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.

When They Said “Happy Anniversary” and No One Clapped

On our anniversary (July 18), we went on a dinner sunset cruise here in Erie. It wasn’t fancy, but it was nice. They asked for people to share birthdays and anniversaries so I impulsively told them it was our 19th anniversary. Laura looked at me and sighed. She was right. I asked the server if […]

500 Yard Signs to #ProtectTransKids

Yard Signs Pittsburgh

When I’m driving, well I know I’m gonna see,I’m gonna see the yard signs put up just for youWhen I’m walking, yeah I know I’m gonna seeI’m gonna see neighbors speaking out just for youWhen I’m biking well I know I’m gonna beI’m gonna be the one who delivers some signs just for youAnd when […]

Celebrating Our 19th Anniversary

Sue And Laura

Today marks 19 years of my favorite supercouple – SueCat. Sue (me) and my now-wife Ledcat (aka Laura) = SueCat. We are on vacation this week and celebrating this big night with a dinner sunset cruise on Lake Erie. Romantic, no? Except the part of deciding moment by moment if we can out ourselves or […]

Update on #ProtectTransKids Yard Sign Effort – 500 Signs!

Protect Trans Kids Pittsburgh

As you may know, Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities has been working with a local family and their neighbors to distribute yard signs throughout the community. The signs read ‘Protect Trans Kids’ and are intended to send that direct message. The idea was planted in mid-June, the first 50 signs delivered to us on June 24, and […]

We #AMPLIFY 15 Non Binary Voices from Western Pennsylvania on International Non Binary People’s Day 2022

non binary umbrella

The AMPLIFY project is an archive of Q&A’s with LGBTQ+ folks who have ties to Western Pennsylvania. Here are 15 contributors who identify as non-binary (or some variant of that spelling) – take a dive into their lived experiences. There are in no particular order. As the public discourse about gender identity continues to take […]

Black Trans Woman Martasia Richmond Murdered in Chicago

Martasia Richmond Chicago Black Trans Woman

TransGriot broke the news that another Black trans woman was murdered in Chicago this week. Her name was Martasia Richmond. She died from multiple stab wounds in the West Englewood neighborhood. From the Windy City Times An individual was found with multiple stabbed wounds after Chicago Police Department (CPD) answered a call of domestic battery […]

Twenty Tips About Donating Your Gently Used Stuff to Community Cats

Donate to Help Cats

Cat folx are generous to a fault. They share their excess, they pass the ‘stuff’ of their beloved pets onto others, and they gather stuff from their friends, too. I am constantly asked if #PghCatFolx can distribute this or that. Often enough that I think it is time to create a formal list with information. […]

‘No Means No’or What to Say When I Tell You I’m Being Harassed or Stalked

There are few basic things we should agree on if you are someone I consider a friend and confidant. First, no means no. People have the right to set boundaries around their bodies, their time, their energy, their families, the sex lives, their hearts, and whatever else they want. They do not owe anyone an […]

VIDEO: 150 #ProtectTransKids Yard Signs on Pittsburgh’s Northside

Protect Trans Kids Yard Signs

As of yesterday, there are 150 #ProtectTransKids yard signs all over the Northside neighborhoods … take a look at the video below. We have requests for 400+ signs and expect a delivery next week. Anyone in the region can request a sign at no cost. We are accepting donations to help with production costs GoFundMe […]

Review: Kinky Boots at the Pittsburgh CLO

Our review team took in the CLO production of Kinky Boots this week. The show runs through the weekend. Some tickets still available. Our reviews are from the perspective of a typical person. If that’s helpful to you, please check back or suggest other performances for us to explore. We need the arts now more […]