Q&A with Deb Gross, Candidate for Pittsburgh City Council District 7

Deb Gross for City Council

We are revisiting our Political Q&A series for the upcoming elections of 2019. We’ve reached out to candidates who are pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ, asking them a series of questions about their campaigns. We’ve sent out about a dozen Q&A’s to folks who agreed to participate. Candidates can be anywhere in Pennsylvania running for any level of […]

Q&A with Dale Lazarov, a Gay Puerto Rican Comic Book Writer and Poet

Dale Lazarov 3 Rivers Comic Con

A few months ago,  my friend Joe Wos told me about his friend, Dale, a comic creator also known as the Stan Lee of Gay. Of course, I was interested and it turns out that Dale is coming to Pittsburgh May 11-12 for 3 Rivers Comic Con, so we set up a  chat. Dale is […]

Q&A with Queer Owned Rickert & Beagle Books in Dormont

Rickert & Beagle Books

Your Name: Christy Pluto (nee Rickert) Your Age: 42 Your Pronouns: She/ Her Your Affiliation with Rickert & Beagle Owner How do you describe your identity? Queer, cis. Please tell us about your very first impression of Pittsburgh: My first impression of Pittsburgh was coming over one of the bridges at night, on my way […]

bee Revisits 60+ Years of Her Feminist Lesbian Experiences in Pittsburgh #AMPLIFY

Allegheny County LGBTQ

Name: bee Age: 60 County of Residence: Allegheny County Pronouns: She/Her How do you describe your identity? I’m a lesbian feminist. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I came home from a day in the First Grade and announced that I wanted to marry my teacher (a nun) and kiss […]

Q&A with the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) Pittsburgh Chapter About Stigmatization, Support, and Safety

Content Note: sexual violence, erasure, sex shaming, criminal justice Last month, I shared a link on my social media channels to an article that I mistakenly thought was lifting up the voices of Women of Color around sex trafficking. I was called out on the link by several people and realized that I had fallen […]

Celebrating #TDOV with 64 Trans Stories from Western Pennsylvania

Transgender Day of Visibility Pennsylvania

In honor of the Day of Trans Visibility, here are 64 stories from neighbors who live in Pittsburgh, Erie, Johnstown, Greensburg, New Castle, Bradford and beyond. These stories have been curated from the #AMPLIFY archive which has 290 stories total to date. Some are in their early 20s while others are closer to 60. Some […]

Maria, 37, is a Queer Trans Latinx Challenging Us To Be Better Trans Allies #AMPLIFY

Trans Woman Pittsburgh

It is never easy coming out, be it for the first time or the hundredth time, and that little bit of fear is still there after having some people in my life no longer wish to be a part of my life. But I feel it is important to be out, and visible, and that […]

Q&A with Olivia ‘Liv’ Bennett, Candidate for Allegheny County Council District 13

Olivia Bennett County Council

We are revisiting our Political Q&A series for the upcoming elections of 2019. We’ve reached out to candidates who are pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ, asking them a series of questions about their campaigns. We’ve sent out about a dozen Q&A’s to folks who agreed to participate. Candidates can be anywhere in Pennsylvania running for any level […]

Madelyne, 19, Shares Her Story as a Lesbian Growing Up in Johnstown #AMPLIFY

Lesbian Johnstown

It’s important to hear multiple coming out stories and just listen for a while before assuming you know everything. Once you hear some stories, ask those individuals what you can do to help. Name: Madelyne “Maddie” Moore Age: 19 County of Residence: Cambria Pronouns: She/Her/Her’s How do you describe your identity? A happy lesbian Please describe your […]

Homeless Cats & Urban Residents: A Q&A With the Homeless Cat Management Team

Pittsburgh Cat Food Drive

Last month, we launched a cat food drive to support homeless caretakers in partnership with the Homeless Cat Management Team and CARMAA to support the good folks who are taking care of homeless cats. In that spirit, I reached out to one of the “cat ladies” who has been instrumental in educating me. Last year […]