This Will Get Better for Some of Us: Day 174

CN: depression, suicide I woke up this morning from that thick fog of nightmares, the sort you have to physically wade yourself free from without succumbing to the false awakenings. I pulled my groggy subconscious free from traumatic images and experiences and sat up in bed with a start. As I sat there reorienting myself […]

On Day 171, Our Dog Died

My dog died

At 3 AM this morning, we rushed our dog to the ER vet office and had to put her to sleep. She was 14 or thereabouts. We adopted Ana from a rescue in May 2008. She was about two years old and had been removed from an abusive home with a broken pelvis. Her foster […]

On Day 170, I am missing Eat n’ Park

Eat'nPark

Today marks 170 days of quarantining here in Pittsburgh. At first, I didn’t track this particular statistic, it would only be sad to watch the number climb. That was in March. By the time August rolled around, I wanted to be conscious of that number so I started posting to my Instagram daily, a photo […]

About the Delta Foundation and Pittsburgh Pridefest 2020

Delta Foundation Pittsburgh Pride

By now, you have likely heard this news – the Delta Foundation is dissolving and a new coalition has emerged to pick up the Pride mantle moving forward. UPDATE –> there are now two coalitions planning Pride 2021 events. Plus, People’s Pride. I’ve been expecting this decision, really since 2015 when Roots Pride challenged us […]

Dear David, August 20, 2020.

David DeAngelo Pittsburgh

Dear David, Thanks for your letter. Ah, music. On Sunday evenings, Laura and I listen to 3WS (94.5) the local oldies station for the rebroadcast of Casey Kasem’s American Top 40. In the morning, they air an 80’s version and in the evenings, a 70’s edition. Laura is seven years older than me so she […]

Q&A with Blogger Mark S. King about Awards, HIV Storytelling, and Finding Hope in a Pandemic

Mark S. King GLAAD Award

As the reigning GLAAD OUTstanding LGBTQ Blog from 2019, it has been my duty to to pass the title and tiara to the 2020 winner, Mark S. King from My Fabulous Disease. While he’s been getting a lot of mileage from his Susan Lucci status as ‘always a bridesmaid, never a bride’ these past years, […]

Q&A with Matt Merriman-Preston about Voting by Mail in November’s Election

Earlier this year, I published two Q&A’s about the rapid changes to the Pennsylvania primary voting process, one with Kris Rust and one with Matt Merriman-Preston. In late July, I approached them about updating for the General Election. Then Trump swooped down on the United States Post Office and tried to break it. He literally […]

Michelle Obama’s DNC 2020 Speech

Michelle Obama DNC Speech

I didn’t watch. I absorbed the post-speech analysis, then I read the text. Then I watched video. I think this is something important for you to note.~ Sue Good evening, everyone. It’s a hard time, and everyone’s feeling it in different ways. And I know a lot of folks are reluctant to tune into a […]

Read This –> Op-Ed: Cleveland is an Epicenter for America’s Trans Murder Crisis

Transgender Murder Cleveland

It is both an honor and horrifying to be cited in an essay like this one, exploring the realities of the pandemic of violence Transgender American experience. I have only been documenting through my ‘In Memoriam’ series since 2013, but you can find much more data and personal details on the TDOR website, going back […]

Dear David. August 18, 2020.

David DeAngelo Pittsburgh

Dear David, The DNC 2020 starts today. I don’t typically watch the conventions except the high-profile speeches and monitoring the platform itself. And attending a convention would be a nightmare for my socially anxious self unless I could sit in a very private box like at PNC Park. Pre-COVID. It occurs to me that a […]