Episode Notes

Last year, the team produced a stirring, heartfelt commentary on why we still need pride parades and celebrations. Unfortunately, these musings are now even more relevant than they were back then. In the face of hatred, fascism and bigotry, let's conspire to have the boldest, loudest, most colorful and most affirming pride month EVER!!!
To find out more about Blind LGBT Pride International, please visit www.bpi.gay You can also find our “queer gear” merch here:  https://blindgirldesigns.com/collections/bpi-25-anniversary

Episode Notes

Pride Connection is pleased to present an interview with acclaimed writer, professor and GLBTQ+ activist Karla Jay. Beginning with her involvement in the feminist and gay liberation movement in the early 1970s, Jay indelibly made her mark as a strident voice in our community. Jay has written 10 books and has traveled extensively speaking about post-Stonewall glbtq+ advocacy and the 2nd wave of feminism. Jay is a distinguished professor emerita at Pace University, where she taught English and directed the women's and gender studies program between 1974 and 2009. Leah Gardner hosts this dialog with Jay, primarily discussing her 1999 memoir, Tales of the Lavender Menace. This is a riveting interview brimming with historical context and Jay's thoughts on the tumultuous world we live in today.

Episode Notes

One of Pride Connection’s most inspiring and thought-provoking conversations was with then-Senate aide Laurel Hilbert—a shining example of courage, conviction, and the strength of the human spirit.

In this episode, we revisit Laurel’s extraordinary journey: from leaving his home country of Syria, to his time in Saudi Arabia, to arriving in the United States knowing only a few words of English—but armed with drawings, dreams, and unstoppable determination. Laurel speaks passionately about the universal truths of democracy, the resilience of the human condition, and what becomes possible when we align our spirit and purpose.

But this conversation isn’t just about where he’s been—it’s also about where he’s going.

Since the passing of his mentor and friend, the late Senator Dianne Feinstein—whom many of us remember as a fighter for justice and democracy—Laurel has taken time away from politics and even from the United States. In this deeply personal update, he shares his own version of an Eat, Pray, Love journey: finding love, learning how to live within grief, and reconnecting with his purpose.

Now studying for finals and preparing for the LSAT, Laurel took time out of his busy schedule to reconnect with us, reflect on where life has taken him, and share why he still believes in the future of this country, our intersectional communities, and humanity itself.

This powerful and timely episode is a reminder that strength comes in many forms—and that hope, when nurtured, can carry us through even the darkest times. Have thoughts or questions? We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a note at [email protected], and don’t forget to visit www.blindlgbtpride.org for more information about BPI, our 25th anniversary celebrations, and to grab some fabulous queer gear—including our new Ally Love collection just in time for Pride Month!

Episode Notes

On this episode of Pride Connection, we get to know Grim Kells, founder of Grimalkin Records, a collective of LGBT, disabled and BIPOC musical and visual artists.  We talk about Grim’s musical work under the name Spartan Jetplex, and what led them to found Grimalkin records.  We also touch on some of the community outreach that makes Grimalkin special, including an in-person and virtual festival every October.  Finally, we talk about how you, too, can get involved if you’d like to be part of the collective.

You can find Grimalkin Records at www.grimalkinrecords.com

We also discuss the work of RAMPD, Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities.  Find them at www.rampd.org

Finally, Grim discusses “loop sessions” in which musicians have roughly 23 hours to complete a track, as an exercise in creative unblocking.  Find out more at: https://linktr.ee/loopsessionsdmv

To find out more about Blind LGBT Pride International, please visit www.bpi.gay You can also find our “queer gear” merch here:  https://blindgirldesigns.com/collections/bpi-25-anniversary

Pride Connection presents a Flashback, celebratory discussion about Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. **Content warning: gun violence, hate crimes/violence against AAPI, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, ableism, other topics that may be sensitive to some listeners ** May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month! This week on Pride Connection, please join Saejh Chung (moderator,) Minh Ha, Miso Kwak, Tyanne Wilmath, and Anthony Corona for a conversation exploring AAPI history, personal stories of the intersectionality of identifying as AAPI and having a disability, mental health, sexualization and fetishization of AAPI women, defining heritage, and how the pandemic has shaped their lives and the greater AAPI community at large today. Additionally, the roundtable discussion also examined the Covid 19 Hate Crimes Act (H.R. 1843) and thoughts on how this legislation will affect the AAPI community. The hour-long segment concludes with our guests answering how they will celebrate AAPI heritage month. Resources are listed below. Resources Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/ National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association: https://www.naapimha.org/ Asian Americans (on PBS): Asian Americans Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong (Available on Bookshare and BARD) Pachinko by Minjin Lee (Available on Bookshare and BARD) H.R. 1843: Covid 19 Hate Crimes Act: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/hr1843 Try Guys Anti-Asian Hate documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14WUuya94QE Misogyny Against Asian Women - The TryPod Ep. 102: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMd3S3BOarU

Episode Notes

This week on Pride Connection, dropping on Tuesday wherever you get your podcast, we’re continuing a very special two-part journey with someone who continues to inspire and electrify our community —Rosemary Ketchum! Part one last week presented a flashback to one of our most powerful conversations ever. And this week, she’s back with us for a brand-new episode—raw, real, and refreshingly Rosemary. We first met Rosemary Ketchum during a momentous chapter of her journey—as an advocate, a candidate, and a history-maker. As the first openly transgender person elected to office in West Virginia, Rosemary shattered barriers and made national headlines… but she didn’t stop there. In this powerful updated episode, we had a conversation that left an indelible mark on our hearts. Rosemary shares her passion for advocacy, her grassroots work supporting individuals experiencing homelessness, and her unapologetic drive to protect and uplift the LGBTQIA+ community—especially in places where it’s not always safe or easy to do so. She joins us to talk about what’s next, how she’s really doing, and how she’s feeling in the face of an America that’s teetering between promise and peril. Spoiler alert: she doesn’t hold back. She talks candidly about attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community, the exhaustion of advocacy, and the crossroads many of us are standing at: fight or flee? And in her own words: “I love coming to talk with Blind LGBT Pride International’s Pride Connection. I am an honorary member of this fabulous organization who is fighting the good fight and folding and embracing our community’s most vulnerable members, and standing up against the forces trying to strip away the identities of us all—especially our transgender and non-binary siblings.” For more information on Blind Pride International, please visit www.bpi.gay

Episode Notes

This week on Pride Connection, dropping on Tuesday wherever you get your podcast,were kicking off a very special two-part journey with someone who continues to inspire and electrify our community

—Rosemary Ketchum! Part one starts Tuesday with a flashback to one of our most powerful conversations ever. And next week, she’s back with us for a brand-new episode—raw, real, and refreshingly Rosemary.

We first met Rosemary Ketchum during a momentous chapter of her journey—as an advocate, a candidate, and a history-maker. As the first openly transgender person elected to office in West Virginia, Rosemary shattered barriers and made national headlines… but she didn’t stop there. In this powerful flashback episode, we revisit a conversation that left an indelible mark on our hearts. Rosemary shares her passion for advocacy, her grassroots work supporting individuals experiencing homelessness, and her unapologetic drive to protect and uplift the LGBTQIA+ community—especially in places where it’s not always safe or easy to do so.

And then—buckle up—next week we catch up with Rosemary once again! Fresh off her historic mayoral run in Wheeling, she joins us to talk about what’s next, how she’s really doing, and how she’s feeling in the face of an America that’s teetering between promise and peril. Spoiler alert: she doesn’t hold back. She talks candidly about attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community, the exhaustion of advocacy, and the crossroads many of us are standing at: fight or flee?

And in her own words: “I love coming to talk with Blind LGBT Pride International’s Pride Connection. I am an honorary member of this fabulous organization who is fighting the good fight and folding and embracing our community’s most vulnerable members, and standing up against the forces trying to strip away the identities of us all—especially our transgender and non-binary siblings.”

Episode Notes

• On April 5, 2025, over 5 million people around the US and the globe gathered for a series of rallies and protests against the Trump administration. Their message was loud and clear. Hands Off!! Hands Off our democracy, our economy, our bodies, our most vital services ... Among the protesters were BPI members Courtney and Destiny, raising their voices and fighting for their very lives as blind queer people. They share their experience at the rallies, what steps they took to make protesting as safe and comfortable for them as possible, and what actions they plan to take going forward. Join us for a lively conversation full of inspiration, encouragement, advocacy, and more ways to fight back!!
• Learn more about the Hands Off rallies here: https://handsoff2025.com/ Check out this article from Mother Jones about virtual rallies spearheaded by the disabled community: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/04/hands-off-virtual-zooms-disability-covid/
• Thanks to Courtney and Destiny for speaking with us. If you have an idea for a future episode of Pride Connection or questions about our podcast, please email us at [email protected]
• Browse our new Queer Gear, perfect for Pride, nights on the town, or speaking your truth to power: https://blindlgbtpride.org/queer-gear/
• BPI is on Facebook, Mastodon and Bluesky. Find all our links and follow us here: https://linktr.ee/bpisocials

Episode Notes

We at Blind Pride International are always working diligently to advocate for our membership. But, things have been kind of heavy lately and we wanted to lighten things up. We invited BPI members to a recording session where they could share their embarrassing stories and bloopers. Join us for an episode full of laughter and comradery.

BPI is excited to tell you about our new and fabulous Queer Gear! Head on over to http://www.bpi.gay right now, and click on "Queer Gear"