<div><br />
</div>
<div class="youtube-replace"><br />
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>**UPDATE: We reached our $50,000 goal in two weeks! THANK YOU!!!**</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>We are going to keep the GoFundMe going until June 1 as originally planned. Our stretch goal is $75,000. All donations continue to support our work to sustain the Bureau through this transition and to open the cafe in the Center.**</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>**************************************************
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Hive Mind Books Needs Your Help to Save the Last Queer Bookstore in Manhattan!</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><a href="https://www.bgsqd.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Bureau of General Services—Queer Division</a> , the only queer bookstore in Manhattan, is at risk of closing when the current owners move out of state at the end of April 2026. At a time when queer literature is under extreme censorship and trans people are being targeted by legislation that threatens their human rights, this space of queer community and culture must be preserved. We need it!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>We cannot lose this queer space. </strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>That’s where we come in. Hive Mind Books, <a href="https://gaycitynews.com/hive-mind-books-store-brooklyn-community/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brooklyn's queer independent bookstore and coffee shop</a>, is making a bid to purchase the Bureau and continue stewarding the wonderful community and active events program the current owners have built over the last thirteen years. As part of the acquisition, Hive Mind Books would also reopen the cafe space on the first floor of the LGBT Center, which is the building that houses the Bureau.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>From Bureau founders, Greg and Donnie:</strong> “As we prepare for a new chapter in our lives, we are thrilled that Hive Mind Books not only wants to keep the Bureau open, but also build on the Bureau’s rich history by linking it to the café in The Center’s lobby as well as to its bookstore community in Bushwick. We hope that everyone who values what the Bureau has done over the past 13+ years will chip in to enable the Bureau to continue serving local and visiting queers for years to come!”
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>But we can only keep Manhattan’s last queer bookstore open with your support. </strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>In order to keep The Bureau open, Hive Mind Books must secure funding to significantly expand its staff and to purchase the business.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Our goal is to raise $50,000 by June 1. Will you join us with a donation?</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Every dollar raised helps us keep the last queer bookstore in Manhattan open. Donations will immediately fund the following:
</div>
<ul>
<li>Make an initial payment to purchase the Bureau
</li>
<li>Expand staffing for events, bookselling, barista work, and store management
</li>
<li>Transition the Bureau from an all-volunteer operation to a paid staff
</li>
<li>Upgrade the Bureau’s point of sale software to a modern system built for books
</li>
<li>Launch an e-commerce website for the Bureau
</li>
<li>Purchase all supplies and afford all set up for the cafe, including an espresso machine
</li>
</ul>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>A bookstore holds not only community, but also our queer history. We must continue to maintain the links between queer generations by keeping the doors to our literature open.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>From the outset, the Bureau has served as a critical component of New York City’s queer cultural infrastructure.</strong> As an all-volunteer, independent queer bookstore and cultural center, the Bureau has hosted thousands of events, exhibitions, and workshops featuring countless queer authors, poets, scholars, artists, activists, performers, and other members of the global queer community, including Sarah Schulman, Kate Bornstein, Rumi Missabu, Edmund White, Jacqueline Woodson, Michelle Tea, John Keene, Emanuel Xavier, Christopher Bram, Pamela Sneed, Eileen Myles, Torrey Peters, Judy Grahn, and so many others.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>The Bureau continues to be a much-needed queer community hub and an important space for gathering outside of bars and nightclubs. We cannot lose it!</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Will you donate today?</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Our Vision for the Bureau’s Future</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The spirit of community, activism, and queer joy that founders Donnie and Greg have fostered at the Bureau is the same spirit that enlivens Hive Mind Books. We are honored to carry this meaningful work forward. With costs rising in virtually every area for small businesses, we are focusing on ways to grow and financially sustain the Bureau. Our plans for the future of the Bureau include:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<ul>
<li><strong>Develop the Bureau’s existing events program to bring in even more authors and community events.</strong> In Bushwick, we are proud to offer our space for free to trans and queer people for creative programming and community meetings. We are bursting at the seams with events to host and often run out of space on our calendar. We are excited to open up Manhattan event space to our existing community, while bringing more arts and culture events to the Bureau’s community. Hive Mind Books founder Jules Wernersbach has 20 years of bookstore event experience, including managing the event programs of one of the country’s largest bookstores, and several years’ experience running large scale literary festivals. We’re excited to hire a full time events manager to curate trans and queer programming across both bookstores.
</li>
</ul>
<div><br />
</div>
<ul>
<li><strong>The Cafe on the first floor of the Center will be branded as an extension of the Bureau and provide an additional revenue stream for the bookstore. </strong>The Cafe will be integrated into the Bureau’s marketing and have a bookish spirit, with books and gifts merchandised at the counter. It will be open to serve guests who attend events at the Bureau. Hive Mind Books is known for our friendly and fun coffee service. We are excited to bring the same personal, welcoming spirit to the Cafe at the Center.
</li>
</ul>
<div><br />
</div>
<ul>
<li><strong>Develop the Bureau’s digital platforms and launch an e-commerce website. </strong>We will focus on reaching more people with the Bureau’s existing social media accounts. We will also create an e-commerce website where people can shop from virtually anywhere in the world, where we can easily sell signed books from events, and where we can seamlessly process pre-orders for forthcoming books.
</li>
</ul>
<div><br />
</div>
<ul>
<li><strong>Create a five year strategic plan for the Bureau. </strong>After we are settled into operations, we will begin the internal process of talking with community and staff to identify a strategic trajectory for the bookstore over the next five years. We are excited to set up the business for continued sustainability and growth.
</li>
</ul>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Hive Mind Books has the grit, determination, and experience to continue the Bureau and to do it well. Our stellar cohort of experienced booksellers and baristas, who embody the love and community spirit that is the heart of our business, are excited to bring their sharp skills and deep knowledge of queer literature to the Bureau.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Together, we can preserve the last queer bookstore in Manhattan for many years to come.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Make your donation today to keep trans and queer literary culture vibrant in New York City! </strong>
</div>

Sarah Weiner

Marcus Rodriguez

Anonymous

Iris Lapas

Gregory Dutcher

David Mille

Larissa Harris

Tillman Oreada

Mark Schaefer

Summoners Ensemble

Natarajan Krishnaswami

Hawa Diallo

Genevieve Sanders

James Morrison

Save Manhattan's Last Queer Bookstore!

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Save Manhattan's Last Queer Bookstore!

Still $19,260 to go. Help us build momentum.