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:

CrimeIn MemoriamTrans

Pittsburgh Trans Girl Discusses the Murder of Brianna Ghey in England as Part of ‘Violence toward trans teens that is unseen’

March 14, 2023 by

When we connect on social media, it helps us as trans people become stronger, because we will have each other’s backs. Social media helps us speak to others like us and communicate who we are as trans individuals.  Brianna Ghey. a 16-year-old British transgender girl from Birchwood in Warrington, Cheshire, England, died from fatal stab wounds in Culcheth Linear Park […]

In MemoriamRacial JusticeTrans

Arrest in 2020 Murder of Black Trans Person Brian Egypt Powers in Akron

March 12, 2023 by

Akron, Ohio police have made an arrest in the June 2020 murder of a Black trans person, Brian ‘Egypt’ Powers. Brian was 43 years old when his body was discovered lifeless near a church in his hometown of Akron. He died from a single bullet that pierced both of his thighs. Investigators believed he walked […]

#PghCatFolx

Help Kitten ‘Ashford’ Recover From Unplanned Surgery #Caturday

March 11, 2023 by

Watch foster mama try to wrangle five month kitten into his cone of shame. Three days ago, a small little guy showed up on a neighbor’s porch. No ear tip, no collar, super friendly. Unneutered male, probably 3-4 months old. Neighbors brought to us to get scanned. While checking him out, we found an abscess […]

Political Q&A

Q&A with Khari Mosley, Candidate for City Council, District 9

March 9, 2023 by

The way to forge the reconnection will be bold regional planning and investing in a 21st-century transportation system that rethinks how to connect neighborhoods, commercial hubs, and regional destinations. A connected city would include a reimagined bus system, bike trails, safe sidewalks, and a feasibility study of light rail expansion. Our next post of our […]

LGBTQPolitics

Swissvale Borough Adopts Nondiscrimination Protections, Creates Human Relations Commission

March 8, 2023 by

I just learned that the Borough of Swissvale passed a comprehensive human relations act that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity on January 4, 2023. Ordinance #23-01 to add a Chapter to the Code of Ordinances to provide for the creation of the Swissvale Human Relations Commission and […]

Political Q&A

Q&A with Dan Grzybek, Candidate for Allegheny County Council, District 5

March 6, 2023 by
Dan

Much of the zoning in the South Hills is extremely exclusionary such that multi-family units cannot be built in wide swaths of communities like Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair. We have a fantastic resource in the T, but it can’t be fully utilized because high density housing can’t be built near most of the stops. […]

Political Q&A

Q&A with Todd Hoffman, Candidate for Mt. Lebanon School Board

March 5, 2023 by

I firmly believe in the importance of nurturing the whole child, not just their academic achievements. With my experience in educational leadership, I understand that a student’s success is not just measured by test scores, but by their social-emotional well-being, physical health, and personal growth. I will work to ensure that our schools prioritize a […]

Political Q&A

Q&A with Nerissa Galt, Candidate for PENNCREST School Board in Crawford County

March 5, 2023 by
Nerissa Galt

[T]he board has passed several policies in an attempt to target LGBTQIA students. Anti-LGBTQIA bullying has increased. That being said, I believe the biggest priority is to ensure that all students feel welcome in their respective schools and the first order of business to ensure that this comes to fruition is to repeal those policies […]

Political Q&A

Q&A with Barb Warwick, Candidate for City Council, District 5

March 3, 2023 by

If we really want to serve our residents AND attract new ones, we need to fix the fact that most people can’t go 1.5 miles in Pittsburgh without getting in their car. So, what’s the answer? More buses, more bus drivers, more routes, better bus stops, and dedicated bus lanes. No fancy technology required (although […]

Political Q&A

Q&A with Valerie Fleisher, Candidate for Mt. Lebanon School Board

March 2, 2023 by

At the same times, kids in school would make fun of him using homophobic slurs or exaggerating how he spoke, and while I didn’t join in I was not yet confident enough to speak out – that experience was one among several that helped me to learn that as uncomfortable as it might feel to […]