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:

OtherRecreation/Social

Want To Find Something LGBTQ To Do? There’s a New App For That

June 18, 2013 by

When Ariella Furman relocated to Pittsburgh two years ago, she heard one thing and observed another. People she met complained that there isn’t enough LGBTQ things to do in Pittsburgh. After some research, Ariella figured out the real problem – there isn’t enough information about the LGBTQ things to do in Pittsburgh. Her initial response […]

Other

What is the Deal With These Ads On Your Site, Sue?

June 18, 2013 by

So perhaps you’ve noticed that we’ve recently added some advertising on our blog? Let me backup into blogger mentality. Two buzzwords in our community are “corporatization” and “sustainable model.” Coporatization is the (necessary) evil of patronage, sponsorships and so forth. There used to be a time when the ads in the pride guide were all […]

ActivismCulture

Pittsburgh PrideFest 2014 and Beyond: Five Things to Consider

June 18, 2013 by

We were on 5th Avenue at 11 AM to line up for the Pride Awareness March and hung in until the very end of the day, trekking our way back to our car after 6. The march was terrific – we ended up at the bend where 5th turns into Liberty and so we had […]

LGBTQ&A

LGBTQ&A: La’Tasha Mayes and The Power of ‘The Two’

June 18, 2013 by

An occasional series where we pose some questions to local LGBTQ folks (and Allies) to learn more about their personal experiences with LGBTQ culture. Click here for a complete list of all LGBTQ&A profiles. When La’Tasha first explained to me how “reproductive justice” was a queer issue, I was amazed to have this new paradigm. And to meet […]

LGBTQ&A

LGBTQ&A: Brian McCollum Pins Down How To Support LGBTQ Culture

June 17, 2013 by

An occasional series where we pose some questions to local LGBTQ folks (and Allies) to learn more about their personal experiences with LGBTQ culture. Click here for a complete list of all LGBTQ&A profiles. The Pittsburgh Bowling twitter account is hopping. I noticed right away how persistent they were in promoting the groups that they love and the […]

LGBTQ&A

LGBTQ&A Pride Edition: Ledcat

June 16, 2013 by

An occasional series where we pose some questions to local LGBTQ folks (and Allies) to learn more about their personal experiences with LGBTQ culture. Click here for a complete list of all LGBTQ&A profiles. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it is that a proper introduction to your partner of ten years is a difficult thing to […]

LGBTQ&A

LGBTQ&A: Jessie Ramey Believes That LGBTQ Kids Are Part of Yinzercation

June 15, 2013 by

An occasional series where we pose some questions to local LGBTQ folks (and Allies) to learn more about their personal experiences with LGBTQ culture. Click here for a complete list of all LGBTQ&A profiles. I met Jessie through her advocacy for public education. It became almost immediately apparent that she understood LGBTQ issues for students (and […]

LGBTQ&A

LGBTQ&A: Liz de Jesus Steers Pittsburgh PFLAG To Be a Safe Space

June 14, 2013 by

An occasional series where we pose some questions to local LGBTQ folks (and Allies) to learn more about their personal experiences with LGBTQ culture. Click here for a complete list of all LGBTQ&A profiles.  During Pride 2013, we are trying to feature someone each day.   Liz is the President of the Pittsburgh chapter of PFLAG. […]

Activism

Sue Will Be Guest on Essential Pittsburgh Discussing Pridefest Today

June 13, 2013 by

I’ll be on the WESA 90.5 daily talk show “Essential Pittsburgh” today along with Gary Van Horn from the Delta Foundation. Our topic is the cultural impact of pridefest on the region and inclusivity.   Pittsburgh Pride’s website quotes Richard Florida in his best-selling book on economic growth, The Rise of the Creative Class, “the most […]

LGBTQ&A

LGBTQ&A: Heather Arnet Misses the Lesbian Avengers and Pegasus

June 13, 2013 by

An occasional series where we pose some questions to local LGBTQ folks (and Allies) to learn more about their personal experiences with LGBTQ culture. Click here for a complete list of all LGBTQ&A profiles.  During Pride 2013, we are trying to feature someone each day.   I can remember where I first learned about the Women […]