Congratulations Admiral Levine. And thank you for your service

From the NYT and BBC Dr Rachel Levine, the US assistant secretary for health, has been sworn in as the first transgender four-star officer in the country’s history. The 63-year-old is now an admiral of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Dr Levine, appointed by President Joe Biden, is already the highest-ranking openly transgender […]

Let the record show that I spoke up for Susan Kerr and said that what she endured was not okay

Sue Kerr

Content note: trauma, child abuse, generational dysfunction, childhood sexual violence So I’m not attaching or bonding with my parents, I’m developing a ridiculously unhealthy dependency on a horrific abuser. And no one talks about any of this because they don’t have the skills to do so. Welcome to 1972. “How much do you love me?” […]

20-year-old Latina Trans Woman Murdered in August in Seattle

Trans Latina Woman

Her name was Zoella Rose Martinez, she also went by Zo Zo or Zoey. She was 20-years-old. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, she was a Latina trans woman who had her whole life before her. And while her death was not reported at the time, her family confirmed her identity recently to a local […]

50 Plus 1 To Grow On: Pandemic Birthdays, Milestones, and Community Cats

I turned 50 years old on October 22, 2020. Our big plan to celebrate with a weekend spa trip – something I would ordinarily never do – were postponed. And I was bummed, but resigned. I had hoped to ‘make it up’ this year before 50 slipped further away from me, but that’s not going […]

Black Trans Man Mel Groves Shot to Death in Mississippi, Total Official Homicide Toll Reaches 40

Mel Groves Black Trans Man

Campaign of terror against Trans, Gender Nonconforming, and Nonbinary Americans reaches 40, precariously close to the documented record of 44 violent death in 2020. Image via Facebook Just days after the shooting death of a 26-year-old Black trans woman in Southern Florida comes word of another shooting death of a Black trans person, Mel Groves, […]

Royal Poetical Starz, 26-Year-Old Black Trans Woman, Shot to Death Near Miami

A 26-year-old Black trans woman was murdered inside her vehicle in the Miami Gardens community in Florida. Her name was Royal Poetical Starz and while news of her murder spread among her friends and family, media failed to pick up her story. From South Florida Gay News A prime reason they didn’t know: Miami Gardens police […]

Sharing (Part of) My Mental Health Journey on #WorldMentalHealthDay

WOrld-Mental-Health-Day

Sponsored by World Health Organization (the day, not the post) The overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their […]

The #DavisGirl Kittens are Sick/Our Community Cat Colony Feeding Station was Just Dismantled Without Consent

Dead Groundhog

So OMG, right? Hand tight, this post is crazy. I have sad news, uplifting news, a twist, and an ask. Here’s the twist – we came home from our feral cat colony yesterday and found another dead groundhog in our backyard. PLACED in our backyard by someone, likely poisoned like the one from July. Well, possibly […]

Guest Post for International Lesbian Day: A Boomer’s Bar Life in Pittsburgh

I first met Sue B. a few years ago on social media. She and my wife had mutual friends so we began corresponding and dining out together back when we did those thing. I begged and pleaded with her to put her recollections of queer women’s history into writing. There’s very little first person documentarian […]

Update on the #DavisGirls Foster Kittens from Pittsburgh’s Northside

These three six-week-old kittens from #AlleghenyWest had a rough start with limited food sources and Mama bullied by other community cats. I trapped them last week over the course of five nights. Sticking with my soap opera names, I dubbed these the Davis Girls, referencing the nickname for the adult daughters of Alexis Davis on […]