Fundraiser for Bi+ Institute 2017
Donation protected
For the last few years, bi+ (plus) leadership across the U.S. has had the opportunity to organize day-long workshops and community building called the “Bi+ (plus) Institute” at Creating Change. Creating Change is a 30-year old conference hosted by the National LGBTQ Task Force that focuses on LGBTQIA2S+ (plus) education, activism, research, and policy.
Those who are familiar with the specific needs of the bi+ (plus) community, which includes bisexual/romantic, pansexual/romantic, fluid, queer, non-monosexuals and others attracted to more than one gender, understand how important it is for bi+ (plus) folks to have space to find our specific community, figure out how to simply survive, and to talk about our specific needs and how to organize around them. We have higher rates of poverty, experiences with sexual violence, intimate partner violence, mental health issues, substance abuse, and many other issues than both straight people *and* gays and lesbians. The Bi+ (plus) Institute is essential to our well-being, self-love, and growth as bi+ (plus) folk in larger LGBTQIA2S+ (plus) spaces.
The people who organize and run the various institutes (which include those for transgender folks, Black folks, and Latinx folks, among others) do not get paid for this labor of love and righteousness. And yet, running these day-long events costs time, energy, and...money Without generous support, these funds come directly out of the pockets of institute organizers, many of whom cannot afford their own cost of room and board.
So we’re fundraising $10,000 to cover these basic costs, as well as to compensate the local leadership that has generously chosen to work with us to make this year’s Bisexual Institute as meaningful and successful as possible.
Because bi+ (plus) folks have higher rates of poverty and unemployment and conferences are often very class exclusive, we are primarily raising funds so that we can provide food and supplies to our community for the day, which includes both breakfast and lunch and possibly a snack, trying our best to also take into consideration common dietary needs like vegan, gluten-free, and kosher/halal.
In addition, because the institute organizers don’t receive any kind of compensation for their work, and everyone deserves to be compensated for their labor in a capitalist society, particularly since bi+ (plus) people tend to be multiply marginalized (most of us are Black, Indigenous or otherwise people of color, more than half of transgender people are bi+ [plus], and a good chunk of us are disabled), we’re also raising funds to make sure that everyone’s hotel and transportation is fully covered, plus local transportation, food stipends for the duration of the conference, and if we raise enough, honorariums to the locals who work with us.
Anything you can give would be most helpful. Please help us to make the Bi+ (plus) Institute sustainable!
Those who are familiar with the specific needs of the bi+ (plus) community, which includes bisexual/romantic, pansexual/romantic, fluid, queer, non-monosexuals and others attracted to more than one gender, understand how important it is for bi+ (plus) folks to have space to find our specific community, figure out how to simply survive, and to talk about our specific needs and how to organize around them. We have higher rates of poverty, experiences with sexual violence, intimate partner violence, mental health issues, substance abuse, and many other issues than both straight people *and* gays and lesbians. The Bi+ (plus) Institute is essential to our well-being, self-love, and growth as bi+ (plus) folk in larger LGBTQIA2S+ (plus) spaces.
The people who organize and run the various institutes (which include those for transgender folks, Black folks, and Latinx folks, among others) do not get paid for this labor of love and righteousness. And yet, running these day-long events costs time, energy, and...money Without generous support, these funds come directly out of the pockets of institute organizers, many of whom cannot afford their own cost of room and board.
So we’re fundraising $10,000 to cover these basic costs, as well as to compensate the local leadership that has generously chosen to work with us to make this year’s Bisexual Institute as meaningful and successful as possible.
Because bi+ (plus) folks have higher rates of poverty and unemployment and conferences are often very class exclusive, we are primarily raising funds so that we can provide food and supplies to our community for the day, which includes both breakfast and lunch and possibly a snack, trying our best to also take into consideration common dietary needs like vegan, gluten-free, and kosher/halal.
In addition, because the institute organizers don’t receive any kind of compensation for their work, and everyone deserves to be compensated for their labor in a capitalist society, particularly since bi+ (plus) people tend to be multiply marginalized (most of us are Black, Indigenous or otherwise people of color, more than half of transgender people are bi+ [plus], and a good chunk of us are disabled), we’re also raising funds to make sure that everyone’s hotel and transportation is fully covered, plus local transportation, food stipends for the duration of the conference, and if we raise enough, honorariums to the locals who work with us.
Anything you can give would be most helpful. Please help us to make the Bi+ (plus) Institute sustainable!
Organizer
Bisexual Institute
Organizer
Boston, MA
