India Clarke is Tenth Trans Woman of Color Murdered #SayHerName

India Clarke

Horrifying news out of Tampa – 25 years old India Clarke was found murdered near her parents’ home early this morning. From Transgriot: 25 year old India Clarke’s body was found after the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department received a phone call at 9 AM EDT this morning from an employee at the University Area Community […]

Amber Has Always Been Proud Of Being OUT #AMPLIFY

Amber Sloan

How would you describe yourself in terms of “being out”? I’ve always been proud of being OUT, it allowed me to actually feel comfortable in who I was and am!! When I was coming up it was not acceptable to be OUT. it was hard so as time changed I felt a sense of relief to just be able to be myself at work in my community work and feel free!!!

Describe your geographical community. im from Homewood Brushton which is an urban community!!!

AMPLIFY! Sam Prefers The Ambiguity of Queer Identity to a Specific Label

Sam Thorp

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 mostly avoid editing their responses. The questions, however, may change as we ask each […]

AMPLIFY: Jan Offers an Older Perspective on LGBTQ Pittsburgh

Western Pennsylvania

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 mostly avoid editing their responses. The questions, however, may change as we ask each participant to tell us what we’ve missed […]

AMPLIFY! CJ Describes Living Stealth as a Trans Man

CJ Pennsylvania

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 mostly avoid editing their responses. The questions, however, may change as we ask each participant to tell us what we’ve missed […]

Mad Mex ‘Menu Humor’ Targets Trans Community, Then Apologizes

I noticed this on Facebook today on the page of a friend in the LGBTQ community. It is from the menu of a Mad Mex restaurant in Shadyside: Apparently, word got out today. Between this AM and 5 PM, Mad Mex updated their website about this matter. They apologized with more than a hint of […]

AMPLIFY! Paula Speaks Out About Bisexual Exclusion and Bi Erasure

Pittsburgh Bisexual

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 mostly avoid editing their responses. The questions, however, may change as we ask each participant to tell us what we’ve missed […]

Mercedes Williamson 17 Year Old Trans Woman Murdered in Alabama

Mercedes Williamson

17. 17 is still a girl, a young woman. This 17 year old was an aspiring cosmetologist with people who cared about her. Yet at 17, Mercedes Williamson joins the ranks of trans women who have been murdered in the United States. According to The Advocate, Mercedes was estranged from her family and living with […]

All in a day’s work!

Last week, I wrote about a Post-Gazette reporter who wanted to talk to me about Caitlyn Jenner. On Friday, she called me to say there was a misunderstanding, and the Post-Gazette does not have a “real names” policy regarding transgender people. They could have quoted me using my pen name, she said, and she apologized for […]

Graham crackers

It seems like the Post-Gazette’s Jennifer Graham, winner of this week’s “Best Turd in a Punchbowl” award, is new to Pittsburgh. Her magnum derpus about Caitlyn Jenner is only her second column for One of America’s Best Potato-Peelings Catchers, according to Davyoe of “2 Political Junkies.” I did look at Jennifer “Quietest of Voices” Graham’s […]