Perry High GSA Students to Launch In-School Food Pantry

This is the Donation Link –> https://www.gofundme.com/perrys-inschool-food-pantry#   My respect and admiration for LGBTQ youth increased even more today after a conversation with Perry High School librarian and GSA sponsor, Sheila May-Stein. The students in this Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) – the second largest in the Pittsburgh Public School system – are in the midst […]

Statement From Lenore “Lee” Dingus, Seneca and Co-founder of Echoes of the Four Directions

As part of my earlier post, I reached out to several local women in the native community. This is a response from one woman – she offered it to me as a quote, but I thought her comments warranted their own post  and she agreed to let me publish in their entirety ~ Sue Submitted […]

I’m Honoring #DayWithoutAWoman by Fundraising for a Pittsburgh Vigil to Honor Trans Women of Color

I wasn’t sure exactly how to honor this day. I work from home and don’t have plans to really shop or spend money of any sort this day. As a two women household, abstaning from household or caretaking labor is not possible because there is no one who is not woman-identified to pick up (or […]

Rest In Power, Dakota James

Dakota James Missing Person

I read with mixed emotions the news that the body of 23-year-old Dakota James had been found in the Ohio River near Neville Island. Dakota has been missing since January 25, 2017. There’s no appropriate comment, nothing I can think of that would bring comfort to the exhausted family who lost a 23-year-old adult child […]

LGBTQ Things To Do in Western PA #AMPLIFY

LGBTQ Things To Do Pittsburgh

Welcome to the current edition of our new feature  – a signal boost to the efforts of our #AMPLIFY contributors to strengthen our communities. Our first posts were well received! This list is not all-inclusive or comprehensive, but we’ll do our best to share the items our contributors ask us to promote. If you’d like to […]

Chris, 40, is an Aspie Queer Girl With Some Kinks #AMPLIFY

Pittsburgh Queer

Name: Chris Rickert Age: 40 County of Residence: Allegheny County. Born in upstate NY, moved to Pittsburgh to attend CMU. Never left. Preferred Pronouns: she/her How do you describe your identity? I’m an Aspie. A queer girl with some kinks. Italian-Scottish-Irish-German. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? Coming out was definitely […]

TWOC Jaquarrius Holland (Brown), 18, Murdered in Louisiana

Jaquarrius Holland

A long time ago, I lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For three years. And being Mardi Gras today, my mind wanders that direction. But this year, I’m thinking about something different – the three trans women who have been brutally murdered this past weeks. I wrote about Chyna and Ciara, both of whom were killed […]

Ciara McElveen 2nd Trans Woman of Color Murdered During Mardi Gras Weekend

Ciara McElveen

48 hours after the death of Chyna Gibson comes word of a second trans woman of color murdered in New Orleans. Ciara McElveen was 26 years old. She was a New Orleans native, a graduate of Dutchtown High School and had studied at Dillard University.  Ciara McElveen Photo Source: Facebook[/caption] Sadly, she was the latest victim in the […]

Ciara McElveen 2nd Trans Woman of Color Murdered During Mardi Gras Weekend

Ciara McElveen

48 hours after the death of Chyna Gibson comes word of a second trans woman of color murdered in New Orleans. Ciara McElveen was 26 years old. She was a New Orleans native, a graduate of Dutchtown High School and had studied at Dillard University. Sadly, she was the latest victim in the epidemic of […]

Updated: Open Letter to John C. Welch, Candidate for Mayor in Pittsburgh

Dear Reverend Welch, A robust primary election process is necessary for a healthy democracy, so I have been watching your early candidacy days with anticipation of your agenda for Pittsburgh. Because I have yet to see any public statements by you on LGBTQ issues and the LGBTQ residents of Pittsburgh, I am writing this letter. […]