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.

Community Q&A: Ke’Juan, 15, Talks About Her Identity, Her Family, and Enduring Harassment in Her Pittsburgh Neighborhood

Black Trans Girl

We have to be more mindful when walking home by ourselves, we have to have extra protection and make sure to be with someone in case something happens, we had to block my bedroom window because the neighbor was staring into my room,  we had to put a plan in place so if there was a problem […]

Northsiders, Put a ‘Protect Trans Kids’ Yard Sign Near Your Home Today!

If you’ve been following the story of the O’Donnell-Collar family, you know that in the face of years of hate-driven harassment – they want to focus on affirming trans youth, BIPOC youth, and all LGBTQ families. Ke’Juan is a 15-year-old Black trans girl and the family member most recently targeted by their neighbor and she […]

Black Trans Woman Shawmayné McClam, 27, Shot to Death in Mississippi

Her name was Shawmayné Giselle Marie McClam. She was a Black trans woman, just 27 years old, when she was murdered in a shooting in Gulfport, Mississippi on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. And now she is the 18th known trans person to be murdered in the US this year. Her sister is hospitalized in critical […]

Black Trans Woman Brazil Johnson Dies from Gun Violence in Milwaukee During Pride Month

Brazil Johnson Devon Gildart

Brazil Johnson, a 28-year-old Black trans woman, is the most recently reported fatal victim in the anti-trans campaign of terror in the United States. Around 6:30 AM, Wednesday June 15, 2022, Milwaukee police reported that Brazil’s body was discovered near Teutonia Avenue and Garfield Avenue. She had been shot multiple times. There are no current […]

Trans Latina Sasha Mason Murdered During Robbery in North Carolina

Her name was Sasha Mason. She was 45 years old and identified as a trans Latina. And she is the most recently reported trans woman to fall victim to the campaign of terror sweeping our nation. She was killed on May 13, 2022. Reports are just now surfacing outside of her home community. Sasha was […]

My Dad

He was dealt a traumatic hand from Day One. He worked hard, sometimes multiple jobs. He rarely called off. He was in the mills for 50 years. He grew up in a mid-century modern world, raised by grandparents born circa 1885. Everyone had good intentions, but that didn’t really pan out in their poor life […]

Here’s What Happened When I Threw Out The First Pitch During Pride Night at PNC Park

Pride Night at PNC Park

The thing about anxiety is that it can be managed, especially if you have a plan and a support system. Managed, not cured or fixed. Throwing out the first pitch during a MLB game in front of many thousands of people during the official Pride Night is the sort of thing that generates some anxiety. […]

The White House Pride Reception

Tonight was the night. President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden hosted the annual Pride Reception at the White House. I was not invited. I can admit and for the sake of keeping an accurate record of the impact of this blog, I had hoped that the work leading to a second GLAAD Media Award would […]

First Pitch Not-So-Perfect: The Training Montage

Dok Harris Sue Kerr Laura Dunhoff

My Mum would say “Oh, Susan!” if I was able to tell her that my pitching coach for the upcoming Pride Night at PNC Park was Dok Harris, son of her beloved Franco Harris. Let me tell you, he’s a great coach. He sent me videos to watch. He kept urging me to stretch. He […]

Death of Black Trans Woman Chanelika Y’Ella Dior Hemingway Ruled Homicide in Albany

There is not much detail available, but the May 31, 2022 death of a Black trans woman in Albany, New York has been ruled a homicide. Her name was Chanelika Y’Ella Dior Hemingway also known as Sid or Cyd according to her Facebook profiles. She was 30. Note the media reporting uses the appropriate pronouns, […]