The Bi+ Book Club reading for November will be "The City & the City" by China Miéville. See you 11/7 at 7pm at Quatrefoil Library!
Summary: When a murdered woman is found in the city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks to be a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. To investigate, Borlú must travel from the decaying Beszel to its equal, rival, and intimate neighbor, the vibrant city of Ul Qoma. But this is a border crossing like no other, a journey as psychic as it is physical, a seeing of the unseen. With Ul Qoman detective Qussim Dhatt, Borlú is enmeshed in a sordid underworld of nationalists intent on destroying their neighboring city, and unificationists who dream of dissolving the two into one. As the detectives uncover the dead woman’s secrets, they begin to suspect a truth that could cost them more than their lives. What stands against them are murderous powers in Beszel and in Ul Qoma: and, most terrifying of all, that which lies between these two cities.

Sunday, October 14
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm 
Wellstone Center: 179 Robie St E, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55107
Room 212

BOP's 2019 Annual Meeting and Board Elections will be held at BECAUSE 2018! Our community's place is in the leadership of BOP, shaping the organization and the BECAUSE Conference. BOP and BECAUSE are ready to change how we operate; we are ready to create space, to listen, and to let others lead. We want to support other visions of what this community needs. We have a responsibility to bring this opportunity to our community, where our future leaders are waiting. 

Don't forget to register for BECAUSE 2018 to attend! Click here!

Our annual meeting is one of the most exciting days of the year for BOP, as we gather with our community to celebrate everything we've accomplished in 2018 and the possibilities that 2019 holds for our future.

BOP's annual presentation is a great way to learn about the history and operations of the organization, and will cover highlights from 2018 and discuss upcoming events and programs of note. The annual election will follow the presentation. Anyone attending the meeting may vote, and nominations are made during the meeting. If you are unable to attend, but wish to participate, please email bop@bisexualoranizingproject.org.

How do you get elected to the BOP Board of Directors?? To run for a position, all you have to do is show up to our annual meeting and be nominated, either by yourself or another attendee! Don't forget to bring friends to support and vote for you! The following positions will be elected:

-Co-Chair (two-year term)
-Treasurer (two-year term)
-Eight At-Large Directors (one-year term)

The BOP Board of Directors is a working board, rather than a governing board. As a BOP board member, you would:

- Attend monthly board meetings.
- Expect approximately 2 hours of involvement a week, plus committee and special project work.
- Help to shape BOP's strategic direction and planning for the upcoming year.
- Participate in BOP events such as BECAUSE, Twin Cities Pride, and Celebrate Bisexuality Day, as well as table at events and conferences.
- Provide organizational trainings about the bi+ community
- Make strategic planning decisions in cooperation with the rest of the board.
- Support BOP's goals and programming.
- Be a visible ambassador for BOP at events sponsored by other LGBTQ+ organizations.

Interested in a leadership role with BOP, but want to know more? Attend our "Annual Meeting 101: How to be a Director or Volunteer" workshop, on Sunday before the Annual Meeting, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm in the Fireside Room. 

This workshop will explore what it means to be on the Bisexual Organizing Project Board of Directors, what will take place at BOP’s Annual Meeting, and other ways to get involved with BOP! We will cover Board positions, terms, and responsibilities, and basic governance, as well as time commitments and expectations. Current and past board members will join us to share their experiences and answer questions. We will walk participants through what happens at the Annual Meeting, and how BOP’s elections work. Attendees will also learn about other volunteer opportunities and committee positions.

Do you love to read and talk about books? Join Bisexual Organizing Project-BOP's Bi+ Book Club, a place to read fiction, biography, creative non-fiction, history, theory, and activist works. Come discuss readings and ideas about, for, and by bisexuals and other non-monosexual folks. Hosted by Cary.

The Bi+ Book Club reading for OCTOBER will be "Whipping Girl" by Julia Serano. (Some of you may have already started reading it for our September meeting!) We will meet at Quatrefoil Library on Wednesday, October 3 at 7:00 pm. 

​Summary: "A provocative manifesto, Whipping Girl tells the powerful story of Julia Serano, a transsexual woman whose supremely intelligent writing reflects her diverse background as a lesbian transgender activist and professional biologist. Serano shares her experiences and observations both pre- and post-transition to reveal the ways in which fear, suspicion, and dismissiveness toward femininity shape our societal attitudes toward trans women, as well as gender and sexuality as a whole. Serano's well-honed arguments stem from her ability to bridge the gap between the often-disparate biological and social perspectives on gender. She exposes how deep-rooted the cultural belief is that femininity is frivolous, weak, and passive, and how this "feminine" weakness exists only to attract and appease male desire. In addition to debunking popular misconceptions about transsexuality, Serano makes the case that today's feminists and transgender activist must work to embrace and empower femininity in all of its wondrous forms."

Since 1990, bisexual communities all over the world have commemorated pride in our identities by recognizing Celebrate Bisexuality Day on September 23. Bisexual Organizing Project invites the Minnesota bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, unlabeled, and allied communities to join us for a pizza dinner at Davanni's in Roseville on Sunday, September 23 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm!

The Roseville Davanni's location is fully wheelchair accessible. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available. ​

Please note that the Davanni's party room can only accomodate a maximum of 35 people, and we must ask attendees to RSVP on a first come, first serve basis. Reserve your spot here: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrate-bisexuality-day-dinner-at-davannis-tickets-49723335836

The Bi+ Book Club reading for 9/5 at 7:00 pm at Quatrefoil Library will be "Go the Way Your Blood Beats" by Michael Amherst.
Summary: "Using bisexuality as a frame, Go the Way Your Blood Beats questions the division of sexuality into straight and gay, in a timely exploration of the complex histories and psychologies of human desire. A challenge to the idea that sexuality can either ever be fully known or neatly categorised, it is a meditation on desire’s unknowability. Interwoven with anonymous addresses to past loves - the sex of whom remain obscure - the book demonstrates the universalism of desire, while at the same time the particularity of each individual act of desiring. Part essay, part memoir, part love letter, Go the Way Your Blood Beats asks us to see desire and sexuality as analogous with art - a mysterious, creative force, and one that remakes us in the act itself."
(**Please note that we have made a change to September's book club reading! If you're already devouring "Whipping Girl", don't worry! We will be discussing that book at our October meeting on 10/3 instead! Thank you for your flexibility and understanding, and happy reading!)