Sue

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.

Posts by Sue:

ActivismPolitics

Thursday Marriage Equality Round-Up (and More)

July 11, 2013 by

To help you stay current: The judge for the federal lawsuit has been named (via the PG) Profiles of some of the local couples involved in the lawsuit (via the PG) Patch.com has a story, too. The background story (and quotes from me!) via the PG A nice profile of one of the couples involve […]

Politics

Allegheny County Should Not Put Foster Children at Risk to Save Money

July 10, 2013 by

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board (which endorsed Corbett and Wagner for God’s sake) Allegheny County is planning to use the cards to issue payments to foster parents. That’s the wrong way to go. State and local governments should be trying to protect workers and consumers from exploitation, not using the service just because they […]

ActivismPolitics

ACLU Files Federal Lawsuit for Marriage Equality in Pennsylvania

July 10, 2013 by

By now, you’ve probably heard the big news – the ACLU has filed suit in federal court on behalf of 11 plaintiffs, challenging the constitutionality of the Pennsylvania DOMA. Six of the plaintiffs are PA couples who cannot marry in their state of residence and 5 are couples or individuals who married out of state […]

ActivismCulture

Pittsburgh Black Pride July 2013

July 10, 2013 by

Pittsburgh Black Pride is one of the oldest Pride Celebration in the country that serves the needs of LGBTQ community members of color.  While it is important to acknowledge the struggle of all LGBTQ people in our society today, people of color are particularly impacted by long-standing structural barriers such as racism, poverty, underrepresentation, and […]

Other

VA to Hold Cyber Seminar on Health Needs of LGBTQ Veterans

July 9, 2013 by

The Pittsburgh area VA has something interesting planned for Wednesday – “Understanding the Health Needs of LGBT Veterans in the Department of Veterans Affairs”. The seminar is free and open to the public.  It is scheduled for Wednesday, July 10 at 12 noon.  To participate in real time, use this registration link: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/231686862 The registration form asks for […]

Other

Ten Days, Ten Dollars for LGBTQ Equality

July 9, 2013 by

In ten days, Ledcat and I will celebrate our tenth anniversary. That’s a lot of years of love, tears, laughs, hugs and ice cream. We met at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Pittsburgh. We both responded to an invitation to help organize a women’s discussion group. A week later, we both attended a […]

Other

and the winner is

July 5, 2013 by
and the winner is

Congrats to Sue Bell, winner of the tickets to see Jill Sobule. Enjoy the show Sue. Thanks to everyone who entered. We hope you’ll continue to visit and comment.

Other

Declaration of Independence

July 4, 2013 by

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.   The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,   When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station […]

ActivismCulture

Same Sex Divorce in Pennsylvania

July 3, 2013 by

As we’ve discussed before, it is not possible for a same sex couple legally wed in another state to get a divorced in Pennsylvania. Since divorce usually requires residency, their options are to remain married until the situation changes or to move to another state, establish residency and file for a divorce in that place. […]

Other

LGBTQ Events – Volunteer or Participate?

July 1, 2013 by

While visiting the booth at the recent Pridefest, a heterosexual ally representing a community of faith told us that we should be in the tent because we attend the church and because she thought we were better representatives. The problem with that? If you volunteer, your opportunity to participate can be very limited and for […]