Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

This annual roundup is always very sobering for me because most of the posts are typically my coverage of violence against LGBTQ people. I’ve written elsewhere about why this matters and I will continue to do my best to provide good information on these important stories.

15 posts out of the top 20 most read during 2017 involved violence or possible violence against people, most of whom were LGBTQ – well, all but one person.

One slot goes to the AMPLIFY home page and another to a specific AMPLIFY contribution from a local bisexual man, Dan. I wrote about wildlife issues involving the Highland Park Reservoir. Trish wrote a strong post calling out the groups and organizations and people who enable the Delta Foundation. I wrote a popular post about homophobic, body-shaming content on the Facebook page of City Councilwoman Darlene Harrris.

Six posts were about Dakota James, a young white cis gay man who disappeared in January and whose body was found in the river in March. Five posts were about five different trans women who were murdered during 2017 ( 25 trans individuals have been reported murdered as of this writing during 2017.) One post was about a transgender man killed in an officer related shooting in Sharon, PA in January 2017.

One post was about the as-of-yet-unsolved murder of a young Black mother, Kala Thomas. And two posts were about missing women who are part of the LGBTQ community. Nina Wyley was located, but Ann Veglia-Eisler, 48, remains missing as of this writing.

This is not that different than previous years. I’ve had widely read posts related to the environment, I’ve tried to cover local politics and LGBTQ politics, and I’ve written about various experiences of local Black women and other women of color. Links to previous round-up posts are at the bottom of this one.

Is more violence happening? Is my awareness of violent incidents growing? Do more people care? Are fewer MSM outlets covering violence within the LGBTQ community? What do you make of all of this?

If you are really curious, this might be useful – Facebook accounts for 83% of my traffic, followed by reddit, twitter, and the website Shakesville.com. Huffington Post is in the mix along with Tumblr, Google+, Instagram, QueerPgh, Autostraddle, Planet Transgender, PublicSource, Dallas Voice, and other sites. I have almost no incoming referrals from local sites with the exception of the ‘Eat That, Read This’ newsletter and some older mentions on political blogs. I get more hits from wikipedia than all of the PG mainstream media sites combined.

1. Missing Lesbian Near Pgh: Ann Veglia-Eisler, 48, Last Seen Near Northside – December 2017
2. AMPLIFY home page 
3. Mesha Caldwell of Mississippi is First Reported Trans Woman Killed in 2017 – January 2017
4. UPDATED: Dozens of Ducklings Have Died in Highland Park Reservoir, Access Ramp Needed to Save Remaining Few – May 2017
5. Keke Collier, 24 of Chicago, is 4th Trans Woman of Color Murdered in 2017 – February 2017
6. Stop enabling Delta Foundation – June 2017 (Trish wrote this.)
7. Darlene Harris, Donald Trump, and Doing the Right Thing in Pittsburgh – October 2017
8. Her Name Was Kala Thomas – May 2017
9. FOUND! Nina Wyley, a 20-Year-Old Gay, Black Woman, is Missing in Pittsburgh – December 2017
10. Monday Candlelight Vigil for Dakota James; Second Man David Carter Also Missing – February 2017
11. Dan, 36, is a Bisexual Man in Pittsburgh Who Wants to Build a Better World #AMPLIFY – November 2017
12. Small Update in Search for #DakotaJames in Pittsburgh #MissingPerson – January 2017
13. $10,000 Reward Offered To Find Missing Gay Pittsburgh Man #DakotaJames – February 2017
14. 23 Year Old Western PA Trans Man Killed in Officer Related Shooting – January 2017
15. More Info in Search for Missing Gay Man in Pittsburgh #FindDakotaJames – February 2017
16. Rest In Power, Dakota James – March 2017
17. Ally Steinfeld,17, of Missouri is The 21st Trans Person Killed in 2017 – September 2017
18. Gay Man Missing from Downtown Pittsburgh #BringDakotaHome – January 2017
19. Gwynevere River Song is 17th Trans Person Murdered in US in 2017 – August 2017
20. RIP Chyna Gibson aka Chyna Doll Dupree, 31, Shot in New Orleans – February 2017

Top Posts in 2014

Top Posts in 2015

Top Posts in 2016

Please show your support for independent blogging with a donation today.