FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MONDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2015 CONTACT: LYNNETTE MCFADZEN MEDIA@BISEXUALORGANIZINGPROJECT.COM 541-974-2636 CONTACT: CAMILLE HOLTHAUS CAMILLE.HOLTHAUS@BISEXUALORGANIZINGPROJECT.COM 612-325-6890 Minneapolis, MN, USA Bisexual Organizing Project Announces Conference Theme and Keynote Speakers Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP) announces the BECAUSE Conference theme and keynote speakers for 2015. BECAUSE 2015 will be held April 17 – 19, 2015 at U of M Coffman Memorial Union. The conference will focus on leadership with the tag line “Developing Leaders to Empower Community” and the keynote speakers will be Andrea Jenkins and Eliel Cruz. Andrea Jenkins is an award winning playwright, visual artist, poet, writer, spoken word artist, performer, and Bush Leadership Fellow. Andrea also works as a Senior Policy Aide to the 8th Ward Minneapolis City Council Member Elizabeth Glidden. She is a nationally known trans activist who has been a vital part of community organizing in the Twin Cities. In 2014 she created The City of Minneapolis Transgender Work Group, which looks at issues facing the trans community and makes policy recommendations to city government. Andrea has held directorships with numerous organizations including OutFront Minnesota, Forecast Public Art, District 202, PFund, The Minnesota HIV Services Planning Council, and National Writers Union. Eliel Cruz has taken the online LGBT media world by storm as a writer and blogger providing insightful and timely coverage of important community issues. He is the bi editor of Advocate.com and contributes to Religion News Service, Huffington Post, Everyday Feminism and Mic writing on (bi)sexuality, gender, religion, and media. In addition to writing, Eliel also works to reconcile Seventh-day Adventist campuses through his 501(c)(3) organization Intercollegiate Adventist GSA Coalition. BECAUSE stands for Bisexual Empowerment Conference, A Uniting Supportive Experience. The conference’s mission is to create a safe, supporting, and empowering community in which participants are encouraged to discover and celebrate their sexual identities. As the nation’s only major conference by, for, and about bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer and unlabeled (bi+) people and their allies, BECAUSE serves as a national gathering for bi+ activists, community members, professionals, students, and researchers. Allies are enthusiastically invited to attend. BECAUSE is welcoming and inclusive of all people, including but not limited to people of all genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, sexes, relationship orientations, races, ethnicities, national origins, abilities, religions, sizes, political affiliations, and others. BECAUSE and BOP embrace the many intersectionalities of the bi+ community and encourage people of all backgrounds and experiences to participate fully. Preregistration for BECAUSE is available online through April 11th, 2015. Attendees are encouraged to preregister as the conference provides multiple meals to attendees. On-site registration is also available. Nobody turned away due to inability to pay. Pay what you can and free registration options available. Regular Registration: $60 Student Registration: $40 University of MN Students: Free Tabling $50, Non-Profit $25 The BECAUSE Conference is the annual conference of Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP), a 501(c)(3) non-profit registered in Minnesota dedicated to building an empowered bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, and unlabeled (bi+) community. BOP provides in person community events throughout the year as well as outreach at regional Pride celebrations and community education through customized presentations. BOP also works in partnership with other groups and individuals in the Upper Midwest who are organizing events serving the bi+ community.
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Are you interested in helping out with BECAUSE this year? How about BiReConUSA, the research conference? Whether you want to work on the planning committee all year, help out with specific projects, or volunteer at the event, come join us on Wednesday, August 6 at 6:00 pm to learn more. Read more about BECAUSE and BiReConUSA here. What: BiReConUSA/BECAUSE 2014 Planning Meeting When: Wednesday, August 6, 2014, 6:00 - 7:30 pm Where: Hopkins Library, 22 11th Ave N, Hopkins, Minnesota 55343 Google Map If you can't attend the meeting but want to help or have questions, please email BOP@bisexualorganizingproject.org. The Bisexual Organizing Project is already looking ahead and planning for not one but two conferences in the spring of 2015: BECAUSE and BiReConUSA. Please join us for a planning meeting on Monday, July 7 at 6:00 PM. This is a large forum meeting to bring together people who want to help make BiReConUSA/BECAUSE 2015 an awesome reality. Conference planning experience not necessary. Showing up does not mean you are making a 10 month commitment. We'll review the framework in place and talk about the different ways to be involved between now and April 16, 2015. We will meet at the Hennepin County Library St Anthony branch, which is on bus routes and has free parking. Please contact us at BOP@bisexualorganizingproject.org if you would like to join us remotely. For more information about BECAUSE (the annual community conference) and BiReConUSA (the biennial academic research conference), please see the BOP Programs page. What: BECAUSE & BiReConUSA 2015 Planning Meeting When: Monday, July 7, 6:00 - 7:45 PM Where: Hennepin County Library, St. Anthony branch 2941 Pentagon Dr. N.E., St. Anthony, 55418 Map: Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/Mvkzd Contact: BOP@bisexualorganizingproject.org |
BECAUSEBECAUSE 2024
October 4th - 6th, 2024 Murzyn Hall Columbia Heights, MN We hope you will join us for the BECAUSE Conference in fall 2024! 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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