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Robert Feinstein was supposed to speak at the Qualia Festival of Gay Folklife this weekend, but could not travel from New York without his guide dog “Harley,” who recently passed away.
Feinstein’s article, “Being Blind and Gay,” made him an icon in the gay community. His unique situation attracted Qualia leaders to invite him to the conference.
Qualia is a weekend-long festival held annually in Columbus that includes free academic presentations, documentaries and fundraiser events to celebrate an aspect of gay life. Qualia was started by Columbus partners Mickey Weems and Kevin Mason in 2002.
This year’s theme was “After the Pride Parade: The Global Ethics of Our People,” which pertains to the way the gay community influences the ethics of humanity.
However, with a conference call to Feinstein, the festival organizers raised a more urgent matter: how the gay community can accommodate its disabled members.
Feinstein, 68, has been blind since birth. Throughout his life, he had difficulty with companionship because members of the gay community shied away from his disability, he said.
His story has become iconic.
“I know that many people with HIV suffer visual problems and I would like to see more communication between people born blind like me and those who went blind later in life from HIV complications,” Feinstein said. “I think we could teach each other a great deal … I wish gay organizations would open their hearts to those of us who are not blind from AIDS or HIV.”
Weems moderated a discussion between the audience of about 20 people and Feinstein. Several attendees seemed shocked that the gay community, known for its acceptance, would not be sensitive to Feinstein. They recognized a need for change in the emphasis the gay community places on sight.
“I’m not saying we’re going to come up with an answer today,” Weems said, “but we wanted to put this out on the table.”
Feintstein said he thinks being gay and blind supports the argument that homosexuality is innate.
“Many people have asked me ‘How can you be gay? You’re blind!'” Feinstein said. “This is real proof it’s not a choice.”
Between light-hearted anecdotes of how a blind man behaves with a guide dog at a gay bar, his remarks were laced with an air of sober sincerity.
“I’d rather not be an icon; I’d rather be a gay who’s blind and can make connections,” Feinstein said. “There’s a basic humanity that unites us all.”
Touched by Feinstein’s story, the founders of Qualia discussed identity.
“I think it comes down to how do you identify yourself,” Mason said. “Are you blind first or gay first? What are you first? Who are you?”
The Qualia conference included presentations from other experts, artists and activists including keynote speaker Diane Goldstein, a professor of folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada.
Angela Henderson can be reached at [email protected].
