The Good Page features positive LGBTQ+ news in Central Florida and Tampa Bay, uplifting and inspiring stories highlighting locals in our community. In this issue we learn about Basically Wonderful.
When Beck DeTrempe started Basically Wonderful, they had no idea it would blossom into a hub for disabled folks across Orlando and far beyond. It began as a single group in 2019, “Disability is Not a Bad Word,” driven by a personal need.
“I became disabled with no support system,” DeTrempe shares. “I really wanted there to be a space that wasn’t clinical and that was made for people to support each other.”
During the pandemic, that small, in-person gathering went virtual. The group unexpectedly grew as people from across the world joined in, finding solidarity and belonging in a time of isolation.
“We saw people from England, Japan, Australia… all across the U.S.,” DeTrempe says. “It just became so obvious that these types of spaces were so necessary and lacking.”
This grassroots expansion inspired DeTrempe to launch Basically Wonderful as an umbrella organization, one that centers disabled, queer and transgender experiences without losing sight of individual needs.
“I couldn’t ignore the other parts of my identities,” DeTrempe says. “Queer and trans folks were desperate for a place where they could talk about disability while not ignoring these other aspects of their identities.”
Today, Basically Wonderful is much more than a support group. It’s a growing constellation of spaces for disabled and queer folks to gather, reflect and heal, whether virtually or in person. And DeTrempe is determined to keep it that way.
“The simple answer is to just plainly keep existing,” they say of the group’s future. “Everything always feels so precarious but I would love for Basically Wonderful to be a hub for disabled folks, particularly here in Orlando and Florida in general.”
In-person events have been especially powerful. From Orlando’s first-ever Disability Sexpo to creative zine-making workshops, these gatherings are built on a bedrock of mutual respect and community care.
“You will walk into the space knowing that everybody is taking each other’s safety seriously,” DeTrempe explains. Masking isn’t just encouraged, it’s required, because as DeTrempe puts it, “Not having COVID precautions in place is actively leaving people behind.”
This isn’t just about policy, it’s about lived reality. “There are millions of disabled people who are still living and can’t safely go to events,” DeTrempe says. “We’re already having a hard time accessing spaces as disabled folks. The least we can do is do everything we possibly can.”
Beyond events and book clubs like the Disabled Babes Book Club and If You Give a Trans Person a Book Club, Basically Wonderful’s Growing Roots Initiative exemplifies their collaborative spirit.
“We’re partnering with a different organization each month to help support their community initiatives that are already in place so we’re not reinventing the wheel or siloing the work,” DeTrempe says.
From prepping meals for the Neighborhood Fridge to supporting mask distribution through Swamp, the initiative is a quiet but vital force for good. This spirit of collective care resonates in every part of Basically Wonderful, especially in “Disability is Not a Bad Word.” DeTrempe has seen firsthand how this space can be transformative for people who’ve never felt welcome to claim that identity.
“People come in with hesitancy,” they say. “They tend to leave in confidence, feeling a little more settled into the concept of disability and the disabled community, and knowing that they have a soft place to land.”
Ultimately, DeTrempe believes that’s the real power of community.
“The thing that I’ve really enjoyed seeing is that people leave feeling like they’re allowed to accept the identity, allowed to accept the embrace of community,” they reflect. “I know for a fact that this group has changed people’s lives. It changed mine, too.”
For DeTrempe, the work of Basically Wonderful is as much about sustaining these intimate moments of connection as it is about big events or flashy fundraisers.
“At its heart, it’s about making sure that every person, especially those most often left behind, has a place to be seen, heard, and valued,” they say.
That’s the call to action: to keep showing up, keep learning and keep weaving the safety nets that hold each other up. Because at Basically Wonderful, community isn’t just a word, it’s a living, breathing promise.
Interested in being featured in The Good Page? Email Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Williams at Jeremy@WatermarkOutNews.com in Central Florida or Managing Editor Ryan Williams-Jent at Ryan@WatermarkOutNews.com in Tampa Bay.
