Robyn Ochs to speak at Edinboro

By Candia Gilmore

Robyn Ochs is an author, editor, educator and long time activist for the Bisexual community. She has been published in several, magazines and journals as well as a co-writer for many books, including Seventeen, The Boston Globe and Newsweek. Ochs is most widely known as the editor of the Bisexual Resource Guide, which is a comprehensive directory of bisexual and bi-inclusive organizations and businesses around the world.

Ochs was raised in an activist family filled with strong-willed women and feminists. Her aunt Harriet was a civil rights activist who received one of the first masters degrees in Women's Studies. "She was part of the Freedom Summer, and was arrested more than once for civil disobedience." recalls Ochs. Her mother was an avid advocate during the 1970s in the peace movement, the civil rights movement, and in helping to start the first day care center in her home town.

A successful advocator of the bisexual community, Ochs has appeared as a bisexuality expert on a number of talk shows, including Donohue, Rolanda, and Maury Povich. She also co-founded the Boston Bisexual Women's Network and the East Coast Bisexual Network.

She has taught courses on topics ranging from GLBT history & politics in the United States, the politics of sexual orientation, myths and realities of bisexuality and the effects of living as a minority.

She has recently finished writing the book Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals around the World which focuses on the first-person narratives of 184 people from 32 different countries around the world. "I wanted to make sure it wasn't a book full of professional writers or academics," she explained.

Identity and the Women's Studies Committee are bringing Ochs to the Edinboro campus for a day of workshops, a luncheon, in-class speaking and a final presentation during the evening.

Her workshop will begin on Thursday Nov. 2 at 2:00pm in Butterfield Hall Room 105. The workshop will discuss the Sexuality Spectrum and the idea brought forth by Kinsey that asks, at what point on the sexuality spectrum does heterosexuality turn into bisexuality, and bisexuality into homosexuality?

Later that evening, at 7:00pm she will be having a Presentation in Wiley Arts and Sciences room 107 about Homophobia and how to unlearn negative message as well as sharing tactics for intervening against homophobia.

"I'm fighting for my life and the life of other LGBT people," said Ochs. "I know how beautiful, diverse, and amazing the [LGBT community] is, and it's worth fighting for." said Ochs.

Robyn Ochs, 46, is married to Peg Preble, her partner of 9 years. They were married in Brookline, MA on May 17, 2004. She works as a professor at Tufts University and an administrator at Harvard University.

More information about Robyn Ochs can be found at: http://www.robynochs.com