Initiatives, Programs and Campaigns
BiNet USA organizes a number of different initiatives in order to devote more time and energy to specific causes that need greater attention. Currently, there are six initiatives listed to your right. Each one has a great deal of information listed about the initiative, as well as plenty of volunteer opportunities for people interested in getting more involved in the inner workings of BiNet USA.
Also, every initiative leader is always looking for volunteers! There is so much to do with every initiative that BiNet USA is undertaking, if you could even spare an hour or two a week, it would be greatly appreciated. Just email the coordinator of your initiative!
In the Ally Campaign, we invited 62 organizations--progressive, LGBT and communities of faith--to align themselves with BiNet and their goals. Details of what it means to be an Ally are listed below.
BiNet USA's voices have been heard at major national conferences, such as those organized by NGLTF, PFLAG, the Gill Foundation and LLEGO. Our voices have been interviewed by the national press including Newsweek, the New York Times, and the Toronto Globe and Mail. Our voices have been printed in local LGBT papers, and by publishing houses. Our voices are heard on Capitol Hill, at regional bisexual retreats, at national LGBT policy discussions and at local bisexual, transgender, lesbian and gay conferences as we educate legislators, inspire activists, inform debate, expand minds, create safe space, and nurture local bisexual communities.
Now we want to take our work one step further. With a committed volunteer corps of over fifty activists around the country, BiNet USA is embarking on several major organizing, education, development and visibility projects, and we need help.
BiNet USA seeks to accomplish three goals with our Ally Campaign:
| Budget level | Donation level |
|---|---|
| Over $1 million | $1,000 + |
| $500,000 to $1 million | $750 + |
| $100,000 to 500,000 | $500 + |
| $50,000 to 100,000 | $250 + |
| $10,000 to 50,000 | $100 + |
| Below $10,000 | $25-50 + |
If you donate at the levels above, you will benefit from:
The Education Initiative of Bisexual Network USA focuses primarily on the K-12 educational arena. Its 'work' is divided into four sections:
I POLICIES AND PROGRAMS
to advocate for the inclusion of sexual orientation in school personnel's
and student's anti-discimination policies and programs; that such anti-discrimination
language must include bisexuals, transgenders, and gender identity/orientation
Possible Actions:
A. Continue to work with GLSEN (i.e. contacting local chapters and continue working with national office, esp. its Back to School writing campaign)II CURRICULUM AND LITERATURE
B. Work with Teacher Unions (i.e. AFT and NEA)
C. Work with Southern Policy Law Center, specifically on its Teaching Tolerance Project
D. Build coalitions to help schools see that homophobia and transphobia are a problem in schools (for example, in Montgomery County- SMYAL, GLSEN DC, PFLAG, GLOV working together)
E. Use safe schools coalitions as a resource (for example,in MD, MA, DC, Seattle, and in other places.
Possible Actions:
A. Work with GLSEN on their newly published curriculum guideIII TEACHER AND COUNSELOR IN-SERVICE TRAINING
B. Ensure that whenever there is curriculum dealing with lesbian and gay issues, it must also deal with bisexuality.
A. "Safe Zone" campaigns, structured to get teachers and staff to learn what it means to create and maintain safe space for diverse youth, and to visibly post safe zones once they understand what it means.IV PEER/STUDENT SUPPORT
B. Develop a Bi101 Packet specifically for teachers and counselors
To work with counselors and students in developing bi-specific and/or bi-friendly student support groups in high school
A. Take the opportunity to speak with kidsWhat can you do?
B. Get involved with colleges - get speakers to tell their stories and get them involved
C. Identify LG speakers bureaus which send speakers to highschools, and hook them up with bi folk
1. Lead a section
(POLICIES AND PROGRAMS; CURRICULUM AND LITERATURE; TEACHER AND COUNSELOR
IN-SERVICE TRAINING; PEER/STUDENT SUPPORT)
2. Take on a
specific task and/or project listed above
3. THE MOST
IMPORTANT PART - Contact Marcella
as soon as possible to tell us what specifically you are interested in
taking on.
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The goal of the Rural Outreach Initiative is to provide support, education, and a sense of the larger bisexual community to bisexuals living in geographic isolation in the United States. The materials and principles behind the initiative are also applicable to outreach efforts aimed toward bisexuals living in other types of isolation due to economic, religious, physical, age, and family pressures.
To view the Rural Outreach Packet, click here.
The Initiative has four primary foci at this time.
1. Creation and distribution of a Rural Outreach Packet.
Version 1.0 of the packet is ready for printing and distribution. We are currently working to put it online; click here to review what has currently been posted.The packet has three sections - Isolation Fighters (subscriptions, catalogues and mail order, the internet, and national organizations); Bisexual and Queer Information; and Organizing and Activism. We are currently doing fundraising to allow us to make the packet widely available.
2. Training
Even the most willing organizers and organizations cannot provide effective support to people in isolated areas without a clear understanding of the specific difficulties and needs involved. BiNet Leadership will attend a Training Retreat where they will learn about reaching out to people living in isolation and building bi community in rural areas. The skills they will learn will not only be applicable to their own organizing efforts, they will also learn how to teach those skills and support others who are working to start new grassroots organizations. This training retreat is planned for late summer or early fall.
3. Speakers Bureau
We are working to create a network of "known" bisexuals who are willing to travel to rural locations as speakers. These people would be available at limited cost to the local group and would help the group bring in new members and raise funds. What can you do to help?