Sue is the founder of Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents blog, established in 2005.. She has an MSW from the University in Pittsburgh and a BA in Political Science from Marymount University. Her undergraduate claim to fame is a six month stint as an intern with then Congressman Rick Santorum in 1991. Born and raised in West Mifflin, Sue attended college in Washington DC, then graduate school in Louisiana and ended up in Kentucky doing social service ministry. She returned to Pittsburgh in 1997. She now lives on Pittsburgh’s Northside with her wife, Laura. She was among the first out LGBTQ people named to Pittsburgh’s 40 Under 40 in 2004 and is a graduate of Leadership Development Initiative Class VII. After being fully and permanently disabled in 2010, Sue has continued to serve the community. She founded the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project to address hunger and environmental issues. In 2015, she launched the #AMPLIFY LGBTQ archive in conjunction with a two-year artist in residence stint with Most Wanted Fine Art. Sue and her wife have fostered over 25 kittens through Pittsburgh CAT and Homeless Cat Management Team, and now manage multiple community cat colonies in their neighborhood. In 2020, Sue cofounded the Pittsburgh MasQUe ProjecT to support the queer and trans community during the pandemic, distributing tens of thousands of face masks and other supplies throughout the region. In 2021, Sue created the #PghCatFolx projects to support neighbors working with community cats. Under that heading came the Dr. John P. Ruffing DVM Pet Food Projects, memorializing one of her very best friends who died in 2007. In 2021, Sue worked with community leaders to develop and establish a 501c3 nonprofit organization, Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities (PLC) where she currently serves as Board President. PLC absorbed the #PghCatFolx projects. Also in 2021, Sue was the first person in history appointed to the City of Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission and was unanimously elected as one of three inaugural co-chairs. Her blogging has garnered numerous awards Favorite GLBT Media Publication - 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 (Keystone Alliance Gaylife Newsletter Reader’s Poll) Favorite GLBT Social Media - 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 (Keystone Alliance Gaylife Newsletter Reader’s Poll) Best Local Blogger - 2016, 2019 (Pittsburgh City Paper Reader’s Poll) LGBTQIA Pittsburgh’s Best Blogger - 2020 (SisTersPgh, People’s Pride of Pittsburgh) Outstanding Blog - 2019, 2022 (GLAAD Media Awards) Sue has also personally been honored Person of the Year - The Advocate Magazine, 2022 15 Lesbian Icons - LGBTQ Nation, 2023 LGBTQIA Pittsburgh’s Best Lesbian Activist - SisTersPgh, People’s Pride of Pittsburgh 2022 Sue believes in identifying and filling gaps in supports & services rather than recreating the wheel. She uses both her undergraduate and graduate degrees on a regular basis as a blogger and activist and regularly circulates her 1991 internship photo just to shake things up on her social media feeds. Her own experiences with cPTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and other health challenges have fueled her health blogging and activism. She also writes extensively about her family history, drawing on her amateur genealogy hobby. The blog regularly reviews arts and cultural events as well as exploring restaurants, soap opera storylines, and hyper-local news. Sue and her wife Laura have been together since 2003. They were married on a very cold February 2, 2021 in their backyard at a very small ceremony co-officiated by their pagan priestess friend, Anne, and then-Mayor Bill Peduto. They have six niblings, four in Pittsburgh and two in Philadelphia.

Patrouious Achatz, 25, Compares LGBTQ+ Resources in Allegheny, Westmoreland, and McKean counties #AMPLIFYupdate

A Heteroromantic Demisexual Man with Trans Experience

At the request of our contributors, we are creating space for people to submit updates. We know that for some folks, life has changed so we are offering an opportunity to post an update to earlier responses. We will NOT be modifying that content, but we will create a link to this new post. This […]

Allegheny County Democrat Committee is Not a Safe Space, Especially for Black Women

Summer_Lee_Jessica_Beham

They had one job. Endorse Democrats best suited for their respective offices. Somehow the Allegheny County Democratic Party interpreted that to mean 1) endorse a Trump supporter and 2) support misogynoir. In so doing, the ACDC has once again demonstrated that they are an actual threat to democracy, common sense, good government, and marginalized folks. […]

Grand Jury Report on Predatory Priests should make you rethink Fish Fry Season

Fish Fry Friday Pittsburgh

I wrote this in March 2019. I skipped all the Lent fish fries last year, but am unsure what to do this year. Lent is arriving in Pittsburgh and that means fish fry season is upon us. A mainstay of Catholic culture in Pittsburgh, this is the first fish fry season since the release of […]

Paczki? Pierogies? This Pittsburgher Had Never Heard of Them

Nut Roll Pittsburgh

Lent is nigh and soon a new food season will be upon us. People will wax nostalgic about their fried fish and bemoan the reality that older women who bake food tend to eventually die off unless middle-aged people who bake food take their place. The faithful will queue up in social halls, fire halls, and […]

Nominate a #SteelCitySnowflake

When I think about a Steel City Snowflake, a lot of folks come to mind – from high profile social justice warriors to the everyday folks in the trenches doing the important, vital work. Most of the time, that work goes unacknowledged, even unnoticed by the general population. Our working definition of a snowflake is […]

Enter to win a free download of Birds of Prey: The Album

Enter now for your chance to win a free download of Birds of Prey: The Album, the star-studded, all-female musical companion to the new film from Warner Bros. Pictures. Featuring “Boss Bitch” by Doja Cat and “Diamonds” by Megan Thee Stallion & Normani. Plus new music from Halsey, Saweetie, Galxara and Charlotte Lawrence Birds of […]

That Time When the Social Security Administration Took Away My Disability Benefits Without Telling Me Why: Part One

SSDI Benefits Stopped

A week ago Friday, I put the final touches on an essay for PublicSource and gave it my blessing to be published the following Monday. The topic was social security and I had a teeny twinge about triggering an unwarranted review by someone who sees all the words I create, but doesn’t read them enough […]

The Flu Strikes PghLesbian

Went to my PCP today. Wore a mask. Had a very large uncomfortable nasal swab. I have influenza. I am resting and pushing fluids. I feel like a truck ran over me. So blogging may be sporadic. Fortunately, I have soup, kittens, and Ledcat.

Make Your Pittsburgh Valentine (or Galentine) a Steel City Snowflake to Show Your Love

We have the purrfect gift for your very special snowflakes – a permanent digital tribute to their values, beliefs, and politics vis a vis the Steel City Snowflakes. Why not celebrate your love, friendship, and respect with an investment in progressive media, especially a permanent installation. It takes less than five minutes. You simply opt […]

Q&A with Carolyn & Donny of Empath Sober Bar

Empath_Mocktails

We are here to redefine the “go-to” way of how we socialize and celebrate and to provide options for everyone. It is not about just the drinks but about the atmosphere, connection and community that we are looking to create. Your Names: Carolyn Hilliard and Donny Donovan Your Age: Carolyn (37) and Donny (29) Your […]