Walk a mile: Amber

Who: Amber, UNO Student

Artwork by: Chamberlynn McGriggs

Editor’s Note: This comic is part of the Walk a Mile series, an ongoing interview-based artistic effort to promote empathy, understanding, and demystification of individuals in New Orleans with various targeted identities.

Full interview transcribed below:

Hello, Amber! Please, tell me a bit about yourself.

Okay, sure–wait can I keep the blanket on for the interview or is that not–? Yeah? Okay cool. Right, yeah so my name is Amber. I’m 21, I go to UNO, and I want to be a teacher. I’m a black, bisexual woman who grew up in a small, country town full of conservatives. So not super fun.

I can imagine. Thank you. Next, can you tell me about a typical day in your life?

On my average day, I start off with class, which usually ends sometime around 3. After that, I usually go to the library to work on whatever homework I can because I can’t work at home. Once I do get home, I usually make dinner then settle in for a few hours to catch up on whatever I’m binging at the time. Around 11 or midnight, my friends come over, and I spend the rest of the night with them.

Perfect, thanks. One last question: what’s one thing you would like people to know about being bisexual?

Oh, that’s kind of hard.

*laughing* Yeah, take your time. I guess it’s kind of heavy.

I guess it would be that bisexuality doesn’t work the same way for everyone. I like to think of mine as a roller coaster or changing seasons. Personally, it’s rare for me to be interested in men and women at the same time. For the last couple of years, I’ve been into women. Before that for a year or so, I was into men. Before that, women for a little over a year, and so on and so forth. Of course, that’s not everyone’s experience because sexuality is fluid. But, just because it works differently doesn’t mean it’s not real. I’m not confused, I’m not looking for attention or being greedy. My sexuality is valid.