New BPI member Laurel joins us live this evening on Pride Connection to share his journey from a child growing up in Syria to his days spent working on the most recognizable hill in the world.

He is a proud supporter of homeless advocacy, a champion of human rights, and an eloquent speaker.

As we navigate through these turbulent times, his impactful story will intrigue us all and will motivate us to use one of the greatest privileges we have- VOTING!!

So join co-hosts Gabriel, Leah, and Anthony as we explore the life and journey of Laurel Hilbert.

Pride Connection airs on ACB Radio Mainstream every Tuesday at 10PM, repeating Wednesday at 10AM, and Sundays at 7AM and 7PM.

Dear ACB Family.

Please join BPI on Pride Connection on ACB Radio Mainstream as we continue with our special programing for Pride Month.

Co-hosts Anthony Corona, Leah Gardner, and Gabriel Lopez Kafati engage in a candid and open conversation around LGBT Pride.

We share personal experiences; the challenges of coming out; reactions of loved ones. We compare also compare notes on the specific challenges of the intersectionality of being a blind or visually impaired member of the LGBT community. How do you connect with the LGBT community being blind? How do you connect with the blind community being an LGBT person? All these aspects and many more are part of our conversation.

We address the concept of Pride in the mist of the racial injustice surrounding our nation. We discuss what it means to be a part of a community that has been historically discriminated against. We have a powerful illustration of solidarity expressed through the extraordinary poetic gift of our very own, Leah Gardner.

Please tune in tonight at 10:00 PM; or during any of our replays this week- Wednesday at 10:00 AM and Sunday at 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM; on ACB Radio Mainstream.

As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback. You can reach Pride Connection at:

[email protected]

Thanks and stay well.

Pride Connection Proudly Celebrates Pride Month

We begin with a fascinating show recounting the early days of our beloved organization.
Blind Pride started as a small meeting of like minded people just meeting, hanging out and supporting each other at conventions int the late 1990s. Fire, passion and dedication led to the eventual forming of Bflag the family who eventually became BPI!!
We were honored to be joined by founding members and not one but two amazing past ACB presidents.

Rob hill or founding father shares his recollections and storied journey.
Harvey Miller a dynamic founding member as well as Dwayne Estes, Leah Garner.
Paul Edwards and Chris Gray as the incoming and out going ACB presidents share their unique perspectives and recollections.

The road wasn’t always easy, but BPI is now one of the strongest and highly respected affiliates in the ACB family. We celebrate the beginning and the journey of 20 years strong!!

Pride Connection can be heard weekly on Tuesday nights @10pm on ACB radio mainstream
Or replayed Wednesday @ 10am and both 7am and pm on Sundays!
Please enjoy our month long pride programming and look for some great surprises along the way.

Questions, comments or feedback for the show can be emailed to-

[email protected]

Pride Connection Proudly presents... Working Blind in a Sighted World!

This week we have a dynamic panel of Blind Pride members who all work or have worked in diverse professions,. What they have in common is - working among and alongside sighted people.
Hosts Anthony Corona, Leah Gardner and President Gabriel Lopez Kafati are joined by...

• Jessica Kell- A social worker in the addiction management field.
• Scott Marshal- A lawyer with a storied professional resume.
• John Denning- Who’s career path started with the police and ended with the IRS.
• Dennis Sims- he also works with the IRS.
• Maria Kristic- Who’s title starts with MBA and ends with Lawyer, she works for the state of NY.
• Richard Marion- He has a rich history of working in sighted arenas.

What was it like to get the job? Was it challenging to work at the same level and what was getting accommodations like? We spoke about all that and so much more!
Want to know some of their more funny experiences?
Join us Tuesday night @ 10pm EST on ACB radio mainsttream
Or catch the replay on Wed. @10 am
Or Sunday @ both 7am/pm and, of course, right here on the podcast.

We want to keep the conversation going so please email us your thoughts and your own stories of working in the sighted world at-
[email protected]

Grasp a dream and run with it; see where the flight takes you. This
week, Pride Connection features Sarah Chung, a Korean-American
Paralympic athlete who identifies as a queer person. Sarah discusses
growing up with a foot in 2 worlds, her education, her leap in to
competitive judo in her early '20s and her conception of the term
"queer". When dreams are not deferred, even the most impossible ones
can be realized. Also, join us for a few surprises in the latter part
of the show.

Pride Connection airs on ACB Radio Mainstream at 10 PM every
Tuesday evening and 10 AM Wednesday mornings. The show is rebroadcast
Sundays at 7 AM and 7 PM.

On this week's episode of Pride Connection, join us as we gain insight
in to the makings of a riveting documentary about sight loss that
mixes the personal and the educational. Joseph Lovett of Lovett
Productions, an acclaimed medical journalist and documentary film
director, released Going Blind in 2010. The movie was based on his
exploration of vision loss as glaucoma encroached on his limited
sight. He spoke to doctors, low vision specialists and intertwined
his story with candid discussions with other people who lost their
sight at various life stages. The documentary is compelling and
timeless in its message to both the medical community as well as the
general public. This film has been screened on many PBS stations
across America and at countless medical conferences to engage
ophthalmologists and other eye specialists in a discussion about
better assisting patients who are struggling with vision loss.

-- Joe Lovett joins us along with Jessica Jones, one of the key guests
in his documentary. They speak about the making of the film, the
aftermath of its release and the hopes for societal change in dealing
more positively with vision loss.

The film, Going Blind, can be rented for $3.99 by visiting:
https://www.goingblindmovie.com.
This film is available for rent in an audio described format.

Pride Connection airs on Acb radio Tuesdays at 10 PM Eastern,
the following day at 10 AM Eastern and will be rebroadcast at 7 AM and
7 PM Sundays EST.

Visit and learn more about us at https://www.blindlgbtpride.org/

Please join Pride Connection for the melody and cadence of Dwayne
Estes this Tuesday, May 5, at 10 PM EST on ACB Radio Mainstream.
Dwayne has been a lifelong professional musician and he was a founding
member of BPI in 1999. Dwayne discusses how he sustained his career
based on grit and determination. He also reflects on the changes in
his life as his visual acuity began to shift from legal blindness in
1996 to light perception in 2011. Dwayne conveys light and hope
through his words.

His CD, Blind Ambition, can be downloaded from Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music.

To hear the song Blind Ambition, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SfRwBGqFy4

Our amazing conversation went long, got very funny and a little more than PG rated… So we at pride connection decided to create a second string pride connection After show that we will post once the podcast is up and running or send out upon request via [email protected].
This special after show also includes the wonderful poetry slam recording by our very own Leah as discussed on the radio program!
We hope you enjoy the show and look forward to your feedback.

Pride Connection is proud to present a two-night event with BPI-member Leon Acord…
Starting Tuesday night at 10 PM or the replay Wednesday morning at 10 AM

We chat with Leon about his book, life and so many other interesting topics!

The conversation turned to politics and the need for us to all respect each other and one Republican that he holes in high… Very high regard!

It’s a fun conversation… And we celebrate the publication of his new book and resurgence in popularity of his web series, old dogs new tricks!
Join us for pride connection.

Anthonys review:
Raw, honest, witty and a fast-paced fun read I couldn’t stop the chuckles almost shed a few tears and was so glad I stayed up the last night of reading because I had to know how he would tie it all together. the wait was worth it in spades!!
Leon has a wicked witty way of turning a phrase and the only innocence protected here is a few changed names. from the relationship evolution with his father, the bumbling navigation of San Fran and the gay scene in the early 80s to that infamous BRADY debacle. I was hooked and impressed.

From the book release packet:
"A droll, oddly inspirational memoir from the actor Breitbart called "a gay leftist activist," SUB-LEBRITY by Leon Acord (Old Dogs & New Tricks) is an honest, sometimes bitchy but always sincere story about growing up (very) gay in rural Indiana, achieving acting success outside the closet, and generating headlines with his very-public smackdown with Trump-loving Susan Olsen (Cindy, The Brady Bunch)." My ebook is now available for pre-order for April 21 delivery!
https://secure-web.cisco.com/1SAMPtqlo1FTiMJbejjvE9jZPqedVkiq5gHUuPdmusH...

Learn more about Blind LGBT Pride International by visiting https://www.blindlgbtpride.org/

BPI’s Pride connection Presents A Conversation with the star and creators of AFTER FOREVER THE SERIES.
Do you believe in love after life? How does one move on after losing the love of ones life? What happens to all of that love? All these themes and so much more are explored in the critically acclaimed and multiple award winning digital series. Besides a tremendous showing at last years EMMYs and receiving multiple LGBT awards and notices the series returns for its second season and it is POWERHOUSE!!
Blind Pride International is proud to welcome Kevin and Michael to Pride Connection this Tuesday night at 10pm to discuss the show and the amazing impact it has had on the LGBT community.

Please visit the show at http://afterforevertheseries.com and join us Tuesday night or the replays on Wednesday or Sunday on ACB radio Mainstream.
If you have any questions for Kevin or Michael feel free to email them to [email protected]

We look forward to your questions and any feedback on the show!

Blind Pride Internationals weekly ACB radio show is diving into the conversation on gender identity with this fascinating and informative conversation with BPI member, Chris, and his gender fluid child. We explore the definitions, feelings and associations that come with accepting and living this truth. From parenting to sibling and family acceptance to navigating in society this is a show that will open and broaden many horizons.
Listen in Tuesday night at 10pm or the replays on Wednesday or Sunday and drop us some comments after.
Stay tuned for some exciting shows coming up in the next few weeks
More about Blind LGBT Pride International and info on becoming a member can be found at https://www.blindlgbtpride.org/