Fluid Arizona
Greg Ward.
Greg Ward came out in 2000, but quickly went back in the closet.
"Once, a woman asked me if I was bisexual, I was shocked, he recalled. "'How could you know that?' At first, I just told a small group friends. But then, I heard about some of my guy friends making fun of me, and I went right back into the closet."
For years, Ward struggled with coming out. Then, in 2012 he had friend who died of cancer.
"I realized life is too short, I don't want to live that life," he said. "I came out to my mom, and then the rest of my family. Everybody was OK with it, said they still loved me. But I was terrified for years. I made a point to show my family that I loved them – I knew if I needed to come out, they needed to know I loved them."
At that time, Ward said there wasn't much happening with groups in the Valley, so he decided to create a group called Bisexuals of Metro Phoenix, which was mainly online or small social gatherings, to carve out a space for himself – and others like him – in the Rainbow.
Echo: What are the barriers to the community growing?
Ward: The community is closeted, and can be heavily Catholic or Mormon. Or a lot of people who are under the bisexual 
umbrella don't identify with labels, and they won't go to those groups because they don't feel like they fit in.
Members want a group of people like them, distinct from homo or hetero, because they have different experiences. Those communities can't always identify with being attracted to both. People need to find people like them, that have the same values in their sexuality. They like 'fluid' instead of "bisexual," it helps people get out of labeling each other. Everybody has the right to label- or not label- themselves.
Echo:What do you want people to know?
Ward: When you go to Pride and only hear 'Happy Gay Pride' it can kind of hurt, because I don't always feel included. I'm 100 percent bisexual – straight and gay at the same time. I'm just as gay as a gay man, it isn't just a percentage of being gay inside being straight. It's not a percentage of me attracted to them, it's me that is attracted to them – that's how I work.
For more information on Fluid Arizona, which meets once a month, visit online at fluidarizona.wix.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on YouTube or by emailing fluidarizona@gmail.com.