Feeling marginalized by the LBGT community was the focus of Getting Bi, a session addressing issues faced by bisexual women.

Discussion included fear of being ostracized by lesbian and gay people and acknowledging fluidity in both orientation and gender.

Julie Hartman, a graduate student in sociology, said bisexual people often feel they have to act differently around gay and straight friends.

"You come out of one closet to go in another," she said. "OK, you're out, but you have to keep part of yourself hidden. With gay people you can be gay, with straight people you can be straight, but being bi is a big no-no."

Hartman said bisexual people are made to feel like their sexual orientation isn't valid. She said they are often treated as visitors of the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community only to identify as straight in the long run.

"(The attitude is) 'Oh that's cute, you think you're bi - you're going to be gay or straight tomorrow,'" she said. "You might be born this way just as much as everyone else is - it's just perceived as a choice."

Brent Bilodeau, coordinator for the Office of LBGT Concerns, said bisexuality shouldn't be devalued.

"What research tells us again and again is that human sexuality really exists as a continuum, and on that continuum, sexual orientation exists in a diverse range of ways," Bilodeau said.

Jayne Schuiteman, acting director of the Women's Resource Center, said considering the bisexual identity will help society stop putting people into boxes by "either/or" definitions.

"Bringing bisexuality to the forefront can be threatening but it also can be liberating," she said. "It forces us to think outside of a dichotomy."

Tension between lesbians and bisexual women was deeply explored at the seminar. Hartman said because bisexual women and lesbians might advocate the same political issues, bisexual women are sometimes viewed as betrayers when involved with men.

"If you're trying to construct a lesbian identity, it's hard when someone who works side by side with you can go and date a man and be happy, and you wonder why you can't," she said.

The seminar helped alleviate some feelings of isolation faced by bisexual people.

"I found out there were a lot of people who agreed with me," zoology sophomore Megan Sharra said. "It really opened up my eyes to how many people are in my boat."