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.

Welcome to the Garfield Boys – our latest foster kittens

Foster Kittens Pittsburgh

We took in some foster kittens to help with the deluge on local rescues. Our crew are three boys who were from Garfield. They are sweet, curious, and friendly. They are doing well so far – about seven weeks old, all males, and off to a good socialization start. They will be available for adoption […]

Pennsylvania Governor Signs Executive Order to Protect LGBTQIA+ Pennsylvanians from Conversion Therapy

Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order that provides some protections from conversion therapy. “Conversion therapy is a traumatic practice based on junk science that actively harms the people it supposedly seeks to treat,” said Gov. Wolf. “This discriminatory practice is widely rejected by medical and scientific professionals and has been proven to lead to […]

I’ve Been Hacked by Russians and Quarantined By COVID-19

Are you kidding me? When we came back from our trip to Western New York and Erie, I tested positive for COVID-19. I wasn’t terribly sick just felt cruddy. Then I was better for a week until I twisted my knee. That sucked. Then my Facebook account was hacked by a Russian based email address […]

I’ve Been Hacked: Day Two

My story is sad to tell. A Facebook ne’er do well. That mixed up Russian hacker from the Urals My future’s so unclear now What’s left of my career now? Can’t even get a trade in on my URL. At least I still have my blog. Sigh. Since Friday evening, I have reached out to […]

My Facebook Was Hacked By Russian Site

Do you have any media colleagues or sources who focus on Facebook? My account was hacked by a Russian email site and the “fix” from FB is an endless loop.  I had 2 factor authorization enabled. I typically deal with one attack each week, but the system protects me. This happened while I was on […]

Netroots Nation Coming to Pittsburgh This Month

Netroots Nation Pittsburgh

Along with working on the #ProtectTransKids projects, I’m also coordinating the local LGBTQ participation in the Netroots Nation conference later in the month. This includes four key elements Creating a queer panel discussion on the Dobbs decision. It is Thursday at 2:30 PM and it called DOBBS AND ROE: QUEER, GENDER-EXPANSIVE VISIONS FOR ABORTION CARE. […]

Donate a Candle to Support Trans Neighbors

Trans deaths

Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities (PLC) is creating a project to honor trans neighbors whose lives have been lost to the terror campaign sweeping the nation. As of today, there are 26 individuals on that list. We will be creating a memorial at our booth at Netroots Nation to honor their lives and acknowledge their deaths. This […]

Video of Yard Signs from #ProtectTransKids Project

Request a sign bit.ly/ProtectsTransKidsSigns Donations can be made via GoFundMe bit.ly/YardSignsFund **Preferred Venmo @PittsburghLGBTQ Paypal bit.ly/PayPalPLC Checks made payable to ‘Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities’ and mailed to 1439 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15233.

29-Year-Old Black Trans Woman Stabbed to Death in Kansas City

Kandii Redd

Dee Dee Kandii Redd was a 29-years-old Black trans woman when she was killed in Kansas City, Missouri on July 25, 2022. Her family uses the name Kamila Marie Swann to refer to her, shortened to Dee Dee. She uses Kandii Redd on the pages I could find. Initial media reports misgendered her and delayed […]

Proud to Be Finalist in Three City Paper ‘Best of Pittsburgh’ Reader’s Poll Categories

Best of Pittsburgh

I am so pleased to share this with you – Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities has been voted into the finalist round of the Pittsburgh City Paper ‘Best of Pittsburgh’ Reader’s Poll. The category is Best Social Justice Organization. That is so amazing – this is our first year of programming and supports. I think the work […]