Volunteering Becomes Family

BY: Gabriel Lopez Kafati
Covered with rainbow bumper stickers and equality license plates, a Toyota Prius became a staple of BPI. With Al Ellis at the wheel, and his inseparable wife Donna as co-pilot, their Prius traveled thousands of miles every year to be a part of ACB Conventions and other BPI gatherings.
In preparation for an ACB Convention to be held in Phoenix, then BPI President Don Brown thought of contacting the local PFLAG Chapter in search of volunteers who could help with BPI’s events. In a matter of minutes, he received an enthusiastic response from Donna. Once in town, BPI was blown away by the amazing preparations that Al and Donna had put in place to take care of even the smallest detail of the Convention. More than just volunteering, Al and Donna fell in love with BPI, and offered to assist in future conventions.
Since then, they started following BPI wherever the ACB Convention was being hosted. Al and Donna increased their involvement more and more with every passing year. More than volunteering, they offered BPI a sense of family.
From supermarket runs to adult-store visits. From mixing drinks to pouring wine. From greeting attendees at the BPI Suite to sharing jokes with friends. The couple would rejoice with first hugs and would cry with farewells at the end of each Convention. Quickly and surely, Al and Donna Ellis had completely earned the love of BPI.
Packed with leftover utensils, their Prius would take off back to Phoenix, just to be back in a different city the following year, full of those utensils, but more importantly, anxious to hug and kiss old and new friends.
Some of the best friends the Elis made, were the four-legged part of the family. Every year, they would make sure to pack all sorts of doggie snacks and toys. When BPI decided to offer up the Suite to the couple, it became easier for our guide dogs to find the Suite. This was a good way of convincing the couple to stay in the Suite. They fought with all their might to not take anything from BPI but love, hugs, and licks.
Being part of the BPI Family, Al and Donna also made sure the group grew in number and in love. After years of sharing their fun and love experiences with BPI, they sparked the interest of other PFLAG members who wanted to be a part of our family. Ron and Russ started joining us at Convention, and together with the Ellis, they became a beautiful quartet of volunteering and friendship.
Last year, just as we were starting preparations to celebrate BPI’s 20th Anniversary, our friend and father Al left us. Many of us called Donna to support and comfort her; but being the formidably amazing woman that she is, she ended up comforting us. After our 2020 Convention went virtual, we started making plans to have a love feast with Donna in Phoenix in 2021. Now that 2021 has also gone virtual, we will make sure that Donna is our guest of honor in 2022.
Today, BPI has named one of our awards: The Al and Donna Ellis Award for the Volunteer of the Year. Al’s legacy continues to bless BPI. His home PFLAG Chapter decided to honor his memory by presenting BPI with an amazingly generous gift. We are sure that Donna will continue to carry the torch for the couple, not only as part of the BPI Family, but also in their tireless fight towards equality in their community. Al and Donna Ellis came to BPI as volunteers; they became family; and they will live with us forever. In the words of Donna: “We receive more from you than what we give.” In this 20th Anniversary year, BPI expresses our immense love to this wonderful couple who came to stay!

Pride Connection Podcast

BY: Gabriel Lopez Kafati, Anthony Corona, and Leah Gardner
The words “Pride Connection” can evoke so many meanings. Pride gives us a sense of honoring and celebrating who we are. Connection gives us a sense of sharing and friendship. The marriage of these two words and ideas forms the basic premise of BPI’s weekly internet radio show and podcast.
A little over 20 years ago, the connection between LGBTQ members of ACB was found in small rooms tucked into the recesses of Convention hotels. Hard work and determination grew these meetings into a strong group that led BFLAG to legitimate affiliate status. Phone calls, then e-mail lists gave way to discussion lists and various forms of text-messaging groups. Early on, Inside Out, (our quarterly publication), formed and was a primary means of circulating the voice of BPI and its members.

In the last 20 years, the world has exploded with so many new means of communication and BPI always led new trends, culminating with a wildly-popular Whats App group and an ever-changing Inside Out; but our members wanted more, and Pride Connection was BPI’s answer.
Late last year, BPI’s Board of Directors decided to create a podcast to further the voices of advocacy, education, and, of course, the fun our affiliate is known for. It was an interesting journey with a few stops and starts, until we partnered with ACB Radio, and began creating shows.
Since February of this year, Gabriel, Leah, and Anthony have helmed BPI’s Pride Connection. Tim Cumings and Byron Lee have worked behind the scenes to produce a show that is one of the most listened to within the ACB family of podcasts.
We started the party with important subjects, such as: blind parenting, online dating, working blind and of course, the various colors of the LGBTQ rainbow.
BPI members have highlighted topics and persons of interest to our intersectionality; one of the brightest of those being our phenomenal interview with transgender Councilwoman Rosemary Ketchum of West Virginia. Celebrities and authors, LGBTQ shows, and music have been fun topics covered.
Recently, BPI members have stepped into the roles of co-hosting and creating show topics and ideas. With almost a year into this fantastic journey, our podcast is only getting better and better. With more participation from the Membership at large, we are considering taking a bold and brave step to grow our platform and global exposure by partnering with the Patrion platform.
Pride Connection was once a tiny kernel of thought that transformed into a weekly blend of education, personal stories, and surprising revelations. We strive to create community among all listeners through our dynamic presentation, candid commentary, and promotion of empathy. Once, Pride Connection was a glimmer of a concept. We achieved more than we ever imagined since our debut in March of 2020.
Please join us as we continue to raise the bar higher. We are proud of the work we have accomplished but know we are capable of so much more. So, stay tuned in and involved; help keep the connection strong.

Remembering LA

By: Leah Gardner

In 1999, the American Council of the Blind, (ACB), annual conference was in Las Angeles. I was 23 years old and attending my first major blindness convention. Truthfully, I was a cocky young lesbian who knew little about the world on any large-scale level. So many formative experiences that would shape my life were yet to be lived. I was naive and still had not embraced or come to respect my sense of self as a visually impaired woman. I was proud
of my lesbianism, but sometimes loud is not always best.

I was the kid in the room where Blind Friends of Gays and lesbians, (BFLAG), now Blind LGBT Pride International, (BPI(,, was created. People who endured so much more struggle than I ever conceived of took a chance and agreed to push for official affiliate status under the
ACB umbrella. I was fresh from college where I belonged to a Gay Straight Alliance, and my home at that time was Burlington, Vermont, a mecca of progressive thought and politics. Truly, my decision to join the effort to strive for affiliation was based on fierce pride and a sense of invincibility. I think now, that for so many in that room, decisions to be part of this process were
based on realities of discrimination, violence, and isolation that I had no personal inkling of. We were a mix of diverse people from disparate backgrounds, but we all formed a bond that week which served as the foundation BPI relies on today. We were united by the
belief that planting the seeds of an organization embracing all colors of the pride spectrum was imperative.

I cannot speak for anybody else in that room who decided to forge ahead with affiliation plans that day. But I think some of them were maybe a little scared. I am sure there was some anxiety. A few wanted to remain anonymous. I was the kid who had not yet learned to
be afraid of the unavoidable bigotry aimed at those of us who represent that rainbow which stems from ignorance and intolerance. In the past 20 years, I spent 2 weeks in Alabama, afraid to divulge my lesbianism due to the strict conservative climate. I was at rallies where queer poets were taunted and harassed for daring to read on stage.
I’ve lived through an American time frame where politicians seem hungry to dismantle all the gains and strides towards equity that our community has labored to attain for generations. We are living through an unimaginable pandemic that has claimed over 250,000 lives in the United States alone. That kid who was part of BPI’s creation has
grown up.

BPI, however, is also a more mature organization. Several tumultuous times in our past have ultimately made this affiliate stronger and more resilient. In my own life, I have dealt with pain, loss, and isolation over the past 2 decades. I have felt fractured by the process of living at times. And BPI has almost broken due to inner turmoil. But I am still here, and BPI is stronger than I can ever remember. The energy of our members is contagious. Some days, I feel like the old woman in the room who wants to warn, to caution, to discuss the risks of every step we take. But then I remember L.A. That fire to forge change and be seen and heard still crackles like a live wire inside. Electricity tingles through me, and I know I was in the right room at the right time 20 years ago because I still want to be here for BPI’s next 20 years and more.

BPI Turns 20 in 2020

BY: Gabriel Lopez Kafati

2020 will truly go down in history as an unprecedented year. A Pandemic that changed everything; from the way in which we greet our loved ones, to the way in which we work. Our country has reached a new low point with regards to racial injustice. We were overwhelmed in a political race in which equality was at stake. Standing tall in proud in the mist of all the chaos is our home- Blind LGBT Pride International, BPI. Celebrating 20 years of serving the intersectionality of those of us who are blind and visually impaired members of the LGBTQ community, BPI continues to be a beacon of hope for all of us and many more!

It was 20 years ago, that Blind Friends of Gays and Lesbians, BFLAG, became a proud Special Interest Affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, ACB. It was a brave and bold action of our Founding Members, and an opportunity for ACB to stand on the right side of history and embrace diversity. BFLAG faced some opposition; but, most importantly, it received a warm welcoming from supporters, allies, and friends. As any young organization, BFLAG had to form its own personality; the first years gave many of its members an understanding of what they wanted the organization to be, for them and for ACB. The foundations were being laid and the young non-profit started to grow.

After almost a decade, the Leadership and Membership of BFLAG, decided that the organization had grown into something bigger and shinier. Therefore, it was decided that the organization deserved a name that was more representative of its mission and vision. The name Blind LGBT Pride International was adopted. BPI showed to be a proud and inclusive organization. It attracted not only blind and visually impaired members of the LGBTQ community, but straight and sighted allies as well.

In latest years, BPI has started a new type of growth. We have expanded in numbers and in colors. We decided to be more intentional when it came to attracting members and leaders who strengthened our diversity. The first sign of this new growth became evident when BPI began to enfold the role of more and more women. BPI also became known for its vibrant and strong presence at ACB’s Annual Conference and Conventions. With a program rich in education and entertainment, and with a welcoming space where everyone is always invited to come as they are, BPI has won the hearts and the attention of all Convention attendees.

The tenacity and hard work of the latest years has particularly flourished during this, our Anniversary. BPI’s show/podcast, Pride Connection has gained the love and admiration of ACB Radio Mainstream and beyond. When stay-in-place regulations were adopted in response to the Pandemic, BPI united us all and invited many more through our virtual events and community calls. We have strongly solidified our relationship with our parent organization. We led a series of conversations to educate the ACB Community in the usage of pronouns and inclusive language. We began a collaboration with ACB to establish a Storytelling Boot Camp for everyone in our broader community to strengthen their self-advocacy skills. We rose up to the occasion, and presented a rich program during ACB’s first Virtual Convention, including a virtual 20th-Anniversary celebration. We recommended a resolution, which ACB adopted, and together, we got NLS to incorporate an LGBTQ category within the BARD platform.

BPI’s 20th Anniversary has truly been remarkable. We have strengthened our presence within our Membership, within the structure of our parent organization, and with the LGBTQ community at large. We have attracted the involvement of new members and we have reinvigorated the excitement of long-time members. The newest additions to the BPI Family represent so many diverse age groups and letters of the LGBTQ community. Our new members and our long-time members have recommitted by taking crucial roles in BPI’s new and existing projects. BPI’s increased advocacy, education, and leisure initiatives have brought us much closer to the core of ACB. We have fostered new and exciting relationships with well-known organizations representing the LGBTQ community at a national level. In short, BPI has flourished exponentially during the last year, and this growth is just the beginning of a new stage in the life of this organization that is turning 20 in 2020!

As President of BPI, I feel so proud to lead our beloved organization into its next stage. I am grateful with our Founding Members for their vision and courage. I admire ACB for having recognized the need to have an affiliate that represented the intersectionality of visual impairment and sexual orientation. I love the family feeling that I get from each and every one of BPI’s members. I couldn’t have a complete celebration of BPI without proclaiming, once again, that I have found a home in this organization. I invite our dear members, allies, and friends to share a virtual toast with me. For 20 years of advocacy, service, and fun; and to many more years in which BPI will continue to promote the awareness, inclusion and well-being of all of us blind and visually impaired members of the LGBTQ community through education, advocacy, and peer-support.

Happy 20th Blind LGBT Pride International!

International LGBT organization urges Senate to reject Jeff Sessions nomination for Attorney General

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

International LGBT organization urges Senate to reject Jeff Sessions nomination for Attorney General

Contact: Gabriel Lopez
Company: Blind LGBT Pride International
Phone: (786) 547-5465
Email: info@blind-lgbt-pride.org
URL: http://blindlgbtpride.org

Austin, Tx – Blind LGBT Pride International (BPI) the only Civil Rights and Advocacy organization representing LGBT individuals who are blind and vision impaired, today announced its opposition to the nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as the next U.S. attorney general.

“We believe that any president should have broad latitude in appointments. However, given the extraordinary role the attorney general has over so many issues fundamentally impacting the lives of our community, Sessions’ egregious track record on those issues makes it impossible for us to support this nomination,” stated BPI President Will Burley.

“Throughout his career, he has been a staunch opponent of progress for historically disenfranchised groups, whether it’s African-Americans, people with disabilities, Latinos, LGBT Americans, or women” remarked Burley. Sessions record is replete with actions and stated positions which we find in complete opposition to the freedoms and well being of people with disabilities who are LGBT, including: in May of 2000, his taking to the Senate floor in opposition to the reauthorization of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), the Federal law which mandates the integration of children with disabilities into public schools; citing the law as the reason that U.S. public schools were failing, referring to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which contains provisions relevant to the voting rights of people with disabilities, as a “piece of intrusive legislation”; opposing both the 2006 and 2013 bipartisan immigration reform bills and calling for an end to birthright citizenship; his opposition to the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, in 2000 and 2009; voting against measures expanding hate crime legislation to include sexual orientation; He dubbed the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage an “effort to secularize, by force and intimidation”, , and referring to Civil rights organizations as “Communist-inspired” and “un-American.” “The list goes on and on”,commented Burley.

“It is exceedingly disappointing, to say the least, that the newly elected President has chosen someone who is at best indifferent, and at worst actively antagonistic toward an overwhelming portion of the country’s population. For such a crucial post, We urge the Senate to soundly reject his nomination,” concluded Burley.

For more information regarding Blind LGBT Pride International’s stance on the nomination of Sen. Jeff sessions, please contact the Legislative and Advocacy chair, Don Brown by email at advocacy@blind-lgbt-pride.org.

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Blind LGBT pride International, a 501c(3) organization founded in 1996 has a goal to offer advocacy, education, programs, alliances and support for those who are either blind or vision impaired and who happen to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or allies. For more information, please visit http://blindlgbtpride.org.

BPI Committee Chair Appointments

The Blind LGBT Pride International (BPI) president chooses the committee chairs to perform the work of the organization.  The people that will carry out the committee duties are:

 

Advocacy & Legislative – Don Brown

Budget & Finance – Sarah Wilds

Constitution & Bylaws – Harlow Pease

Fundraising – Kevin Ratliff

Membership – Guillermo Robles

Elections – Harlow Pease and Don Brown

programs – Gabriel Lopez

Public Relations – Gabriel Lopez (Newsletter – Leah Gardner; Website – Will Burley; Social Media – Gabriel Lopez)

 

If you have an intrest in becoming a part of one or more of the standing committees, please visit the

Contact page

to email the committee chairs.