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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><h1 style='margin-top:0in'><span class=field><span lang=EN style='color:black'>What Pride Means to Me</span></span><span lang=EN style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></h1><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>Monday, June 29, 2020 <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>Each year in June, the LGBTQ community celebrates Pride Month—a month where we celebrate who we are and what we’ve accomplished. During my time at Louisiana Tech University working on my graduate degree in orientation and mobility, the self-confidence that I developed as a blind traveler and the ways I saw other LGBTQ people being supported at the Louisiana Center for the Blind really helped me become proud of the feminine non-binary person that I am. For those of you who don’t know, this means that I don’t identify as a man or a woman. My gender identity also aligns more with femininity than masculinity. It took time for me to come to this conclusion, but after I spoke at the <a href="https://www.nfb.org/about-us/divisions-committees-and-groups/groups">LGBT group’s</a> meeting at last years’ <a href="https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention">national convention</a>, I realized that there is a whole community of blind queer people excited about who they are across multiple identities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'><img border=0 width=306 height=302 style='width:3.1875in;height:3.1458in' id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D64E12.AE31DE90" alt="A headshot image of Carley smiling, wearing a blue t-shirt."></span><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>Unfortunately, I have not always received such a warm welcome. For example, in college, I tried to have a heartfelt conversation with two family friends (parents of a blind child) about my struggles to arrive at and accept my gender identity—the first I ever had with an authority figure in my life. As part of that conversation, I explained how I always felt more comfortable around girls than with boys in school, and related that feeling to many similar experiences as an adult. And after this emotional story, I was told by one of them that I was wrong. “Look,” he said, “the real reason you get along better with women is because you’re blind. You couldn’t run around with the boys. Instead, you naturally started spending time with people who were more likely to talk and less likely to play sports: girls.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>Here I was trying to pour out my heart to people who I thought had good attitudes about blindness and who would validate my experiences. Instead, they explained it all away as, “You're blind.” They assumed that I was passive as a blind person, and therefore I could only connect with girls, who are also stereotyped as passive. In one short comment, they exposed their low expectations of blind people, portrayed women as weak, and negated my gender identity. Although these comments were centered around blindness stereotypes, they also combined misogyny and transphobia into a uniquely harmful message.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>In spite of this and other negative experiences, I am proud of who I am. And to me, a crucial part of pride is hope. We in the LGBTQ community believe in ourselves and our worth, and we have hope that our rights and identities will be given greater respect in the future. But we don’t just hope passively. We advocate; we initiate; we agitate for change.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>With this in mind I want to make two major points for this Pride and moving forward. To the blind LGBTQ community: white folks like myself need to focus more on advocating for racial justice and recognize the queer people of color that have done so much for the LGBTQ movement as a whole. For example, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, transgender women of color, were involved in the Stonewall Uprising and continued to be an integral part of the modern LGBTQ rights movement. Let’s empower blind people of color, whether they are LGBTQ or not, whether they are out or not. Blind people of color are already advocating for themselves and doing important work in this organization. Those of us who are white need to listen, provide support, and share power. In short, we need to commit to equity and inclusion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>As a blind person, the National Federation of the Blind is where I finally found a place where I belong. Certainly, significant steps have been taken to recognize the need for diversity and an inclusive environment. However, I periodically hear sentiments that the NFB has no business focusing on anything but blindness such as racial, gender, or sexual equality to include doing so can be a drain on our resources. These statements devalue our members with other marginalized characteristics and ignore the linkages between ableism, racism, homophobia, and transphobia. Just look at my story with those family friends: it tied together ableism, transphobia, and misogyny into one guy's hurtful “theory.” These messages can really shame people, even unwittingly, into not being active, not feeling comfortable, not feeling part of the Federation family.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>There is clearly work yet to be done, but I am confident we, the nation’s blind, can rise to the challenge to ensure equality, love, and representation to those of us with other marginalized characteristics across of our organization. Will it be hard? Yes. But I am proud of who we are and what we are capable of. As I said, I have hope.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>—Connor “Carley” Mullin<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='vertical-align:top'><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>Posted in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='vertical-align:top'><i><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog-categories/stories">Stories</a><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal style='vertical-align:top'><i><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog-categories/advocacy">Advocacy</a><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><h2><span lang=EN style='color:black'>Recent Posts<o:p></o:p></span></h2><h4 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span lang=EN style='color:black'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/what-pride-means-me"><span class=field><span style='color:#005AA3;text-decoration:none'>What Pride Means to Me</span></span> </a><o:p></o:p></span></h4><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>Each year in June, the LGBTQ community celebrates Pride Month—a month where we celebrate who we are and what we’ve accomplished. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/what-pride-means-me"><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:#005AA3'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/what-pride-means-me"><span style='color:#005AA3;text-decoration:none'>Read this blog post</span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h4 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span lang=EN style='color:black'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/health-time-pandemic-and-protest"><span class=field><span style='color:#005AA3;text-decoration:none'>Health in a Time of Pandemic and Protest</span></span> </a><o:p></o:p></span></h4><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>The last few months have been among the toughest our nation has faced—a pandemic that basically necessitated a nationwide shutdown and now widespread demonstrations against racism. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/health-time-pandemic-and-protest"><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:#005AA3'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/health-time-pandemic-and-protest"><span style='color:#005AA3;text-decoration:none'>Read this blog post</span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h4 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span lang=EN style='color:black'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/files-files-everywhere-storing-your-documents-cloud"><span class=field><span style='color:#005AA3;text-decoration:none'>Files, Files Everywhere: Storing Your Documents in the Cloud</span></span> </a><o:p></o:p></span></h4><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>With work and school increasingly being done remotely, especially with the current COVID-19 situation, accessing files from multiple devices is becoming ever more important. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/files-files-everywhere-storing-your-documents-cloud"><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:#005AA3'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/files-files-everywhere-storing-your-documents-cloud"><span style='color:#005AA3;text-decoration:none'>Read this blog post</span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h4 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span lang=EN style='color:black'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/open-letter-members-national-federation-blind"><span class=field><span style='color:#005AA3;text-decoration:none'>Love Conquers Hate: An Open Letter to the Members of the National Federation of the Blind</span></span> </a><o:p></o:p></span></h4><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>I write this message to you as the elected President of the National Federation of the Blind. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/open-letter-members-national-federation-blind"><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:#005AA3'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/open-letter-members-national-federation-blind"><span style='color:#005AA3;text-decoration:none'>Read this blog post</span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h4 style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span lang=EN style='color:black'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/celebrating-class-2020-midst-covid-19"><span class=field><span style='color:#005AA3;text-decoration:none'>Celebrating the Class of 2020 in the Midst of COVID-19</span></span> </a><o:p></o:p></span></h4><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'>March was quite an interesting month for college students across the country. Most of us spent far too many hours in the library during the first week studying for midterms—perhaps the last sense of normalcy most of us had. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:black'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/celebrating-class-2020-midst-covid-19"><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Lato;color:#005AA3'><a href="https://www.nfb.org/blog/celebrating-class-2020-midst-covid-19"><span style='color:#005AA3;text-decoration:none'>Read this blog post</span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a name="_Hlk18067489"></a><a name="_Hlk18941617"></a><a name="_Hlk14090147"></a><a name="_Hlk14085768"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk14090147'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk18941617'><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk18067489'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></span></a></p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk18067489'></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk18941617'></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk14090147'></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk14085768'></span><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>