Programs
Conferences & Research Projects
BECAUSE
BECAUSE is the flagship program of the Bisexual Organizing Project and has been occurring in Minneapolis and elsewhere in the upper Midwest for over twenty years. It is our annual conference, dedicated to building an empowered bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, and unlabeled (bi+) community in the United States. Allies are enthusiastically invited to participate in this fantastic experience!
BECAUSE, which stands for "Bisexual Empowerment Conference, A Uniting Supportive Experience," 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. We embrace the many intersectionalities in the bi+ community, and encourage people of all backgrounds and experiences to join us for this eventful weekend. BECAUSE attracts a variety of participants, including students, academics, researchers, professionals, and community leaders from throughout the nation to attend educational workshops, network, and enjoy building a more welcoming LGBTQIA community.
Click HERE to find out about the next BECAUSE, being held September 30 - October 1, 2023, at Wellstone Center, St. Paul, MN. We hope you will join us!
BECAUSE, which stands for "Bisexual Empowerment Conference, A Uniting Supportive Experience," 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. We embrace the many intersectionalities in the bi+ community, and encourage people of all backgrounds and experiences to join us for this eventful weekend. BECAUSE attracts a variety of participants, including students, academics, researchers, professionals, and community leaders from throughout the nation to attend educational workshops, network, and enjoy building a more welcoming LGBTQIA community.
Click HERE to find out about the next BECAUSE, being held September 30 - October 1, 2023, at Wellstone Center, St. Paul, MN. We hope you will join us!
Training & Speakers Bureau
Bi+ Essentials
Bisexual Organizing Project offers the presentation Bi Essentials. This presentation is appropriate for a wide variety of organizations and can be tailored to your setting.
For ally organizations, employers and others looking to be more inclusive of bisexuals, Bi Essentials for Allies discusses bisexuals using the current research on who makes up the bisexual community, what challenges are faced by bisexuals and how can your organization better engage with bisexuals to create a more welcoming and supportive environment. This presentation is interactive with participants sharing what they know about the stereotypes of bisexuals and can include time for strategic reflection on the material. Questions are encouraged throughout the presentation.
This presentation can also be adapted for bi/pan/fluid/queer organizations looking for research and survey based data to inform their work and for youth organizations wishing to explore bi/pan/fluid/queer issues.
For more information, or to request contact about this presentation, please fill out our presentation request form.
For ally organizations, employers and others looking to be more inclusive of bisexuals, Bi Essentials for Allies discusses bisexuals using the current research on who makes up the bisexual community, what challenges are faced by bisexuals and how can your organization better engage with bisexuals to create a more welcoming and supportive environment. This presentation is interactive with participants sharing what they know about the stereotypes of bisexuals and can include time for strategic reflection on the material. Questions are encouraged throughout the presentation.
This presentation can also be adapted for bi/pan/fluid/queer organizations looking for research and survey based data to inform their work and for youth organizations wishing to explore bi/pan/fluid/queer issues.
For more information, or to request contact about this presentation, please fill out our presentation request form.
Social Events
Bi+ Community Discussion
Bi+ Community Discussion, once a month.
Moderated discussion on a wide range of topics announced ahead of time on Facebook and MeetUp
Locations are TBD each month.
Moderated discussion on a wide range of topics announced ahead of time on Facebook and MeetUp
Locations are TBD each month.
Bi+Book Club
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.
Locations are TBD each month at Quatrefoil Library
Locations are TBD each month at Quatrefoil Library
LGBTQ+ Educator Network
This is a private Facebook group created in partnership with 2018 MN Teacher of the Year Kelly Holstine, Education Minnesota, and Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP). Our goal is to support and advocate for LGBTQ+ Educators. We provide resources, networking, community building opportunities, training, compassion, and empathy. We understand that isolation, invisibility, and discrimination can impact our mental health and feelings of belonging. We believe that supporting LGBTQ+ Educators helps not just Educators, but also our students and our school communities.
Bi+ Activity Nights
Bowling, board games, hiking, who knows! Day/time, location, and activities vary, please check our Meetup site for the schedule of upcoming activities.
Meetup
Find out about more formal and informal social gatherings on the Bisexual Organizing Project's Meetup site.
Awards
Community Recognition Awards
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 bisexual/non-monosexual issues in their work and organizing, in accordance with BOP’s mission and vision.
More on the Community Recognition Awards
More on the Community Recognition Awards
Past Projects
BiReConUSA
In 2013, BECAUSE was preceded by an international, academic research conference. BiReCon started in the UK, where it still takes place biennially, in conjunction with the annual UK BiCon event. The intention of BiReCon is to bring together researchers and scholars with activists, organizations, and members of the bi community to share research findings, and best practices.
BiReConUSA Mission:
Bring together members of the research and bisexual communities to help shape future research that will further the understanding and acceptance of bisexuality.
BiReConUSA Goals:
BiReConUSA Mission:
Bring together members of the research and bisexual communities to help shape future research that will further the understanding and acceptance of bisexuality.
BiReConUSA Goals:
- Researchers of bisexuality will have the opportunity to meet and network with the broader bisexual research community.
- Bisexual researchers and grantmakers will learn about new research conducted on bisexuality and gain a stronger understanding of how bisexual community activists could use this research to improve bisexual movement building.
- Researchers of bisexuality have the opportunity to interact with the bisexual community at large in workshops and general sessions.
- The social justice and community driven aspects of the BECAUSE community conference will help to shape and drive future research projects about or involving the bi community.
- Community members and activists will be more aware of current and planned academic research on bisexuality.
BiReConUSA was on hiatus in 2015.
View the BECAUSE & BiReConUSA 2013 program.
See the BiReConUK website.
View the BECAUSE & BiReConUSA 2013 program.
See the BiReConUK website.
Bi+ Story
There is a lack of understanding about the experiences of bi+ people. The Bi+ Story Project seeks to change this.
The Bi+ Story Project (BSP) built a trove of stories and experiences to improve bi+ visibility and contribute to greater understanding of the resiliency and needs of bi+ identified people. We use bi+ to be inclusive of bi/pan/poly/fluid sexual orientations as well as other identities such as two spirit.
BSP operated storytelling booths at Midwestern pride events during the summer of 2014 beginning with piloting `at the BECAUSE Conference and an official launch at Twin Cities Pride. Booth visitors participated in a brief survey and then shared their story privately in the booth. Our booths operated by trained "BoothOps!" The stories and materials are now held by the Trettor Collection ant the University of Minnesota and may be accessed by anyone wanting to better understand the experiences of a broad representation of the voices of bi+ people.
Watch Bi+ Story Project leaders Mary Hoelscher and Alex Iantaffi talk about the project on Bi Cities: Bi+ Story is supported by funds from QReach from PFund.
The Bi+ Story Project (BSP) built a trove of stories and experiences to improve bi+ visibility and contribute to greater understanding of the resiliency and needs of bi+ identified people. We use bi+ to be inclusive of bi/pan/poly/fluid sexual orientations as well as other identities such as two spirit.
BSP operated storytelling booths at Midwestern pride events during the summer of 2014 beginning with piloting `at the BECAUSE Conference and an official launch at Twin Cities Pride. Booth visitors participated in a brief survey and then shared their story privately in the booth. Our booths operated by trained "BoothOps!" The stories and materials are now held by the Trettor Collection ant the University of Minnesota and may be accessed by anyone wanting to better understand the experiences of a broad representation of the voices of bi+ people.
Watch Bi+ Story Project leaders Mary Hoelscher and Alex Iantaffi talk about the project on Bi Cities: Bi+ Story is supported by funds from QReach from PFund.
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