[B]asically we want to make this year the best! We are branching out we want all women at the DYKE MARCH! No corporate sponsership! I am working on the route it will be held Downtown Betty Hill will speak cuz shes awesome and a few local performers(including Colelea) will perform,afterwards PINK PARTY PRODUCTIONS is throwing a party/dance we also will have benefits to be announced,and DYKE MARCH teeshirts/buttons.
Anyone interested can contact us on on myspace account (volunteers).
Betty herself told me she is involved and will be speaking at the event. That is just exactly the level of cool this event needs. Betty is one of our favorite people. So, yeah for the Dyke March.
In honor of the Primary Pittsburgh Project, I'd like to take a few inches of this blog to review why I think this is a great place for the LGBTQ/gay/queer community.
First, the City of Pittsburgh has codified our civil rights and civil protections. It is illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender presentation in the areas of employment, housing or public accommodation. That was a very hard fought battle that took place well over a dozen years ago. That's a long time in gay history.
Second, Pittsburgh has many wonderful community based organizations and service organizations. We are home to Persad Center, the nation's first LGBT mental health provider. The Gay & Lesbian Community Center is in Squirrel Hill. The Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force and Shepherd Wellness Center grew from our communities to provide much needed services. GLENDA is still the best way to meet new gay people in a comfortable environment AND contribute to the community. PFLAG is there for our families. GLSEN and Voices of Hope (along with the GLCC and Persad's YEP programs) offer support and uplift our young people. The list goes on and on, but Pittsburgh is fortunate to have such a strong safety net.
Third, we must recognize our recreational and social outlets. From gay square dancing to OUTrageous Bingo, from softball to bowling, from potlucks to Cajun dancing, we have a lot of stuff going on in this town. There's Pink Party Productions, Operation Sappho and at least two different singles dinners. There's potlucks at the GLCC and Queer Dinners at the Gypsy Cafe. The L-Word party is immensely popular. The Film Society shows movies year round in addition to two excellent weeks of the film festival.
Fourth, let's shout out to our business community. Beyond the gay bar foundation, there are many, many local gay owned companies that serve the entire community. Coffee houses, clothing stores, caterers, and much more. One bakery has a monthly lesbian night. Another straight owned bar has declared themselves a gay bar (and has good pizza). Bank of New York Mellon has a thriving queer affiliation group for employees. And the so-called "pink dollar" is being sought after.
I want to stop and point out that the myth about gays having more disposable income is misleading. There are many local queer families that live in poverty or just a paycheck away -- just like heterosexual families. The good thing is that Pittsburgh is still an affordable place to live and raise your family so even if you aren't the fortunate few to live in a restored Shadyside Victorian mansion, you can still have access to all of these wonderful resources.
Next, I have to acknowledge electoral politics. Pittsburgh just elected our first openly gay member of City Council, so we can finally stop the wink, wink, nod, nod crap about those of whom we do not speak. Let's celebrate our champions - Dan Frankel and Bill Peduto (two straight white guys who are welcome at any gay event in town). Let's applaud our allies - Doug Shields, Chelsa Wagner, Rich Fitzgerald, Mike Lamb, Heather Arnet and others - for doing what they can to have an impact at their various levels. Let's hold out hope for our friends -- Wayne Fontana, Jake Wheatley, Jay Costa, Mike Doyle, Jason Altmire, Sean Logan -- that they remain steadfast against discrimination and hatred in the face of mounting pressure. Let's keep working on those who need work -- Dan Onorato, Luke Ravenstahl -- and work hard to keep those whom we need -- Brenda Frazier.
Most importantly, let's commend our two leading political groups -- the Steel City Stonewall Democrats and the Gertrude Stein Political Club of Greater Pittsburgh -- who work tirelessly on our behalf. We are quite fortunate to have so many talented individuals working to strengthen the political arena -- Sue Frietsche at the Women's Law Project and Dana Elmendorf of the PA Marriage Equality.
Moving on, our philanthropic resources. The Lambda Foundation has given away $1 million dollars locally. The Delta Foundation is pouring tens of thousands into Pride events. The Pittsburgh Foundation has a dedicated fund for LGBT health initiatives. Art for Life, formerly Art for AIDS, is a huge wonderful event. People turn out to public theater and to car washes to show their support for LGBT resources.
Almost there. Media and communication resources are vastly under appreciated here in Pgh. We have a monthly newspaper that serves a niche audience and serves it well. A local straight owned coffeehouse agreed to distribute it because a few people asked. That's cool. We have a super-huge Queer Events email list started by one woman who wanted to get the word out. Now she runs a calendar chock full of information and gives us a forum to discuss tough issues likes trans inclusion within the lesbian community as well as where to get the best cupcakes in town. Local gay groups are trying to catch up, they want to catch up. There are two blogs that have the word "lesbian" in their title. And 17 blogs that participated in the first Blog for Equality Day. Lynn Cullen and John McIntire talk about gay people, events and issues on a regular basis. The City Paper considers the gay angle in a lot of mainstream stories.
Finally, there's you. You might be the lesbian who reads this blog or you might be a straight man who surfed in from another site. You have kids or you don't. You are single or domestically partnered or married. Perhaps you've retired. You might go to Mass with your mother every weekend. You like the two nice women who make those awesome grilled cheese sandwiches and refuse to sell bottled water on principal. You know what HRC stands for and maybe a little bit about the whole ENDA debate. Your best friend is gay. You are the only gay person you know and you don't know what to do. You post anonymous comments telling me how wrong I am, but you keep coming back to read what I have to say about it. You are thinking about starting your own gay blog (go for it!).
You are Pittsburgh's queer community and you are what makes Pittsburgh a wonderful place to be gay.
In the most recent GLCC newsletter, the organization announced that Celebrate the Night has become an official committee of the organization. Celebrate the Night is a variety show that benefits the GLCC.
As you may recall, CTN generated a firestorm last year by refusing to audition a transwoman and pronouncing that she was not woman enough to meet their criteria. At that point, the CTN website described the event as celebrating all women.
For the purpose of this event, if a person is legally recognized as a woman or living full-time as a woman, she is a woman.
No such requirement that to be a lesbian, you must be legally recognized or living full-time as a lesbian. Which is good since there are many, many women who participate in CTN that are not 100% out of the closet and I would hate for them to feel excluded just because they aren't lesbian enough.
Well, at least if the GLCC is going to formally associate itself with an organization that openly discriminates against transwomen,things are a little more out in the open. The GLCC has historically been a little weak on transinclusion and I don't really think this is going to come as a shock to anyone. The truth is that Pittsburghers who are L, G, B and Q really have a long way to go when it comes to lifting up and including our trans brothers and sisters.
For a complete herstory on this situation, click here.
A big thanks to all the wonderful members of the Burghosphere who participated in this first ever Pgh Blog for Equality. We had a few folks join in at the last minute. Here are the links to the participating posts in no particular order. Thanks also to those who promoted the event.
March 31, 2008 is the day that the Burghosphere speaks out about attempts to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.
For all the details on the legislation, the co-sponsors, and the talking points, visit Equality Advocates. Equality Advocates is not officially connected to Pittsburgh Blog for Equality.
Join the conversation.
Wanna post our button on your blog? Code is below:
As we've mentioned, local eatery Dozen Bake Shop has launched an official Lesbian Night on Saturdays. Your faithful correspondents suggested they take it up a notch by offering a Buy One, Get One Free cupcake deal to lesbians with a special code or something.
Owner James emailed us to discuss and that's when we remembered ... the dyke salute.
Created by lesbian-gal-about-town Ehrrin, author of Now That's Good Eatin, the dyke salute is a queerified version of the Girl Scout salute. The only time I've seen it was courtesy of a certain local rocker at the Square Cafe.
But the dyke salute has risen again AND is irrevocably tied to cupcakes. What could be better?
So, the next time Saturday night finds you in the East End, swing down Butler Street, flash the salute and enjoy the yumminess.
I am lobbying James to create a thematic cupcake recipe in honor of Lesbian Night. My favorite? The Salute which tastes like Thin Mint cookies. That would be awesome.
It is really nice to end my week on something queer-positive, even if it is just a local business owner saying he wants to reach out to lesbians. After all the hullabaloo with what's her name in Oklahoma and the onslaught of campaign workers here in Pittsburgh, I am grateful that someone wants to give me free cupcake just for being a dyke. Nice.
Saturday night, we finally had a chance to stop by Cattivo for some conversation and dinner with our friends, Emilia and Jessi. We braved the weather and headed for Lawrenceville where we were early enough to snag a good parking spot. Cattivo is a fine place for a bar. It was clean and the service is really good. The owner waited on our table and he was friendly and attentive. The food was great. I had a chicken gyro with homemade fries which were delish. Ledcat had the pizza, something she had been craving all week, and she pronounced it excellent (high praise indeed). Jessi and Emilia shared a strombolli which they enjoyed. Overall, I'd stop back for a casual bar meal.
We hung out for a few hours until the smoke got the best of me. I probably wouldn't go to Cattivo during prime bar hours because even a half dozen smokers were too much, but I'd go back early in the evening to shoot some pool and enjoy those homemade fries.
When we left, Ledcat and I discovered that the locks on my CRV were frozen. It was quite cold outside. A random lesbian whose identity I'll never know (I'll call her Xena) came over and advised me to pour water on the locks. So I sent Ledcat in to get warm and tromped back up the bar to ask for a cup of water. The barkeep was nice and understanding ... offered me hot water and told me to come back in if we had any other problems. Meanwhile, the owner was distributing candy to his regulars.
The water worked! I've never had that happen to me before. I'm presuming that all the sloppy rain got into the lock and caused the problem. However, we were off to our next stop -- Lesbian Night at Dozen Bake Shop, also in Lawrenceville. When we arrived (lock-freeing-water-in hand), there were two occupied tables and no lesbians in sight. We snagged a couple of chocolate cupcakes made with Stout (yummy) and some hot beverages then sat back to soak up the ambiance. It is a cute space, the food options are good and there are plenty of tables.
I chatted up with Shmuell who was staffing Lesbian Night. He laughed and said that obviously the store had to do more than pronounce Saturday as Lesbian Night to actually have it *be* Lesbian Night. I pointed out that we had specifically come because of that so it worked, at least to the tune of about $10.00 in revenue. I assured him we didn't expect him to produce lesbians upon demand.
Dozen has been open about 6 weeks and business looks good. If they had a lunch menu, I'd roll down once in awhile and meet Ledcat there (it is like 6 blocks from her office). However, I can see adding Lesbian Night at Dozen Bake Shop to any dinner evening out in the East End. A cupcake and a cup of coffee are much less expensive than dessert in any restaurant, plus it is good to support a company that wants to have Lesbian Night.
My suggestions for Lesbian Night? Send out a secret code via lesbian email and anyone who comes in with the secret code, gets a 2 cupcakes for the price of 1 (so they'll bring a friend). Advertise Lesbian Night in the GLCC newsletter (with the BOGO offer for a limited time). Bring in a lesbian singer songwriter and her faithful listeners will follow, even for just one evening. Hire lesbians. I also like to patronize stores that employ my fellow homosexuals.
All in all, it was a nice evening. Earlier in the day, I had purchased a few issues of the Buffy: Season Eight graphic novels (apparently, grown ups don't read comic books). There's a big deal about Buffy hooking up with a woman in the latest issue, but I am forcing myself to read them in order. I'm missing Issue 8. Anyone have a copy of that? This is a new fetish for me. I loved Buffy so Ledcat orchestrated a Buffy holiday for me, bringing in her family and mine to purchase 4 seasons of Buffy on DVD and a whole slew of graphic novels and omnibus issues. I was in heaven. However, this was my first visit to Phantom of the Attic and it was a bit like entering a completely foreign cultural setting. The narrow walkway isn't really what I'd think of as appropriate for a group of customers who tend to sit on their asses reading comic books all day. Am I stereotyping? Maybe I'm just peevish because I never appreciate when overly large men continually brush up against my ass as I'm looking at merchandise. Or perhaps I'm just trying to dissociate because I can see going in there to and buying Wonder Woman comic books, too. And maybe the Runaways. Plus, there's Batman.
To wrap up, we got into the car without any trouble the second time around and headed for home (and Buffy). Now I'm up sans an hour of sleep and ready to get rolling. Our renovations are almost complete so we can start moving the jillion tons of belongings out of the bedroom and actually be able to see the floor again. Yippee!
We received our current issue of the GLCC News this past week after what seems like a long hiatus. Is it just me or has it been awhile? Maybe its just me. I really look forward to this connection with the Community Center. The professional quality just keeps getting better and I really like that.
Anyway, the organization is making strides in updating their use of technology with a brand new email list and they have posted some of the articles from the newsletter online here. Still, I feel compelled to share.
Here's what I find most interesting ...
Ben Cook, GLCC Youth Program Coordinator has a nicely done piece about the GLCC's work with youth. This program is, in my humble opinion, the hallmark of the organization. Well, maybe second only to the Phone Line. I think Ben is a great guy and does really good work. Plus, he actively mentions kids who identify as queer or questioning. This article also features the "Most Ironic Line" in the whole newsletter. Tucked on page 3 after a feature on Celebrate the Night with absolutely no mention of any of the controversy surrounding probably THE most controversial gay happening of the entire year, Ben writes:
Unlike most GLCC programs that have careful planning periods leading up to large, publicized events (e.g., OUTrageous Bingo, PrideFest), the Youth Program is a mostly behind-the-scenes weekly commitment by the GLCC to the young people of our community.
Is it just me? Do you see it?
There's a mention of PUMP's "40 Under 40" which includes Ben! Go, Ben!
The GLCC is hiring for two paid positions: Community Resource & Information Specialist and a Grant Writer.
Someone named Scott Itano (???) writes a nice piece about finding a LGBT-Friendly Physician. He gives a shout out to two local practices. I'm not a fan of one of them, so I'm going to instead give a shout out to my PCP for being so groovy. I went to her simply because she replaced my former doctor who had left for greener pastures in Sewickley. She was great -- she asked me a ton of LGBT sensitive questions. Plus, she already knew the main side effects of the meds prescribed to me by other doctors. Wow. So if you need a great PCP, drop me a line and I'll give you her name. Awesome. Still, Scott's article is quite useful and one of the most neatest things in the newsletter.
I can't tell you how refreshing it is to have a PCP who is gay friendly and medically reliable. Awesome.
An old friend, Gary McKillop, focuses on the importance of donations and volunteers to the work of the Community Center. It is interesting to me, but I'm a professional human servicey type. I think these "asks" could be more powerful if they included anecdotes or somehow the "voice" of the people served. I know I was always impressed by *something* if I spent more than 30 minutes in that building ... a phone call, a drop in visitor, a listing on the bulletin board, a volunteer's story. You should do that -- go spend some time there and just soak up how important this resource is to the community.
There's write up of the GLCC's strategic planning direction. I was disappointed that there is no mention of diversity, at least thus far. I think that's a significant issue in terms of those who hold power and decision-making authority and those who are served (or not served) by those folks. Still, I know that any mention of diversity raises hackles on certain necks ... so keep reading. Or go read something else.
There's a new GLBT Corporate Network which is working with local corporations. Awesome news. If you have a GLBT group at your workplace, you can hook up with them. There's only a telephone number contact so email me and I'll send it to you.
If you read this blog, you should be a GLCC News subscriber. Hopefully, they will be able to move toward an online published edition (with ads! the ads are great!). Maybe YOU could volunteer to help them do that. Or volunteer on the Phone Line. Or the Youth Group. Make a donation. Go for it!
Just got word from a reader that the Tuscany Cafe, a Southside gay mecca for a decade or so, has unexpectedly closed.
He reports that he stopped by per his usual routine on Saturday afternoon and found a note taped to the door thanking patrons for their business and indicating they (the owners) would see them at Rehobeth Beach.
The phone number has been disconnected.
Tuscany combined a coffee house front with a quiet bar tucked into the back of the space. The sandwiches were delish as were the desserts.
Ledcat and I have frequented the Tuscany often when we venture out for dinner or a cultural event on the Southside. I was, in fact, planning to stop by tomorrow when I attend an event at City Theater. We had been pleased with recent renovations and a very friendly staff.
The Delta Foundation meeting took place on Tuesday evening. Reports range from 50-150 people in attendance. Some of the feedback I've heard:
- The Delta Foundation claimed it was the first town hall meeting for Pittsburgh's GLBT community. Surely, that just cannot be the case. I know that Voices for a New Tomorrow held similar meetings and I'm sure that it took a few of those to get the LGBT Community Needs Assessment off the ground. Or back in the day, when the PhoneLine and the GLCC were launched. Am I that blanking on whole chapters of local gay history? I mean this was a really well attended meeting and more power to them for turning out a big crowd, but I'm curious about that claim.
- DF committed to two events: PrideFest and Pride in the Streets. The other events will require others to get involved, which isn't unreasonable per se. So the concept of "Pride Week" is a bit vague unless other groups come forward to set up what are being labeled partner events. It will be interesting to see what grows from this challenge of sorts. (I am going to organize a partner event in my daytime guise and I've already identified some partners so I am putting my money/time where my mouth is on this one.) The DF has a board member dedicated to building these partnerships and she is off to a really good start.
- Again, the issue arose that the board is entirely white and almost nearly gay men with money. So, you have the claim that PrideFest is for everyone balanced against a pretty "business as usual" group of decision makers, however well intentioned. It is going to take a lot of effort on the part of this group to demonstrate a real commitment to diversity. My personal fear is that those on the board are not going to make substantial overtures to under-represented segments of the community, at least not to share power. It would be great if the planning committees are filled with women and persons of color and men and women who are transgendered and bisexual, but it is equally important that power and authority be shared. I hope the Foundation will commit to fill their two vacant board seats with individuals from these communities. That would be a significant statement about inclusivity.
- Luke Ravenstahl is going to hire a part-time liaison to the LGBT community and is accepting applications from the LGBT community to serve on an advisory board. I'm working to track down the contact information to send in your resume. This could be interesting if we can get some community representation on the boards and authorities (beyond the arts.) This could be an interesting development. Again, it would be powerful if the liaison were a lesbian or a woman who is transgendered or someone outside the political normative power structure.
- There's 12 hours of entertainment to fill. I nominate Gab Bonesso. Someone named Kimberly Locke is going to headline at Pride in the Streets. I don't know who she is, but I think she's from American Idol. I'm woefully out of the American Idol loop. I am much more in the local queer talent loop and think Gab Bonesso would be a wonderfulacious emcee for Pridefest -- she's young, hip and have proven she can work a family oriented crowd really well.
My impression? They have good intentions and some significant resources. I would personally like to see the organization prioritize diversity and inclusivity among the leadership as well as the rank and file, but I certainly wish them well. It will be interesting to see what happens with the events and if they can take PrideFest to a new level -- is the event ready to take that leap?
One caveat. I dislike the rhetoric that builds up the new projects at the expense of those who came before. The GLCC took a bankrupt event and rejuvenated it. The GLCC board attempted to be diverse. The event wasn't perfect, but some of the "dawn of a new gay" rhetoric makes me cringe a bit. The GLCC is still our community center and if it isn't working for us, then we can make some changes (some are underway). I hope we don't toss out the baby with the bathwater in this regard.
3:15 PM Leave office and drop promotional literature off at several local businesses. Buy King Cake to share with office on Wednesday.
4:00 PM Arrive at Hoi Polloi. Artfully distribute promotional literature. Meet Jessica's other brother. Realize lack of eating since dinner on Monday so order curried pumpkin soup and grilled cheese sandwich.
4:15 PM Finish eating. Soup is OMG.
4:30 PM Read text of HB 1400 that was helpfully sent to me by Dan Frankel's staff. Try to find exactly how religious organizations get exempted from discriminating against queer people. Get confused.
4:45 PM Order a coffee beverage to kick start analytical skills. Delicious. Still confused.
4:50 PM Email contacts in gay politics to ask for help. Email Frankel's people for explanation. Email high school buddy to set up coffee date.
4:54 PM Support local business and local agricultural industry by ordering muffin.
4:55 PM No response from contacts in gay politics. Still confused. Coffee beverage still very hot.
