Blind LGBT Pride International stands outraged yet galvanized by the news that major corporations—including Anheuser-Busch, Comcast, Diageo, and Jackson Family Wines—have pulled out of sponsoring San Francisco Pride 2025, leaving organizers scrambling to fill a $300,000 gap. These companies, many of whom have profited for years off the rainbow dollar, are now conveniently citing “budget issues” rather than acknowledging what we all know: their silence and abandonment are complicit responses to rising anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and political backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Let’s be clear—this is more than just a funding shortfall. This is a red flag for every grassroots, community-led, and marginalized Pride celebration across the country. If San Francisco, a city internationally recognized as a beacon of queer culture, can lose its corporate backing, what does that mean for Little Rock, Flint, Wichita, or any other small city relying on that support to even exist in Pride month?

Blind LGBT Pride International will not be silent. We will not allow this to pass unnoticed. Our Plan of Action:
1. Name Them. Shame Them. Hashtag Them. We will launch a coordinated social media campaign targeting these corporate sponsors who have turned their backs. Using platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Mastodon, and Threads, we will tag and call out: • @AnheuserBusch • @comcast • @guinnessus @SmirnoffUS @JohnnieWalkerUS • @jacksonfamilywines Suggested hashtags: • #PrideIsNotSeasonal • #RainbowCapitalismExposed • #FundOurPride • #NoPrideWithoutSupport • #ShameOnBud • #ShowUpOrShutUp
We encourage every LGBTQ+ person, ally, and community group to join us in flooding timelines with the truth. These brands were happy to collect LGBTQ+ dollars in June. Now they need to be held accountable.

2. A Coalition for Pride Funding Blind LGBT Pride International is calling on all LGBTQIA+ organizations—local, regional, and national—to band together in a united front to support grassroots fundraising initiatives for Pride celebrations across the country. From GoFundMe campaigns to mutual aid Venmo collectives, from virtual concerts to Pride merch fundraisers—this is the moment to reimagine how we support one another without waiting for corporate dollars to trickle down. We know our community has always been its own safety net. Let’s work collaboratively to amplify each other’s efforts, spotlight underfunded Pride events, and ensure that no city is left behind. Pride was born from resistance and solidarity. Let this be a return to that spirit.

3. Pride Has Been Hijacked by Corporations Over the last 15 to 20 years, Pride celebrations in many cities have morphed into sleek, overly sanitized spectacles tailored for sponsorships rather than the people. Advocacy has been replaced with ad campaigns. Representation has taken a back seat to corporate visibility. We’ve seen rainbow-washed product lines roll out every June, with prices jacked up and little transparency on where that money actually goes. Too many companies have used Pride as a moment to engage with a community that statistically has more discretionary income than our non-LGBTQIA+ counterparts—only to vanish when the political climate changes. Pride has always included our allies and welcomed broader participation, but it was never meant to be a marketing playground or a corporate strategy. This moment is a wake-up call: it’s time we reclaim Pride as a space for community, resistance, and true inclusion—not brand placement.

4. Pride Is Political. Resistance Is Required. San Francisco Pride made the bold and correct decision to cut ties with Meta after their rollback of DEI and LGBTQ+ policies. This should be the model. We stand with Executive Director Suzanne Ford and SF Pride organizers who are resisting sanitization and commodification in favor of integrity and visibility. Blind LGBT Pride International also calls on every Pride organization in the country to publicly list their sponsors—and their allies. Let’s shine a light on the corporations standing with us and those hiding in silence.

5. Accessible, Inclusive, and Independent As a blind-led organization, we also want to highlight the critical need for accessible Pride experiences. Without proper funding, accessibility gets cut first. We cannot let that happen. Our community deserves accessible stages, interpreters, audio description, and transportation support—because Pride belongs to all of us.

A Call to Our Community We know how to rally. We know how to organize. And we know that Pride has never been about flashy floats or corporate booths—it has always been about resistance, resilience, and visibility. Let’s use this moment not just to fill the gap in San Francisco—but to build stronger, more sustainable, and community-owned Pride celebrations everywhere. Let the corporations walk away. We’ve always had each other. In Pride and Power, Blind LGBT Pride International

Website: BPI.gay

Email: media@BlindLgbtPride.org
#FundOurPride #PrideIsPolitical #BlindQueerPower #SupportLocalPride

Yours,
Anthony Corona
He/Him
Host and Producer of Sunday edition
sundayeditionac@gmail.com

The post When They Pull the Plug, We Plug In: Corporate Abandonment of Pride and Our Call to Action appeared first on Blind LGBT Pride International.

Blind LGBT Pride International is shining a light on Texas House Bill 3817 (HB 3817), a dangerous piece of legislation that seeks to criminalize transgender individuals simply for living as their authentic selves. This bill, introduced by Representative Tom Oliverson, would make it a felony for someone to identify their gender differently from their sex assigned at birth when speaking to government agencies or employers. If passed, it could result in up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine for transgender Texans. This is an outrageous attack on personal freedom, dignity, and truth. It is an attempt to erase the identities of transgender people under the guise of law, and we will not stand by in silence.

Blind LGBT Pride International is calling on our members, our allies, and the greater public—both within Texas and beyond—to act now before this bill gains traction.

Why This Bill Matters to All of Us HB 3817 is more than just another discriminatory law. It sets a terrifying precedent: that the government can police identity and criminalize individuals for existing. This is not just an LGBTQ+ issue—it is a fundamental human rights issue. For blind and disabled transgender individuals, the stakes are even higher. Many of us rely on government agencies for essential services, employment assistance, and benefits. If this bill passes, how many transgender people will be forced to deny their identity just to access the support they need? How many will face job discrimination with no legal recourse? How many will suffer in silence, fearing legal consequences for speaking their truth?

We refuse to let this stand. Flood the Offices of Representative Tom Oliverson and Texas Stakeholders The time to act is now. We must make our voices heard and send a clear message that HB 3817 is an unjust and unconstitutional assault on the transgender community.

Blind LGBT Pride International urges you to take the following steps immediately:
1. Call and Email Representative Tom Oliverson Demand that he withdraw this bill and cease his attacks on transgender Texans. Tell him that criminalizing identity is not only cruel but unconstitutional. • Capitol Office: (512) 463-0661 • District Office: (281) 858-3555 • Email: Contact Form
2. Contact Other Texas Representatives If you live in Texas, reach out to your local representatives and demand they oppose HB 3817. You can find your representative at Texas Legislature Online.
3. Engage Texas Business and Community Leaders Houston is home to a vibrant business community, including companies that have publicly supported LGBTQ+ rights. We must demand that they speak out against this bill. Contact major employers, advocacy organizations, and local leaders, urging them to take a stand.
4. Share This Message Use your platforms—social media, email, personal conversations—to spread awareness about HB 3817. The more people who know about this bill, the greater our power to stop it.

Join the Fight for Equality Blind LGBT Pride International is committed to ensuring that blind, disabled, and LGBTQ+ individuals live with dignity and without fear of government oppression. HB 3817 is an affront to that mission, and we are calling on all who value justice to rise up and fight back. This is our moment. Let’s shine a light on this injustice and ensure that it is stopped in its tracks. Call. Write. Speak out. Together, we can defeat HB 3817 and show that equality is not up for debate.

For more information and resources, visit Blind LGBT Pride International. We will not be silent. We will not be erased. We will fight—and we will win.
Visit: www.bpi.gay for more information, to support our mission and to join our growing community.

Footnotes 1. Texas House Bill 3817 Text. https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB03817I.htm 2. Texas anti-trans bill would charge people with ‘gender identity fraud’. https://www.statesman.com/story/news/state/2025/03/11/texas-anti-trans-bill-transgender-gender-identity-fraud-state-felony-tom-oliverson-house-bill-3817/82261151007/ 3. Texas Bill Proposes Felony Charges for ‘Gender Identity Fraud’. https://www.transvitae.com/texas-bill-proposes-felony-charges-for-gender-identity-fraud/ 4. Representative Tom Oliverson Biography. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Oliverson
Yours,
Anthony Corona
He/Him
Host and Producer of Sunday edition
sundayeditionac@gmail.com

The post Blind LGBT Pride International Stands Against Texas House Bill appeared first on Blind LGBT Pride International.

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.

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As is customary during the Holiday Season, we make a list of those who will be the happy recipients of gifts from us. We hope you have saved room for one more name in your list. Don’t panic- it won’t cost you any extra dollars; actually, it should save you some in the long run! Just think of all the beautiful things you have received from your friends and family members who have already claimed a spot in your Holiday list. Now think of this additional friend- she has given you open doors, opportunities, liberty, freedom, equality, inclusion, aid in times of need, and she has always been ready to cover your basics so that you can move on to bigger and better things. Have you guessed her name yet?

Some times we tend to take America for granted, and we forget the greatest and noblest principles our nation stands for. However, this end-of-year is different. We are witnessing how the incoming administration is filling each cabinet position with persons who pose a clear threat to those principles that constitute rights and protections for all of us. The anti-LGBT position of our future cabinet is clear. The civil rights that have resulted after the blood and tenacity of many heroes is now at risk. Moreover, the protections that have helped the disabled community level the playing field are being attacked. All of these rights and protections are gifts that, for decades, we have received from our beloved America.

From the appointment of a white supremacist to one of the highest positions in the White House, to the selection of a blatantly racist character for the position of Attorney General. The second in command, being the most fearsome enemy of the LGBT community in the United States. Does this sound like our country? Do you think these kind of choices represent the values that have already made America great for centuries? If you disagree, then it is time to take matters into your own hands. Our great nation has already gifted us with so much, and it is time we give back. We must stand up and defend the principles and values that constitute the building blocks of our society.

Starting this Holiday Season, and moving forward, during the next four years, we must shower America with gifts. Let’s give our nation the gift of our time during which we should follow every single move attempted by our future government. Consider exerting your democratic rights by contacting your representatives and demanding from them they make the decisions that best align with your values. Show your courage on behalf of your nation by being vigilant and ready to act if you feel any American principle being threatened. Consider sharing your talents with any progressive organization of your choice. While we hope you can relate with this proposed Holiday list, we would like to invite you to add more to the list and to share your gift ideas with us, with your friends and family members, with your neighbors, with your coworkers and colleagues, with your social media contacts, and even with a stranger in the bus stop. Let’s give our America the gift of making sure we remain the great nation we have always been!

The post Ideas for Your Holiday List appeared first on Blind LGBT Pride International.

RitaDunn will present an overview of issues and concerns facing the Transgender community and their families.

To participate in the teleconference call 218-895-3779 and enter code 2012#.

TDOR is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of those whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence., Additionally, during the week of November 14-20, individuals and organizations around the country participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise the visibility of transgender and gender non-conforming people and address the issues these communities face.

TDOR was started by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence that year and began an important memorial that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

“The Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible — it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.” – Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith

The post BLIND LGBT PRIDE INTERNATIONAL (BPI) PRESENTS TRANS 101 appeared first on Blind LGBT Pride International.

Recently, at the national level, we’ve finally gotten the Treasury to make the next generation of paper currency tactilely identifiable for us, we’ve made some kind of noise mandatory so we all can hear a “quiet car” coming, and we’ve got the government working on medication labels that will allow us to know what and when a prescription drug should be taken.  Things we are still working on:  getting Medicare to pay for some of the expensive equipment we need to be able to live independently such as “reading machines”, making sure multi disabled kids are getting the skills needed to be educated and prepared for living and working independently to the extent possible, and working to reduce the 70 percent unemployment rate among blind and visually impaired people.  Believe it or not, there’s still a lot to do.

Here’s how you can participate:

1.  Sign up with the Blind Pride team, walk in Las Vegas or “virtually” anywhere on July 13, and raise money from your friends and family.  (Go to acb.org and follow the link to the Brenda Dillon Memorial Walk to register under the Blind Pride team.

or

2.  Donate to ACB and BPI by credit card online by going to https://walk.acb.org/donation#main-content, or by sending a check payable to ACB to :

American Council of the Blind

6300 Shingle Creek Parkway, Suite 195

Brooklyn Center, MN 55430

(please be sure to indicate that the check is for the Walk, and that President Guillermo Robles is the solicitor on the Blind Pride team)

For further questions, please visit our contact page at http://blindlgbtpride.org/contact and choose to write the President.

The post Blind Pride Walks in Las Vegas…Say What?! appeared first on Blind LGBT Pride International.

The Issue

Since 1975, Public Law 94-142, now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), has revolutionized educational opportunity for all children and youth with disabilities. However, without key improvements, our national special education system cannot fully keep IDEA’s promise of a truly appropriate education for students who are blind or visually impaired. H.R. 4040, The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act, is intended to do just that, to improve the delivery of appropriate special education and related services to all students who are blind or visually impaired and deaf or hard of hearing, including students who may have additional disabilities. Once enacted, the legislation will ensure that properly designed and individually tailored services are in fact provided, meeting the unique learning needs of students who are blind or visually impaired, and that the educators who serve them are prepared and supported to do their jobs well, based on evidence-driven best practice.

Strategy

During the next two years, the U.S. Congress may review and amend IDEA as part of Congress’ periodic reauthorization of the law. The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act can be passed by Congress at any time in advance of IDEA reauthorization, or it can be incorporated, in whole or in part, into reauthorization itself.

Legislative Proposal

ACB and BPI urge the U.S. House of Representatives to promptly pass H.R. 4040, The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act. This legislation will:

• Ensure that every student with vision loss is properly      identified regardless of formal disability category or classification so      that all students who are blind or visually impaired, including those with      additional disabilities, are counted and properly served.
• Expand knowledge about the scope and quality of      special education and related services provided to students who are blind      or visually impaired through refined data collection that tracks all      students with vision loss, regardless of formal disability category or      classification.
• Expect      states to conduct strategic planning, and commit such planning to writing,      to guarantee that all students who are blind or visually impaired within      each state receive all specialized instruction and services needed by      students with vision loss provided by properly trained personnel.

• Clarify that proper evaluation of students who are      blind or visually impaired includes evaluation for students’ needs for      instruction in communication and productivity (including braille      instruction and assistive technology proficiency inclusive of low-vision      devices where appropriate); self-sufficiency and interaction (including      orientation and mobility, self-determination, sensory efficiency,      socialization, recreation and fitness, and independent living skills); and      age-appropriate career education. Such instruction and services constitute      the Expanded Core Curriculum, the body of services which teachers of      students with visual impairments and related professions are expertly      trained to provide.
• Ramp up U.S. Department of Education responsibilities      to monitor and report on states’ compliance with their obligations with      respect to instruction and services specifically provided to students who      are blind or visually impaired.
• Assist parents and educators of students who are blind      or visually impaired through regular and up-to-date written policy      guidance from the U.S. Department of Education.
• Establish      a national collaborative organizational resource, the Anne Sullivan Macy      Center on Vision Loss and Educational Excellence, to proliferate      evidence-based practices in the education of students who are blind or      visually impaired, to keep special educators current with the latest      instructional methods, and to supplement state and local educational      agency provision of the instruction and services constituting the Expanded      Core Curriculum.

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Democrats

Tom Harkin (D-IA)

Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD)

Patty Murray (D-WA)

Bernard Sanders (I-VT)

Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA)

Kay R. Hagan (D-NC)

Al Franken (D-MN)

Michael F. Bennet (D-CO)

Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT)

Elizabeth Warren (D-MD)

Republicans

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)

Michael B. Enzi (R-WY)

Richard Burr (R-NC)

Johnny Isakson (R-GA)

Rand Paul (R-KY)

Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT)

Pat Roberts (RKS)

Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Mark Kirk (R-IL)

Tim Scott (R-SC)

House Committee on Education and the Workforce

Republicans

John Kline (R-MN), Chairman

Thomas E. Petri (R-WI)

Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA)

Joe Wilson (R-SC)

Virginia Foxx (R-NC)

Tom Price (R-GA)

Kenny Marchant (R-TX)

Duncan Hunter (R-CA)

David P. Roe (R-TN)

Glenn Thompson (R-PA)

Tim Walberg (R-MI)

Matt Salmon (R-AZ)

Brett Guthrie (R-KY)

Scott DesJarlais (R-TN)

Todd Rokita (R-IN)

Larry Bucshon (R-IN)

Trey Gowdy (R-SC)

Lou Barletta (R-PA)

Joseph J. Heck (R-NV)

Susan W. Brooks (R-IN)

Richard Hudson (R-NC)

Luke Messer (R-IN)

​

Democrats

George Miller (D-CA), Senior Democratic Member

Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ)

Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA)

Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX)

Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)

John F. Tierney (D-MA)

Rush Holt (D-NJ)

Susan A. Davis (D-CA)

Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ)

Timothy H. Bishop (D-NY)

David Loebsack (D-IA)

Joe Courtney (D-CT)

Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH)

Jared Polis (D-CO)

Gregorio Sablan (D-Northern Mariana Islands)

Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL)

Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)

Mark Pocan (D-WI)

The post Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act appeared first on Blind LGBT Pride International.

Making it Clearer: Medicare Coverage of Low Vision Devices Pending Legislation, Policy Implications, and What You Can Do About It

A Free Teleseminar Jointly Hosted by:

The American Foundation for the Blind

and

The American Council of the Blind

Wednesday, March 12, 2014, 3:00 p.m., Eastern

***Sponsored by HumanWare***

For further information, contact:

Mark Richert, Esq.

Director, Public Policy, AFB

(202) 469-6833

MRichert@afb.net

You are invited to participate in a free national teleseminar jointly hosted by ACB and AFB to learn about recent activities in the U.S. Congress to promote Medicare coverage of low vision devices. We are grateful to HumanWare, www.HumanWare.com, a global leader in low vision and other assistive technologies, for their gracious support which is making this teleseminar possible.

There is no need to register or RSVP for this free teleseminar. To join the call, simply dial the toll-free number below at least ten minutes prior to the March 12, 3pm Eastern, start time. Dial:

1-866-939-3921

Tell the operator that you are joining the “low vision devices” call.

We look forward to a lively discussion with all who are interested in advancing the cause of Medicare coverage for low vision devices and other assistive technologies. During the teleseminar, topics to be covered will include pending legislation in Congress, the array of policy implications of a permanent change in the Medicare program, and how advocates can participate in the policy process.

Background

For decades, the vision loss community has been advocating for Medicare’s coverage of assistive technologies, particularly low vision devices. Currently, Medicare will not pay for any device that happens to use a lens, regardless of whether such device incorporates any other features. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency responsible for the management of Medicare, has ruled that devices, such as low vision devices, that use a lens are excluded from coverage just as are eye glasses or contact lenses except in very narrow circumstances.

Now, for the first time, federal legislation would begin to change this unacceptable national policy by establishing a nationwide Medicare demonstration project to evaluate the fiscal impact of a permanent change in Medicare coverage to pay for low vision devices. The legislation, H.R. 3749, introduced by Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), would initiate a five-year demonstration project that would put low vision devices in the hands of Medicare beneficiaries who, after a clinical evaluation by an ophthalmologist or optometrist, can benefit from a low vision device and for whom such devices are medically necessary. The legislation is careful to require that the demonstration project be genuinely national in scope and is explicitly designed to yield reliable data and meaningful results. Once the legislation is enacted and the demonstration project is successfully completed, Congress will have significantly richer data upon which to consider changes to the Medicare program to make coverage of low vision devices, especially the most costly devices, a permanent feature of the program. Precisely how many individuals will receive low vision devices and how many physicians across the country will participate in the demo project will need to be determined by CMS, working in consultation with stakeholder groups, as it develops and implements the project. The legislation makes $12.5 million available for the project over five years.

Advocates are encouraged to contact your members of the United States Congress.

The post Seminar: Medicare Coverage of Low Vision Devices appeared first on Blind LGBT Pride International.

Contact: Will Burley
Company: Blind LGBT Pride International
Address: 5010 Echo Street, Unit A
Los Angeles, CA 99042
Phone: (713) 364-9703
Email: vicepresident@blind-lgbt-pride.org
URL: http://blindlgbtpride.org

Blind LGBT Pride Applauds Facebook’s Expanded Gender Identity Choices

Los Angeles, CA – You don’t have to be just male or female on Facebook anymore. The largest social media site is adding a customizable option with about 50 different terms people can use to identify their gender as well as three preferred pronoun choices: him, her or them.

Facebook said the changes initially cover the company’s 159 million monthly users in the U.S. and are aimed at giving people more choices in how they describe themselves, such as androgynous, bi-gender, intersex, gender fluid or transsexual.

“There’s going to be a lot of people for whom this is going to mean nothing, but for the few it does impact, it means the world,” said Facebook software engineer Brielle Harrison, who worked on the project and is herself undergoing gender transformation, from male to female. On Thursday, while watchdogging the software for any problems, she said she was also changing her Facebook identity from Female to TransWoman.

“All too often transgender people like myself and other gender nonconforming people are given this binary option, do you want to be male or female? What is your gender? And it’s kind of disheartening because none of those let us tell others who we really are,” she said. “This really changes that, and for the first time I get to go to the site and specify to all the people I know what my gender is.”

Guillermo Robles, President of Blind LGBT Pride stated, “This is one more step acknowledging those that do not simply view themselves as neither male nor female. This action may appear to be unimportant to some but to so many it gives them the choice to express to the world who they are in their terms. The members of Blind LGBT Pride applauds Facebook for giving everyone the choice to express who they are.”

Blind LGBT Pride International is a special interest affiliate of the American Council of the Blind. Its mission is to promote the equality and inclusion of LGBT people who are blind or vision impaired by providing its members and allies a forum to promote access to and integration into the LGBT communities as well as to provide a means of expression for the views and concerns of LGBT vision impaired persons in the broader society. To learn more please visit http://blindlgbtpride.org.

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The post Blind LGBT Pride Applauds Facebook’s Expanded Gender Identity Choices appeared first on Blind LGBT Pride International.

Saying Hello to a Guide Dog Team!

• As tempting as it may be to pet a Guide Dog, remember that this dog is responsible for leading someone who cannot see. The dog should never be distracted
from that duty. A person’s safety may depend on their dog’s alertness and concentration.
• It is okay to ask someone if you may pet their guide. Many people enjoy introducing their dogs when they have the time. The dog’s primary responsibility
is to its blind partner and it is important that the dog not become solicitous.
• A Guide Dog should never be offered food or other distracting treats. The dogs are fed on a schedule and follow a specific diet in order to keep them
in optimum condition. Even slight deviations from their routine can disrupt their regular eating and relieving schedules and seriously inconvenience their
handlers. Guide Dogs are trained to resist offers of food so they will be able to visit restaurants without begging. Feeding treats to a Guide Dog weakens
this training.
• Although Guide Dogs cannot read traffic signals, they are responsible for helping their handlers safely cross a street. Calling out to a Guide Dog or
intentionally obstructing its path can be dangerous for the team as it could break the dog’s concentration on its work.
• Listening for traffic flow has become harder for Guide Dog handlers due to quieter car engines and the increasing number of cars on the road. Please don’t
honk your horn or call out from your car to signal when it is safe to cross. This can be distracting and confusing. Be especially careful of pedestrians
in crosswalks when making right-hand turns at red lights.
• It’s not all work and no play for a Guide Dog. When they are not in harness, they are treated in much the same way as pets. However, for their safety
they are only allowed to play with specific toys. Please don’t offer them toys without first asking their handler’s permission.
• In some situations, working with a Guide Dog may not be appropriate. Instead, the handler may prefer to take your arm just above the elbow and allow their
dog to heel. Others will prefer to have their dog follow you. In this case, be sure to talk to the handler and not the dog when giving directions for turns.
• A Guide Dog can make mistakes and must be corrected in order to maintain its training. This correction usually involves a verbal admonishment coupled
with a leash correction, followed by praise when the dog regains focus and correctly follows a command. Guide Dog handlers have been taught the appropriate
correction methods to use with their dogs.
• Access laws, including the United States’ Americans with Disabilities Act and Canada’s Blind Persons’ Rights Act, permit people who are blind to be accompanied
by their guide dogs anywhere the general public is allowed, including taxis and buses, restaurants, theaters, stores, schools, hotels, apartment and office
buildings.
• Before asking a question of a person handling a dog, allow them to complete the task at hand.
• Remain calm in your approach and mannerisms.
• Never tease a dog.

Have a question that we didn’t cover? Place it in the comment section below and we will be glad to answer!

The post Meeting a Guide Dog Team – Some Words of Advice appeared first on Blind LGBT Pride International.