My Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Bucket List

My ties to the Post-Gazette run deep. I’ve mentioned that my great-grandfather Gilbert Remley was the Executive Sports Editor, in a career that spanned 50 years and three papers. My family was a newspaper reading family, something inherited from both my maternal and paternal lines. We ‘took’ 2-3 papers and sometimes more each day: the […]

Why We Won’t Cancel Our Post-Gazette Subscription

Don’t get me wrong. The decision to fire Rob Rogers is a terrible blow for the entire community, especially for those of us who are part of marginalized communities. And I can’t blame folks who are cancelling their subscriptions because I sort of expect that when Tony Norman retires, the newsroom will magically disappear and […]

#AMPLIFY Receives $4,000 Grant for Rural Outreach in Southwestern PA

We are very excited to announce that #AMPLIFY has been awarded $4000 by the Three Rivers Community Foundation to support outreach and visibility throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Our plans include teaming up with local partners in the following counties to organize individual outreach events throughout the rest of 2018: Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, […]

Amplify LGBTQ Voices from Pittsburgh’s Northside Because We Believe In Our Back Yards

We have a very special opportunity right now to receive a 100% match from the Buhl Foundation for a one-time hyperlocal AMPLIFY blitz. This is an extension of the One Northside project. A few weeks ago, I was asked to identify LGBTQ resources on the Northside – from any or all of the 18 neighborhoods. […]

Pride is in the Person, not the Parade: A Guest Blog Post by Billy Hileman

A guest post from longtime LGBTQ activist and former Pride committee member, Billy Hileman. This is in response to decisions by the Delta Foundation that excluded Richard Parsakian’s participation as curator of dance performances at the festival, and separately left him no choice but to withdraw the historic rainbow pride flag. For the first time in […]

Mercer County Trans Woman, Claire Wolfever, Sentenced 18-40 Years

Claire Wolfever

Claire Wolfever was 22 years old and working at the Wal-Mart in Hermitage, Pennsylvania. Hermitage is a small town in Mercer County, between Erie and Pittsburgh. When she disclosed her gender identity to her coworkers, she claims they harassed and threatened her. She filed a complaint with the company, but felt threatened enough to steal […]

Queer History in Pgh Media: 1949 Sex Crimes Series in the Post-Gazette

In March 1949, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran a multi-part series exploring ‘sex crimes’ and the people who commit them. This series was tied to the establishment of a Pittsburgh Morals Squad and the introduction of new legislation to respond to sex crimes. And the series was notably published a year after the Kinsey 1948 report […]

Antash’a English, 38, is the 12th Trans Person Killed in 2018

A 38 year-old Black trans woman, Antonia English, died from a gunshot wound Friday, June 1 in Jacksonville, Florida. Known to her friends and family as Antash’a (Antash’a Devine Sherrington English), she was found between two abandoned houses and later died from her injuries at the hospital. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s office initially misgendered and deadnamed […]

50 LGBTQ Parents #AMPLIFY Their Experiences for #LGBTQFamiliesDay 2018

Monday is #LGBTQFamilies Day on social media, sponsored by the blog Mombian and the Family Equality Council since 2006. This day celebrates LGBTQ families. Once again, I’ve decided to share #AMPLIFY posts highlighting the voices of parents, step-parents  and grandparents and other caretakers of children.  If you are a LGBTQ person with ties to Western Pennsylvania, please […]

Rob Rogers #6: Pardon Cartoon

Rob Rogers