GLSEN Pittsburgh Withdraws from Pittsburgh Pridefest

I’m just publishing the statements by the groups as I receive them ~ Sue   GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) Pittsburgh stands in solidarity with Roots Pride Pittsburgh and the many people and organizations who are opposed to the actions of the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh, who booked Iggy Azalea as the […]

How To Be Smarter, Not Just Sound Smarter

I’ve always been a smarty pants, especially when it comes to vocabulary. My parents had me reading at an early age and I absorbed words from well-written books like a sponge. I’ve often been accused of affecting airs because I use a lot of “big words” in my day-to-day communication. One time, a supervisor added […]

Dreams of Hope Youth Video Supports #TakeTheHighRoad

Dreams of Hope #TakeTheHighRoad

Flannel is not the enemy. The youth in Pittsburgh based queer performing arts group Dreams of Hope took our #TakeTheHighRoad message of support to McGuffey High LGBTQA students a few steps further – producing this lovely video with their own unique messages. What can I add? You might still want to post your own photo […]

Book Drive at Perry Traditional Academy Because #WeNeedDiverseBooks

Perry Traditional Academy

  Perry Traditional Academy is the only high school on the North Side of Pittsburgh. The library staff and community supporters have set up a book drive through Amazon to bolster the school library. As I live on the North Side, it caught my attention so I interviewed Sheila, one of the librarians. I encourage […]

#TakeTheHighRoad – Support LGBTQA Students at McGuffey

Students at McGuffey High School in Claysville, Washington County, Pennsylvania experienced backlash to their ‘Day of Silence’ – a group of classmates organized their own “Anti-Gay” day creating an atmosphere of fear and discomfort for LGBTQA students and allies. One tactic of the students was to wear flannel shirts and ink the phrase “anti-gay” as […]

Washington County High School Students Stage ‘Anti-Gay’ Protests

anti-gay day

Students in a Washington County school are attempting to harass and intimidate their LGBTQ peers with what seems to be a coordinated “anti-gay” activities, including wearing coordinated clothing and targeting the lockers of LGBTQ students. A group of students allegedly spread the news that if they were “anti-gay,” they were to wear a flannel shirt […]

Can I Bring My Gay Friend to the GLCC Youth Programs?

Earlier this week, I represented Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ Community Center (the GLCC) at an event for teen girls in a program called GirlGov . My assigned task was to describe advocacy opportunities with the GLCC. But as so often is the case, my actual reason for being there was something entirely different. The set-up was like speed […]

Donate Back To School Supplies for LGBTQ Youth

School supplies

Backpacks or similar bags are de rigueur for school students, no matter what grade. There are always trends in terms of what’s a cool bag, but for many youth – a durable bag that functions is pretty much what they want. So I have this blue backpack that I purchased in August 1998 for grad […]

Mock: Define yourself before other people do it for you

Define yourself, Janet Mock said Tuesday night, because if you don’t, other people will define you—and they will “chew you up and spit you out.” In a wide-ranging discussion with about 200 students, faculty and community members at Carnegie Mellon University, Mock said her strong sense of self has helped her endure her time in […]

Stryker: Trans issues at ‘a historical moment’

We’re at a “historical moment in the media” for trans people, says Susan Stryker, historian, author, filmmaker, activist and director of the Institute for LGBT Studies at the University of Arizona. Stryker delivered the annual Margaret Morrison Lecture at Carnegie Mellon University on Monday. Part of CMU’s celebration of Women’s History Month, the lecture is […]