Miss Erie Pride 2015: Embrace Who We Are Meant To Be #AMPLIFY

Erie Gay

  Read the entire AMPLIFY LGBTQ Q&A archive. AMPLIFY LGBTQ is a new occasional series of blog posts designed to give a “signal boost” to the voices of our LGBTQ neighbors throughout Western Pennsylvania. We are using a Q&A format and will minimize editing their responses. The questions, however, may change as we ask each participant […]

RIP Keyshia Blige, Another TWOC Whose Death Went Undiscovered

Keyshia Blige

We are on the road to participate in Erie Pridefest this weekend when I read this news on Facebook via The Guardian – another trans woman of color had been killed earlier this year, but the information didn’t hit the news until now. The reason? Misgendering by the police and the media. Her name was Keyshia […]

Another TWOC Murdered in Kansas City Missouri, #SayHerName Jasmine Collins

Transwoman Murder

Reporters covering the murder of TWOC Tamara Rodriguez in Kansas City have brought to light another death that occurred on June 23 but went unacknowledged because of misgendering. 32-year-old Jasmine Collins was stabbed to death, allegedly over a pair of shoes. From The Advocate: Police in Kansas City, Mo., tellThe Advocate that a 32-year-old trans […]

Alex Describes Erie’s LGBTQ Community as Live and Let Live #AMPLIFY

Read the entire AMPLIFY LGBTQ Q&A archive. AMPLIFY LGBTQ is a new occasional series of blog posts designed to give a “signal boost” to the voices of our LGBTQ neighbors throughout Western Pennsylvania. We are using a Q&A format and will minimize editing their responses. The questions, however, may change as we ask each participant to […]

Review of the Movie ‘Tangerine’

Last week, Ledcat and I decided to catch the indie-film ‘Tangerine’ at The Harris Theater. The film follows two trans women during the course of one Christmas Day in Los Angeles. Alexandra and Sin-Dee are best friends with aspirations, hopes and lots of street smarts. Sin-Dee is on a quest to track down her erstwhile […]

Second Arrest Warrant in the Murder of Andre Gray

Bisexual Pittsburgh

Last night, I learned of a new development in the investigation of Andre Gray’s murder. Police issued a warrant for the arrest of Raymond Schifino also known as Hoover Smallz.  From KDKA: Raymond Schifino, 29, has been charged with arson, theft, abuse of a corpse, animal cruelty and tampering with evidence. According to the criminal […]

Tamara Dominguez Is Most Recent Trans Woman Murdered in 2015

Tamara Dominguez Trans

The week of August 9, 2015 may be one of the worst in LGBTQ history, specifically transgender history. This past ten days saw the actual death OR discovery of the death of six transgender women of color. The sixth sister lost to this horrifying epidemic was Tamara Dominguez of Kansas City, Missouri. She was 36. […]

Update on the Campaign to Remember Andre Gray

Pittsburgh Bisexual

Last weekend, we were striving to raise $3500 for the memorial bench to honor Andre Gray and his dog, Boss.  Honoring those we’ve lost is an important ritual in our society, almost a necessary part of the healing process. This really powerful piece ran in the Post-Gazette Pet Tales column.  Boss — who was not yet […]

Body of Missing TWOC Elisha Walker Found in North Carolina

Angel Elisha Walker

Friday, authorities in North Carolina announced that they had discovered the body of 20-year-old Elisha Walker, a trans woman of color who had been missing since The body of Elisha Walker, a 20-year-old transgender woman who had been missing for almost a year, was found in a “crude grave” in Johnston County, North Carolina. According […]

Kandis Capri Murdered in Phoenix, 3rd TWOC Death Reported This Week

Kandis Capri transgender

Late late night, I learned from my Facebook friend Monica Jones that a trans woman had been killed in Phoenix. Her name was Kandis Capri and she was 35 years old. Few details are available, but an account in The Guardian describes a domestic altercation involving Kandis’ housemate. Note, the Guardian interviews her mother who […]