Give to the Max Day is on It's Way!

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: 

• Sponsor pay-what-you-can and no cost admission to BECAUSE, the largest and longest-running conference for the bi+ community in the United States.
• Support BOP's presence at local and regional Pride festivals.
• Provide free meals and food at BECAUSE and other BOP events, to make these programs more accessible to our diverse community. 
• Allow BOP to provide free social events and community spaces year-round, such as our Bi+ Book Club, Bi+ Discussion Meetups, Bi+ Walking Club, Bi+ Board Game Nights, "Pancakes for Pansexuals", and many more! 
• Help BOP to produce our annual Bi-Lesque performance, which has been hailed as "one of the most important burlesque shows in [the Twin Cities]." 

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!