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.

Adventures in CSA: Chapter Two

So our first week trying to consume an entire share of produce from the Kretschman Farm CSA. That was quite a challenge. We were defeated, I must admit. I never made it to preparing the Swiss Chard. We dried the herbs and dove into leafy green salads – green leaf lettuce, spinach and more. And […]

Cloning Equality

Pittsburgh LGBT

If you could clone one element from another city you’ve visited — a building, a cultural institution, a common street food, etc. — and bring it back to your own hometown, what would it be? I actually put together an entire plan to do this – to study best practices in LGBTQ municipal equality via a […]

The Power of Imagination

Rosary

What’s the oldest thing you own? (Toys, clothing, twinkies, Grecian urns: anything’s fair game.) Recount its history — from the object’s point of view. I hate antique stores. I’m sure it traces back to incredibly dull childhood visits at my grandmother’s house where everything was encased in plastic to protect it from – us?  Don’t sit on […]

Kuhn’s Market Fundraises for Catholic Group Suing Feds Over Contraception

We are pretty consistent Giant Eagle shoppers, but last week in a hurry we decided to stop in to the Kuhn’s Market on McKnight Road. It wasn’t our first trip, but I noticed something different. This was at every single register.     This seemingly innocuous little collection box supports one of the driving forces […]

How Can You Resist These Eyes? Like The Page!

How Can You Resist These Eyes? Like The Page!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=684844671586219&set=a.323532851050738.75840.166967680040590&type=1

Arrest in Murder of Brittany Kidd-Stergis, Another Trans Woman Murdered in Baltimore

There is “mixed” news to share this morning with regard to violence against the trans community. In Baltimore, a 40-year-old trans woman named Kandy Hall was found murdered in a field on June 5, 2014. Not only are there no leads in the case, but Kandy is almost a mystery. Her friends quotes in this […]

Coco Pawsitively Loves The GLCC

Comes To Life? Are You Kidding Me?

Automaton

One day, your favorite piece of art — a famous painting or sculpture, the graffiti next door — comes to life. What happens next? I’m wracking my brains on this one. This is what I’ve come up with 1. My favorite calendar is cats gone crazy. Unleashing a herd of calendar cats in my home […]

I Owe Bill Peduto an Apology

Pittsburgh Pridefest

Last night, Bill Peduto made his first official Pridefest appearance as Mayor at OUTrageous Bingo. He came in looking very relaxed and comfortable in a blue bowling shirt and took the mike like a pro. He acknowledged the longevity and importance of Bingo, Shepherd Wellness and the Gay & Lesbian Community Center. He called a […]

REVIEW: Pittsburgh Pride Theater Festival 2014

Pittsburgh Pride Theater

I like theater. I don’t attend nearly often enough for my own satisfaction, but I always come away with this inexplicable sense of wonder and puzzlement. I want to rush into the theater lobby and talk about it all to everyone, while also wanting to rush home and be quiet with my thoughts. Note. I […]