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Need a test? The State of Minnesota and Vault Medical Services have teamed up to offer at-home COVID-19 saliva testing for any person who believes they need to be tested, with or without symptoms, at no cost! Click here for more information and to request your test! Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP) is not affiliated with Vault Medical Services. Need a mask? There are two ways you can get a mask through BOP! 1. If you need a FREE mask, click here for our Mask Donation Request Form! All masks are hand-made, fabric masks, made by local crafters who have donated their time to BOP's mask drive initiative. Colors and patterns may vary. 2. We have partnered with Seed N Style, who crafted us a collection of custom-made Pride flag masks that are available exclusively on BOP's Etsy Store!  Seed N Style is a Minneapolis based socially conscious queer brand founded by Black, Trans, and Queer folx. They specialize in limited edition, high quality products that make statements. They are proud to serve our community through donations, sourcing supplies locally, upcycling/recycling, and supporting BIPOC businesses whenever and wherever possible.  Masks available through BOP and Seed N Style are not medical grade masks. However, the CDC has recommended cloth masks to help prevent you from spreading particulates and prevent you from touching your face.
Stay safe, Minnesota!
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 BOP Discussion Group
Monday, November 23 7:00pm - 9:00pm via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86097659182?pwd=NWFJZFdha2E0WGZNS01OWlFUc1BRUT09 BOP will host our monthly discussion group, moderated by Barb via Zoom. Come join our discussion group which happens every month. This is a safe and welcoming environment and a great way to navigate bi+ issues and bond with other community members. A Board member facilitator will bring topics to get the conversation started or we can talk about your questions and issues. November topics: How are folks maintaining connection during the pandemic? What has been the biggest change to life and to relationships? Do you think how you interact with bi+ folks will be forever changed? What are some positives about these changes? If we were to meet in person, we would be in a meeting room at a coffee house, so make yourself comfortable and bring a coffee or a non-alcoholic beverage and comfort foods. You are welcome to bring questions to the group, bounce ideas off others, or just listen and be prepared to have a good time connecting with others. This is not a hook-up space or a mental health/coming out group, just a safe space to have a chat with other Bi+ people. Give to the Max Day
November 19, 2020 Click Here to Donate! BOP will once again be participating in Give to the Max Day, an annual day of online giving for Minnesota non-profits! You don't have to wait until November 19 to donate! The Early Giving Period of Give to the Max Day has begun, and you can make your donation count now! All gifts made during the Early Giving period are also eligible for daily $500 Early Giving Golden Tickets, and a $10,000 Super-Sized Golden Ticket drawn at midnight as soon as GTMD20 is over. In years past, BOP's fundraising goals have been in support of our major community-building programs; BECAUSE, Twin Cities PRIDE, Bi-Lesque, and year-round events and meetings to build, support, and advocate for an empowered bi+ community. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, building, accessing, and staying in community faces new challenges. The ways in which we are used to gathering and connecting are not currently available to us, and the void left in the absence of these community spaces is palpable. Bi+ individuals make up 52% of the LGBTQ+ population, but bi+ folks are less likely than gay and lesbian adults to access LGBTQ+ specific programming and activities. There is a direct link between access to community and resources and mental health outcomes. Recent data shows that bi+ individuals experience significantly higher rates of mental illness, sexual assault and intimate partner violence, substance abuse and chemical dependency, workplace discrimination, poverty, and social isolation than gay, lesbian, and heterosexual populations. Furthermore, institutional funding of bisexual issues and organizations has been the lowest of all LGBTQ+ demographics tracked since 2002, and most LGBTQ+ organizations still do not offer bi+ specific resources or programming. In the age of quarantine and social distancing, the effects of isolation are magnified for our already marginalized community. There is a critical need for community building and resources for the bi+ community, and BOP's mission is to meet that need! Your donations go directly towards helping the bi+ community thrive! BOP is working hard to continue to provide bi+ community spaces and resources in new, safe ways. We have suspended our in-person events and meetings, and have been focused on building our online presence with virtual events instead. We have partnered with local artists and makers to provide fabric masks to our community, which is a critical resource. Your donations support our ability to continue this work as a volunteer-run non-profit, and will ensure that someday, when this is all over, we will still be there for our community in the ways we have been cultivating since the very first BECAUSE in 1992. And as always, your donations will allow us to offer the following to our community, when it is once again safe to do so:
Please consider donating to support BOP's work! We cannot do it without the support of our community members and allies! Thank you! Click here to donate to support BOP's continued commitment to building a thriving bi+ community! |
BECAUSEBECAUSE 2020
BECAUSE 2020 Cancelled The BECAUSE leadership team and the BOP board have been reviewing forecasts for what this Fall will look like including continued COVID hotspots, limitations on travel, and how people are going to be feeling about being large groups. We feel the most responsible action at this time is to cancel BECAUSE 2020. We have explored moving the conference on line as many conferences and gatherings have done and find it is not the best option for BECAUSE. The BOP board is developing virtual community building that we hope will help bridge this time for our community. Please check out BOP's Facebook Page, Facebook Group, Meetup Group, and Twitter to stay informed of upcoming events. We are currently in discussion with our location, Wellstone Center, and our planned speakers and special guests to make BECAUSE 2021 one of the best ever. We hope you will join us in October 2021. MissionBuild, serve and advocate for an empowered bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, and unlabeled (bi+) community to promote social justice. Vision
Within the next five years grow Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP) into a successfully-run Upper Midwest nonprofit organization with annual funding of $100,000 that provides community building, education, and advocacy for the bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, and unlabeled (bi+) community and our allies.
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