We Wishy Washy production staff bisexuals have consistently struggled with our identities, feeling too straight to be gay and too gay to be straight, and convinced that we were going to eventually figure out which one to pick. Since then, we’ve been in long-term, committed relationships with both men and women and feel rooted in our own senses of self, knowing that the stereotypes regarding bisexuality are blatantly false and we love who we love. And that’s what this story is about.

When we discovered that we had similar experiences coming out as bisexual, we rejoiced in the shared stories and nuances of this underrepresented identity. Together, we aim to shine a new light on the way media expresses bisexuality in a heartfelt, authentic, and silly way.

THE STORY

ADAM is a neurotic, indecisive guy in his early 20s who slowly comes to terms with being bisexual — and no, he’s not confused because he’s bi. He’s confused because being bi is an overwhelming whirlwind of constant self-scrutinizing, of being unable to be totally confident and certain of himself because cultural conditioning has convinced him that his sexual identity is invalid, a phase, an experiment. Luckily, he’s got some help: GEORGE THE GAY ANGEL and SEBASTIAN THE STRAIGHT DEVIL, two supernatural entities, accompany Adam in his quest to make a damn decision and realize his potential. Over the course of six short episodes, Adam confronts everything from the terror of coming out to the anxiety of a Grindr date to figuring out how to dress as “bisexual.” From these experiences, he learns that there’s not one single way he’s supposed to look or act or be when it comes to bisexuality and that’s exactly what makes it so special.

WATCH THE EPISODE 1 TEASER HERE!

A still from episode 2: Moses Feldman as Adam, chatting with Ben Morris, who plays his Grindr hookup Felix.

WHY WISHY WASHY?

Society tends to erase bisexuality, particularly within the media, morphing the already lacking LGBTQ+ representation. On an extreme level, bisexuality issues involve people defying that the sexuality itself doesn’t exist. This is expressed through phrases such as “you eventually just pick one in the end, right?” or “it’s just a phase.” More commonly, harsh stereotypes regarding bisexuality circulate society, even within the LGBT community, assuming bisexual people to be overtly promiscuous, confused, non-monogamous, HIV-spreading, etc. Bisexual men in particular are targets for stereotyping, seen as being “halfway out the closet.” Attempts to invalidate bisexuality are too frequent for Hollywood’s supposed rapid progress concerning LGBT pride and acceptance. A lack of character representation and writing revolving around the unique struggles of bisexuality perpetuate these stereotypes, leaving people confused about bisexuality as a concept.

Wishy Washy aims to depict the nuances of bisexuality in order to give viewers a holistic glimpse into that experience.

Representation of bisexuality is still quite slim and inaccurate in the media. Here’re excerpts from CBS News: 

“Bisexual individuals make up almost 50% of people who identify as part of the LGBT community, according to research from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. Nearly 3.5% of adults in the U.S. identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, which translates to approximately 9 million LGBTQ+ Americans. However, accurate media portrayal of bisexuality has long dragged behind data."

“Gay, lesbian, or bisexual characters make up almost 8% of television characters, according to GLAAD's "Where We Are On TV" report from 2019.  However, representation for bisexual people becomes far less likely in the breakdown. Not only do bisexual characters make up less than 26% of all LGBTQ+ characters, but there has been a steady decrease in representation since 2016. According to the Annenberg Report from USC, there were eight bisexual characters in the top 1,200 films of 2018 and only three in the top films of 2019, far less than what appears on television screens."

"Alongside these persistent connotations with excess and perversity, another factor challenging bisexual representation is that, unless a character explicitly identifies as bisexual, we tend to assume someone is straight or gay based on their current partner, something real life bisexuals also contend with," said Maria San Filippo, an associate professor and author of The B Word. "Television offers bisexuality more potential for representational legibility in this regard, I find, because its serial form allows for more expansive, ongoing narratives."”

"I think (more accurate representation) is a big improvement because it's part of a larger move in more recent television which tolerates non-binary identities," said Katherine Sender, a professor with Cornell University's Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program. "I see it as part of that bigger idea. In the past, being trans or being bisexual was extremely problematic within those binary categories. One of the things that's happened, particularly in the rise of original programming on streaming services, like Netflix and Amazon, is there's a much greater tolerance or acceptance of people being on spectrums and not having to fit into one or another end of a binary."

Wishy Washy is a crucial add to the bisexual media conversation right now because, while there are examples of bi characters starting to appear more in film and television, projects that focus on their sexuality don’t linger on the subject for very long. This series takes an inch-wide, mile-deep approach, answering most of the questions people might have about bisexuality across multiple episodes and giving viewers a case study of bisexual identity.

Getting involved in this project means that YOU get to help us continue developing a project that has already touched audiences who have seen the pilot. It means that YOU get to help answer the audience question, “Wait, where can I watch more?!” It means that YOU get to help combat bi-erasure and the incorrect stereotypes that bi people face, rooted in the oppressive colonial idea of social binaries. It means that YOU can go up to your bi friend, relative, or self, and say, “Hey, this is literally FOR YOU! And, I hope you feel seen by it.” 

Sam and Emma!

CONTEXT

Pre-production for Wishy Washy began in September 2021, and production in November 2021. Through crowd-funding and gracious support from our actor and creator friends, we filmed footage for the first three episodes, and managed to completely edit together our pilot episode. Said pilot episode was recently chosen as an official selection in the Episodic Showcase category at this year’s Outfest. But in order to complete the filming of the remaining three episodes, as well as post-production on five episodes, we need your help so that we can provide stipends for our key cast and crew members, rent out equipment and locations, and provide for a healthy and stable working environment on set.

After we're done with the production process, we plan on posting the project online for free viewing!

We would be so grateful to be able to complete this production and see the vision through. In fact, if we exceed our crowdfunding goal, we would be able to do even MORE with this project, like submit it to festivals, pitch it to distributors and producers as a proof of concept, and hopefully adapt it as an actual TV series. 

COVID SAFETY

We had COVID release forms for every cast and crew member on set, had crew members wear masks, cast members wear face shields, and rapid tested everyone before allowing them on set.

SPREAD THE WORD 

Copy and paste these to your social media to tell your friends and family about Wishy Washy!

Help @samiamrosenberg by supporting his project @wishywashywebseries about a bisexual twentysomething unable to make any decisions due to the gay angel and straight devil on his shoulders telling him what to do. Join them on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/wishy-washy

I just watched the [teaser for/first episode of] @wishywashywebseries, written and directed by @samiamrosenberg. Feeling so proud to be [bi / a bi ally]! Join them on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/wishy-washy

I'm so excited to see @wishywashywebseries by Michigan alum and director/writer @samiamrosenberg! Support them on @seedandspark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/wishy-washy

Cooper Reynolds as Adam's gay angel George and Ryan Brophy as Adam's straight devil Sebastian.