Q&A with Will Anderson, Candidate for PA State House District 24

This is the next in a series of blog posts about individuals challenging incumbents or running non-traditional races in Pennsylvania. Will’s campaign reached out to me after I posted a call for respondents. He is running in the primary against a Democrat State Rep in the 24th district. Will has documented his years of community […]

Q&A with Sara Innamorato, Candidate for PA State House District 21

I’ve known Sara for about a year, mostly through Facebook and shared interests in organizing. I know that she worked with New Voices Pittsburgh, a venerable progressive organization, and had co-founded She Runs to bring electoral tools to women in the region. Then I read about her decision to challenge Dom Costa and her partnership […]

Q&A with Amber Sloan, Candidate for Allegheny County Democratic Committee

A friend of mine stepped up to run for office, specifically for a seat at the table of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee.  Amber is a powerful voice in the City, especially in her home neighborhood of Homewood. Read her AMPLIFY profile here We’ve been featuring candidates for various offices, but this is our first […]

Q&A with Summer Lee, Candidate for PA State House District 34

Summer Lee for PA

The first encounter I had with Summer Lee was when she reached out to me in 2017, asking to meet with me to discuss LGBTQ issues that were on her radar. I learned she is an attorney and children’s advocate, she’s been deeply involved in the efforts to push back against police and staff brutality against students in […]

Q&A with Aerion Andrew Abney, Candidate for PA State House District 19

A few years ago, I answered a knock on my door in Manchester and met this energetic young man who was running for a committee seat. His enthusiasm was contagious and we became Facebook friends. I’ve followed his career and continue to admire his enthusiasm, his leadership in Manchester, and his passion for service. Aerion […]

Confessions of a Rick Santorum Intern

Rick Santorum internship

Yes, I was an intern in then-Congressman Rick Santorum’s DC offices for six months during 1991. Me. Most of you know this. Some of you don’t. This internship and the photo it generated are perhaps one of the most enduring legacies of this blog. 27 years after the fact, it is still a salient and […]

Q&A with Erika Strassburger, Candidate for Pgh City Council District 8

Erika Strassburger yard sign

The Special Election to fill the City Council seat for District 8, formerly held by Dan Gilman is many things. It is a contested election with Democratic, Republican, and Independent contenders. It is a race full of big ideas on everything from pothole repairs to clean water and rent control. It is also a genuine […]

LGBT Activists Say Amazon Should Avoid Pennsylvania For Lack of Statewide Protections

When I first heard about this effort a few months ago, I was intrigued – holding Amazon accountable to its own policy of affirming LGBT rights by choosing a new location (HQ2) in a state that has statewide nondiscrimination policies. Pennsylvania does not. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia do, but the state does not. “Employees, their families, […]

RIP Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien, 42, First Trans Woman Murdered in 2018

Christa

A 42-year-old in the town of North Adams, Massachusetts is the first known transgender person to be killed in 2018 in the United States. Her name was Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien. The man who confessed to police that he killed Christa is her husband, 47-year-old Mark Steele-Knudslien. He is awaiting arraignment. An autopsy will be conducted Sunday […]