BOP developed the Community Recognition Awards (CRA) because of the lack of other awards specifically recognizing work done by and for bisexual and other non-monosexual communities and their allies in the Upper Midwest. CRA seeks to fill this gap and, by doing so, seeks to inspire more individuals, organizations, and businesses to serve bi/non-monosexual communities and include bi/non-monosexual issues in their work and organizing, in accordance with BOP’s mission and vision.

 

BOP held the Bisexual Organizing Project’s 1 Annual Community Recognition Awards in 2009. BOP gave three Community Recognition Awards total, one in the Individual, one in the Community Organization, and one in the Business category. BOP distributed a personalized commemorative award and Best Buy gift card to each winner at the 15 Annual Bisexual Empowerment Conference: A Uniting Supportive Experience (BECAUSE) on April 19, 2009.

 

Individual Community Recognition Award Winner:

Teri Kline

 

Community Organization Community Recognition Award Winner:

Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance

 

Business Community Recognition Award Winner:

Innuendo

 

BOP has three Community Recognition Award categories for the 2010 CRA’s – Individual, Community Organization, and Business. BOP will grant up to one Award per category. Individuals, community organizations, and businesses with their residence or primary place of business and/or service outreach in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or Iowa are eligible to be nominated. To nominate a candidate for an Award, a nominator must complete the appropriate nomination form and submit it by either snail mail or e-mail by February 28, 2009. Additionally, nominators can submit letters of support or other supplementary materials to strengthen their candidate’s Award Nomination. Details about how to complete and submit Award Nominations are present in the downloadable “Nomination Instructions” document. The Award Nomination forms can be downloaded individually by clicking on “Individual Nomination Form,” “Community Organization Nomination Form,” or “Business Nomination Form,” respectively. Additionally, the entire Nomination Packet can be downloaded all at once by clicking on the document labeled, “Full CRA Nomination Packet.” BOP will notify CRA winners during the week of March 15-21, 2010. All CRA’s will be presented at BECAUSE 2010, BOP’s annual conference on bisexuality. Awards include a personalized commemorative plaque and an honorarium.

 

• Advocate for equal acknowledgement and recognition of bisexual identities and communities.
• Create a safe community for bisexuals and our allies within and outside of GLBTA spaces, allowing each individual to fully be who they are.

• Foster inclusiveness, awareness and acceptance of bisexuals.
• Be utilized by regional GLBTA organizations as a resource on bisexuality.
• Ensure GLBTA organizations offer service regarding bisexuality as a standard part of their programs and initiatives.

The Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP) is, by its very name, a group dedicated to raising awareness of bisexuality and bisexual issues. BOP recognizes that defining bisexuality, just as defining any identity label, can be complicated and controversial. BOP’s definition of the label “bisexual” includes people who use labels such as “bisexual,” “non-monosexual,” “persexual,” “omnisexual,” “ambisexual,” “pansexual,” “queer,” or any other term that people use to identify themselves as individuals who are emotionally, romantically, or physically attracted to people of more than one sex, gender, or gender identity. BOP recognizes that not everyone chooses to adopt a label to describe their sexual orientation and BOP also includes non-labeling people who see themselves as a part of a queer, non-monosexual, or bisexual community under the organization’s definition of “bisexual.” Throughout the document, therefore, BOP uses the term “bisexual/non-monosexual” to refer to the variety of ways that people who see themselves as having emotional, physical, or romantic attractions to people of more than one sex, gender, or gender identity identify themselves.