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.

Pittsburgh SciTech Math Class Incorporates #ProtectTransKids Into Lessons

Received this today from a Pittsburgh SciTech 10th grade math class I am really struggling right now so this was very well timed indeed. Making the list with ice cream, and mole sauce is high praise indeed. Thank you, teacher, for educating me today in a bit of “thankful math” I pulled up one of the […]

Processing Trauma of Childhood Hunger

Last week, my therapist and I picked up with EMDR to process more trauma. We intentionally defined a period of my childhood that was brutal, 1979-1983, or the years of 4th to 8th grade. Historically, EMDR has been quite helpful with my lesser traumas and anxiety. The hard stuff hasn’t cooperated and we’ve respected that. […]

Why do we need a campaign to Protect Trans Kids?

Protect Trans Kids

In mid-October, I received several reports of a disturbing new advertisement on local radio stations. The ads claimed that President Biden and other Democrats were supporting policies that forced children to transition. The reality is that the ad itself used lies and unscientific claims to terrorize transgender children and their families. It repeated conservative arguments […]

Trans Day of Remembrance 2022

In this year of 2022, I have documented the lives and deaths of 34 transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming neighbors so far. This list is not exhaustive and is not lined up directly with the official TDOR tracked information. But it matters that we all try, try to lift up the lives of these neighbors […]

UPDATE: Registration of LGBTQ Youth for Holiday Day Gift Card Drive Exceeds Expectations by 40%

Only three groups have registered so far – Pittsburgh Public Schools, Proud Haven, and Project Silk. When Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities decided to wrap up 2022 with a gift card drive for LGBTQ youth, ages 12-21, connected with community groups – we did a preliminary assessment of how many youth might participate. You’ll remember that we […]

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) in Pittsburgh

Transgender Day of Remembrance

I’m compiling events for this somber memorial. Pittsburgh Trans Day of Remembrance is Sunday Nov 20, 2022 5pm-8pm at Hugh Lane North, located at 925 Brighton Road.This will be outside, please dress with weather forecast in mind.Speakers, memorial readings of community lost and light refreshments, hot cocoa and tea. Somerset

Black Trans Masc Teen, 15, Found Dead in Kansas

Ace Scott Transgender Kansas

His name was Ace Scott. In April, his body was discovered in an abandoned lot near residences north of W. 9th Street and Central Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. That was April 15 and I am just learning about Ace Scott today, thanks in part to the diligent documentation of the Trans Day of Remembrance […]

LGBTQ Youth Holiday Project Targeted by TERFs

Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists or TERFs attempted to derail a Pittsburgh holiday project for LGBTQ teens. Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities is organizing a gift card drive for local teens affiliated with queer and trans organizations. It is an extension of their #ProtectTransKids projects that are distributing over 1000 yard signs, 5000 stickers, and 2500 pens with a […]

Donate Gift Cards for Local LGBTQ Teens This Holiday Season

Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities (PLC) is teaming up with local LGBTQ organizations to end the year on a positive and affirming note – distributing gift cards to queer and trans teens, ages 12-21, who are participants in those programs. As part of our #ProtectTransKids projects from 2022, PLC is working with the community to end the […]

US Senate to Vote on Respect for Marriage Act – Call Today

lesbian wedding

Today, the United States Senate may hold a procedural vote to forward the process of passing the ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ – federal recognition of marriage equality. The Respect for Marriage Act, abbreviated as RFMA (H.R. 8404, S. 4556), is a bill in the United States Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and require the U.S. federal government to recognize the validity […]