Pride Connection
Where we explore all the colors of the human experience

Pride Connection Presents: Embarassing Stories and Bloopers

April 3, 2024

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 commerodity.

Pride Connection Presents: LGBTQ+ Representation in TV and Film

March 20, 2024

Episode Notes

This week a panel of guests lead by Jessica Tomlinson talk about LGBTQ+ representation in TV and Film. Who was your first celebrity gay crush? What character helped you to find the strength to come out? Which character did you most identify with? We discuss these topics and more on this week's episode of Pride Connection!

Pride Connection Presents: The Unsilent - Voices For Human Rights

February 28, 2024

Episode Notes

This week on Pride Connection, we have produced a very special program highlighting the importance of human rights. This episode features a rich tapestry of voices from all walks of life within the membership of Blind LGBT Pride International. The focal point of this presentation is the recent decision by the American Council of the Blind's Board, which chose to remain neutral on the matter of supporting BPI's Human Rights Rally. This choice has stirred a wave of concern and disappointment among us, for a multitude of reasons that we will delve into throughout the program. We hope that you will listen with an open heart and an open mind.

Featured Voices Lineup:

Leah Gardner - Welcome and Introduction
Anthony Corona
Tristan Snyder
Amethyst
John Forster
Margie Donovan
Erick Marco Ramos
Monica Wegner
Brynn Lee
Ray Campbell
Margo Downey
Jessica Tomlinson
Gabriel Lopez Kafati
Leah Gardner - Jenga, a Poem

In addition, we featured clips from famous activists and human rights advocates, this list is in order that they were heard.

Angelica Ross
Rustin Bayard
Harvey Milk
Judy Heuman
Stevie Wonder

Additional voices from various news programs and TikTok channels were also used throughout Brynn Lee's segment of our program.

Pride Connection Presents: Tristan Snyder's Audio Excursion 2022 (Rerun)

February 13, 2024

Episode Notes

One of BPI's most popular events is our 3D Audio Excursion, which we owe to the Sultan of Sound himself, Tristan Snyder. His tireless efforts have resulted in this amazing example of binaural audio. We'll be back in 2 weeks with a fresh episode of Pride Connection. Until then, enjoy this blast from the past.

Here's the original description of this episode for additional contest.

If you missed the 3D Audio Excursion at convention this year, fear not; Pride Connection has you covered! Grab those headphones, and tune in. Tristan Snyder will take you on a Tesla autonomous driving tour, a trip on the Portland Max Rail to the Portland Pride Festival, a jaunt to the French Quarter Jazz Festival in New Orleans, and top the evening off with a little stand up comedy from the deviously hilarious Emo Phillips. It’s a virtual trip you won’t want to miss! Don’t forget, headphones are required to experience the 3D aspects of the tour.

Pride Connection Presents: Let's Talk About Books!

January 31, 2024

Episode Notes

This week we invited BPI members and allies to come to Clubhouse to talk about their favorite LGBTQ+ Books. We covered every genre from non-fiction to the weirdest of science fiction and everything in between. Thank you to Jessica Tomlinson for taking the helm and leading this conversation.

Pride Connection Presents: Brynn's Journey in Transition

January 17, 2024

Episode Notes

Join us this week on Pride Connection, a podcast by Blind LGBT Pride International, as hosts Anthony Corona and Leah Gardner engage in a candid conversation with Brynn Lee. This episode provides an insightful look into Brynn's personal experience with her transition. Brynn will let us in on on the practical and emotional aspects of coming out to friends, family, and employers as a trans woman. We also cover the importance of community and finding your chosen family during this crucial time. We also touch on the legal and financial hurdles Brynn faced during her legal name change. This episode is a great one to catch if you are trans, a parent of a trans child, or an ally who wants to know more about the personal aspects of transition.

Pride Connection airs on ACB Media 1 every Tuesday at 10pm ET, and can be found wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts by searching for ACB’s Pride Connection.

Pride Connection Presents: Love Is Love Is Love with FruitLoots

January 3, 2024

Episode Notes

On this very special episode of Pride Connection, hosts Anthony Corona and Janeen Lea talk with David Cruz of Millionaire Matchmaker and Finding Cupid fame about his newest adventure in love: FruitLoots! David, who originally hails from Guam, shares his story of coming to California for college and the culture shock that was, to being first a contestant, then the host on Millionaire Matchmaker, and creating the wildly popular Finding Cupid. Love is a recurring theme for David; studying it, helping others find and cultivate it, and now helping others celebrate it. He shares his vulnerability with us and why advocating for the queer community still matters, especially for the most vulnerable among us.

"Love is Love is Love" will be the theme for BPI’s February programming, as well as the name of our first-ever fundraiser. More details about the fundraiser in the program will be shared later this week. Whether you're celebrating loving yourself, a loving partner, a family member, or a friend, FruitLoots is a place for specialized curated love boxes of all kinds by queer-owned and operated small businesses.

To support our fabulous "Love is Love is Love" fundraiser, visit https://www.fruitloots.com/collections/blind-pride-international-love-is-love-fundraiser

Pride Connection airs on ACB Media every Tuesday at 10 pm ET and can be found wherever you listen to your podcasts by asking for ACB’s Pride Connection.

To support "Love is Love is Love" and all of BPI’s important work, please consider joining us or donating to our mission at http://bpi.gay.

Pride Connection Presents: Holiday Open House

December 19, 2023

Episode Notes

This week's episode of Pride Connection showcases a special recording from our Friday Night Fun Chat on Clubhouse, hosted by Jessica and JD.

The theme is "Holiday Open House," where the discussion revolves around unique ways of celebrating the holidays, with a focus on how blindness and queerness intersect with festive traditions.

Additionally, the episode is enriched with musical contributions from BPI secretary, Tristan Snyder.

Pride Connection Presents: BPI’s Advocacy Committee; plans for 2024; Jacksonville Rally; Includes a message from Florida State Representative, Anna Eskamani

December 6, 2023

Episode Notes

This time on Pride Connection, Host Anthony Corona is back, and with him are Advocacy Committee co-chairs Gabriel Lopez Kafati and Tristan Snyder. We’ll hear from Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani, and we’ll get an update on BPI’s plans to bring a powerful advocacy rally to Jacksonville.

BPI’s reinvigorated Advocacy Committee is ready to offer a platform not only to the LGBTQ+ community, but to all marginalized communities. In this powerful episode, we talk about our views on diversity and about the importance of advocating for equality across the board.

Pride Connection Presents: Don't Say Gay, Won't Make Us Go Away (RERUN)

November 20, 2023

Episode Notes

This is a rebroadcast of a previous episode that aired over Pride Month 2023.

Blind Pride International and Members and our Allies offer testimonials surrounding restrictive Laws, book bans, drag story hours and so much more.

As our community is used as a pawn for political divisiveness, hear from our members in their own words how destructive these proposed and sadly adopted laws are to our community and country. Words matter so much more than we realize and in the words of our MEMBERS AND ALLIES, you will hear how the rhetoric hurts, devalues and frightens us to the core.

Our members are; Teachers, Lawyers and Tech developers. They are Parents, Daughters, Sons and Non-binary individuals. Most of all, they are Americans! They are watching and listening as factions in the United States try to Weaponize the way we love. They attempt to shame and blame the LGBTQ+ community, all while framing their divisive tactics as saving the soul of America. The hurt and damage to the mental health of the most vulnerable among us is incalculable.

We aren’t attempting to groom or convert; rather, we are trying to live our lives as proud Americans. In this episode, you will hear from the very people who are living through these scary times. This powerful episode shines light on the feelings evoked by almost daily attacks on LGBTQ+ HUMANS!!

For More information or to support Blind LGBT Pride International, please visit: WWW.BPI.Gay

Or to join our mission:

WWW.BPI.Gay/join