New site for LGBT deaf people in the works
May 10, 2010
It can be pretty difficult to find some place other than a bar to find and
connect with other LGBT people, especially if you don’t live in a city big
enough to have an organized LGBT community of some sort.
And it can be even more difficult for LGBT people with special circumstances
— like being deaf.
Michael Bamford, founder of Frisky Factory LLC, said he learned that lesson
after meeting Martin Richie, a fashion model from Austin who was on the
Oxygen Channel reality show “The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency,” who
talked about how his own community — the community of deaf LGBT people — was
socially isolated.
So Bamfield has created FriskyHands.com, a website that “allows the gay deaf
community (in all English-speaking countries) and their supporters to
interact through a ‘Live Chat’ function, as well as e-mail,” according to a
press release about the new site.
The statement says the site, intended to launch this spring, will soon add a
video-conferencing function that “will allow the deaf and hearing
populations to directly communicate without sign language, in English.” It
will also include a search function that allows users to find men or women
with common interests in a specific geographical area.”
I checked this morning and the site still has the “coming soon” announcement
up, with a place for you to sign up to receive e-mail updates on its
progress.
I don’t know exactly when Bamford will have the site up and running full
blast, but I do know that if it’s done right, it could be a lifeline for
people who have for too long been left lonely, isolated and, as Bamford
said, left behind.
Source:
http://www.dallasvoice.com/instant-tea/2010/05/10/new-site-for-lgbt-deaf-people-in-the-works