Naheen, 29, Is a Gay Black Male Who Feels Confident in Himself #AMPLIFY

Pittsburgh Gay

Name: Naheen Age: 29 County of Residence: Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: He, him How do you describe your identity? I am a gay black male Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I was forced to come out after my mother allegedly accidentally was going through my voicemails on my old cricket phone […]

Mourning the Murder of Quartney Davia Dawsonn-Yochum, 32, Los Angeles

Quartney Davia Dawsonn-Yochum

Her name was Quartney Davia Dawsonn-Yochum. She was also known as Kourtney Yochum. She was 32 years old. She had two dogs. She also happened to be a trans woman of color. And now she is dead, after a former partner shot her in the afternoon of Tuesday, March 22, in Los Angeles near her home. […]

Mia Donna Has Wild Happy Life as a Pansexual Polyamorous Person #AMPLIFY

queer Washington County

  Name: Mia Donna Age: 43 County of Residence:  Washington, formerly Allegheny and Westmoreland Preferred Pronouns: she, her How do you describe your identity? pansexual gender fluid human Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? ha. i laugh because i dont believe i really had a true coming out experience. i […]

RevDrRay, 49, Believes LGBTQ Folks Deserve Strong & Powerful ‘Spiritual’ Life #AMPLIFY

Pittsburgh Gay Black Man

I just want to say that it is possible to have a strong and powerful “spiritual” life; we do not deserve the often used bible or faith based abuses dished out and far too often accepted by the masses. Name: RevDrRay Age: 49 County of Residence: formerly Allegheny County, now Washington DC metro area Preferred Pronouns: masculine How do […]

16 Year Old GenderFluid Iowa Teen Shot to Death

Kedarie/Kandicee Johnson

Today, I learned of the March 2 murder by gunshot of 16 year old Kedarie/Kandicee Johnson, a gender-fluid teen living in an Iowa suburb. From The Advocate: Police found Johnson after responding to calls from neighbors, who said that they heard “five to six” gunshots fired in the area, reports The Hawk Eye. Covered with […]

The Tragic Killing of Jasmine Sierra, 52, TWOC from Bakersfield CA

Jasmine Sierra Trans

A complicated tragic story involving the death of a trans woman of color in Bakersfield, California. From The Advocate: Police found the body of Jasmine Sierra, a transgender woman of color, on January 22 in an apartment on the 1000 block of Monterey Street, according to a report from local TV station KBAK. Police say […]

Sara, 28, Single Mom, Agnostic Jew, and Queer in Ohio #AMPLIFY

Pittsburgh lesbian mom

  Name: Sara Age: 28 County of Residence: formerly Allegheny County, now Columbus, Ohio Preferred Pronouns: She/her How do you describe your identity? I’m an agnostic Jew. I’m white. I’m queer and a big old dyke. I’m a gold star lesbian. I’m a single mama to two little boys. Just started dating a wonderful woman and couldn’t be happier with […]

Shain Describes Being a Gay Kid in the Nancy Reagan Fear Generation #AMPLIFY UPDATED

Gay Mercer County

“He was just thin, lived in NYC, and was gay so in the early 90’s, and being a kid of the Nancy Reagan fear generation, I assumed he had full blow AIDS and that someday I would, too.” Name:  Shain Kish Age: 32 County of Residence:  Mercer County, also lived in Allegheny. Now lives in New […]

Arrest in the Murder of Philly Trans Woman of Color, Maya Young

Maya Young Philadelphia

Police have made at least one arrest in the murder of Maya Young, a 25 year old trans woman of color who was stabbed to death in February.  From Philly.com – NOTE that Maya is misgendered and her old name and criminal history are disclosed without any clear connection to her murder. Tiffany E. Floyd, […]

Persad Presents ‘Origins of Pride’ Lecture on Sunday

Nexus Event! Not to be Missed… MARCH 6, 2016, 3-6 P.M. at Persad Center A program about LGBTQ History and the “Origins of Pride,” presented by Ted Hoover, staff at Persad Center. You may know that the Stonewall Riots sparked the birth of the modern LGBTQ  movement… but do you know who Barbara Gittings was? […]