Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

Time to review the year in blogging for 2016.

Taking a closer look at which blog posts received the most clicks in 2016, I’m once again reminded of the value of local blogging on LGBTQ issues. Four out of the top five posts are about LGBTQ people, more specifically about their experiences with violence. Three of those individuals are from this region. That’s very sobering, especially considering that few if any mainstream media outlets mentioned their identities or did so fairly and accurately.

In terms of posts having longevity, three of the top ten are from 2014 and one is from 2015. One was about hunger, one was about moderation tools on Facebook. Four involved violent deaths – two involving transphobia, one about a young black masculine of center lesbian shot in cold blood in Pittsburgh and one about a bisexual woman of Egyptian nationality murdered by her husband.

The somber reality is that most of the time, mainstream media disregards or mangles coverage of experiences of violence LGBTQ have so it is important to both honor the true identity of these neighbors and to accurately describe the context of their experiences. To the best of my ability, I should add.

As popular as they are, the #AMPLIFY posts don’t have the reach that my original blogging does which affirms my commitment to keep these stories intertwined with the rest of the posts. In between writing about the epidemics of violence, the harm of anti-poverty initiatives and some of my own personal experiences with negative factors, we all need the stories of lives lived in spite of those obstacles. I believe reading about the everyday experiences of LGBTQ people in their own words fleshes out the posts that I write about people who can no longer speak for themselves.

Here’s a round-up of the most popular blog posts from 2016.

10. Ten Things You Can’t Buy With SNAP (Food Stamps) – April 2014

9. Dear Jackie Evancho. Just Say No. – December 2016

8. Giant Eagle Cashier Elizabeth Reminded Me That At Least Sometimes It Can Be Okay – November 2016

7. I Might Have Reported You on Facebook, But They’ll Never Tell – August 2014

6. Open Letter to Giant Eagle Regarding Northside Store – November 2016

5. 22 Year Old Ohio Trans Woman Stabbed to Death By Father – February 2015

4. Whatever Happened to Alex Libby from the Movie Bully – October 2014

3. Trans Woman Accused of Attempted Homicide in Western Pennsylvania – November 2016

2. 23 Year Old Black Lesbian Stud is Murdered in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville Neighborhood UPDATED – December 2016

1. Her Name was Dalia Sabae – November 2016

Thank you for reading and sharing our content. We hope you will return again and again in 2017 as we continue to blog in this brave new world.

If you appreciate our blogging, please consider a donation to the #AMPLIFY project which helps to sustain the project. Thank you!