take part, you will be asked to give consent before you start the first question.
16- What will happen to the results of the survey?
The final external public report will be open access and published on the Bi+ Equal website. You will be notified of the external public report via the newsletter if you decide to subscribe to it in a separate link. This means that those contact details are not a part of the data set and this research. We will also distribute this public report via social media channels.
17-Who do I contact if I have concerns about this study or I wish to complain?
If you have concerns about this study or you wish to complain you can contact Dr Jantine van Lisdonk, Bi+ Equal Research team lead: jantine@biplusequal.org.
18-How can I stay involved with Bi+ Equal?
If you wish to stay involved with Bi+ Equal, you can choose to sign up for the Bi+ Equal newsletter, join our googlegroup or express your interest in getting involved in the ongoing activities, at the end of the survey.
You can also follow us on X, Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook to stay updated on our latest news, events, and opportunities to get involved.
You cannot find the answer to your question here?
“Bi+ Nederland” from The Netherlands and “Spectrum” from France joined forces, expertise and experience, and of course passion for equality. We respond to a longtime felt gap and will create the European bi+ umbrella legal entity.
The shape and functionalities of the entity, whether it is a network, organisation or collective, will be decided by all members through the process. This is simply done by the bi+ community, for the bi+ community!
Bi+ Equal will give us a stronger voice, power and visibility in advocating for equality, non-discrimination and inclusion, as well as providing expertise and advice at local, national and European level.
The expected impact of this initiative for bi+ advocacy cannot be underestimated. We will need all your help and contributions to create strong foundations.