Every June LGBTQ Pride Month is celebrated to recognize the culture, accomplishments, and activism of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities. For individuals who are blind or have low vision and are part of the LGBTQ communities, a number of opportunities are available to connect with others and participate in activities. Following are some highlights and news:
In his June Presidential Release, Mark Riccobono, president of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), highlighted LGBTQ Pride Month. He reminded listeners about the organization’s LGBT Plus Group, which offers Federation members a place to talk about matters related to being both visually impaired and LGBT. Riccobono spoke about the group’s resources, which include providing “mentorship and support to blind LGBT Plus members” and educating the public, including the overall LGBT community, about myths and misconceptions about blindness. For more information, or to join the group, visit the webpage for NFB-LGBT. Visit NFB’s webpage here for more information on the June Presidential Release and tune in here for the recording.
Blind LGBT Pride International (BPI), an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), aims to “promote the awareness, inclusion, and well-being of blind and vision impaired LGBT people through education, advocacy, and peer-support.” BPI reaches out and supports its members through email communications, virtual townhall conversations, and an annual meeting at the ACB convention. They also have a blog and produce a radio program, “Pride Connection,” which is available during selected times on ACB Media 1, on-demand as a podcast, or downloaded as individual episodes. Learn more about BPI here and about “Pride Connection” here.
Pride events are being held throughout the month in communities across the nation and online. To check out some virtual events, visit Eventbrite’s listings here for LGBT Pride online events and workshops. For additional information on the commemoration overall, read the Wikipedia piece on Pride Month.
