Category: Latest News

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!

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.

BPI Book Share

Autumn is in full swing, and a chill is in the air. It is the season for curling up on the couch with a good book. Let’s help one another create a list of great reads to keep us occupied over the winter months.

Join BPI for our first Book Sharing evening. Each participant will get
5 minutes to talk about one book they recently enjoyed and think other BPI members won’t be able to resist.

Nonfiction, fiction, autobiographies, memoirs. Anything goes. The only thing we ask is that the book selection you choose be available via Bard or Audible to make access as easy as possible for all members.

Please join us on November 8 at 4 PM PST, 7 PM EST for a Sunday evening of book sharing.

To join the discussion, phone our BPI conference line.

218 895-3779, password 2012#

Seeking Participants for a new documentary

Emmy Award winning producer, Patricia Zagarella, seeks participants for a new documentary that focuses on the dating and romantic life of the blind and visually impaired. As dating moves to the online world, where physical attraction is the first connection, we want to explore how love connections are formed when physical attraction is not the first point of reference. We think that sighted people can learn a lot from the dating and romantic experiences of the visually impaired. This will be a heartwarming film and journey. By sharing your experiences we hope to shed light on this universal subject and on a population so often ignored.

 

We are seeking blind or visually impaired, men and women between the ages of 20 and 45, who are willing to be on camera and share their experiences candidly. We are looking for a cross section of individuals, including:

 

 

 

1) Singles, men and women, who are actively dating and looking for a long-term relationship

 

2) Best friends who are single and dating

 

3) Singles bouncing back from a breakup

 

4) People that are newly coupled

 

5) Couples in a long term relationship

 

6) Couples who are going to get married

 

7) Married couple with no children

 

8) Married couple with child or children

 

 

 

If your interested or would like more information, please email your information to:         loveisblinddocumentary@gmail.com