Category: Politics

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Pittsburgh’s Mayor Launches LGBT Advisory Council Amidst Unanswered Questions

December 12, 2008 by
Pittsburgh’s Mayor Launches LGBT Advisory Council Amidst Unanswered Questions

FURTHER UPDATE:  If you wonder why campaign contributions matter, check out this PG article on the connection between contributions and City contracts.  Transparency, my friends.  Michael Lamb gets transparency. ************************************************************************************ UPDATE:  In response to some community outrage (after 10 minutes), let me be clear that I am not suggesting any specific improprieties on the part […]

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The Mayor’s GLBT Advisory Council

December 11, 2008 by
The Mayor’s GLBT Advisory Council

I left tonight's meeting with some unanswered questions that I have submitted to his staff, so I'm going to give you a brief overview of the proceedings and save my analysis for a later date. There 25 people in attendance, plus two folks from the media (City Paper and Rustbelt Radio).  They are accepting nominations through […]

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Steel City Stonewall Announces Membership Meeting

December 4, 2008 by
Steel City Stonewall Announces Membership Meeting

Here's an important upcoming meeting. Note that this is one day prior to the Mayor's mtg and an excellent opportunity to discuss nominations for the Advisory Council as well as any process issues.  A planned agenda item is recruitment for Steel City.  As I've said before, I think this is one of the most important […]

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Mayor’s staff to meet with LGBT leaders to prepare for Advisory Council

December 4, 2008 by
Mayor’s staff to meet with LGBT leaders to prepare for Advisory Council

A representative from the Mayor's office will be meeting with representatives from various LGBT organizations and entities to discuss the composition of the new Advisory Council.  While the Mayor's planning team has reached out to Leadership Pittsburgh, LP will not be playing any part in the formation of the council.  That's regrettable as the process […]

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County Council and Anti-Discrimination Legislation

November 21, 2008 by
County Council and Anti-Discrimination Legislation

Just received a call to action from the Steel-City Stonewall Democrats.  As you may recall, legislation has been introduced on the county level which would expand civil protections with regard to housing, employment and public accomodations to include the classes of sexual orientation and gender identity.  This is an important step for our region toward […]

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PG Saturday Diary: A Proud Father, Gay African-American and future minister speaks

November 8, 2008 by
PG Saturday Diary: A Proud Father, Gay African-American and future minister speaks

Be sure to read this piece from the Post-Gazette Saturday diary: In this miracle we call America, my own life is a testament to promises made, and kept. I studied and worked hard. I have a good job. I worked in Congress for a well-known senator as the Reagan revolution began, one of only a […]

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Am I naive about the Wagner/Peduto pairing?

October 25, 2008 by
Am I naive about the Wagner/Peduto pairing?

This came across my desk about 14 times last week: Invitation Please join Councilman Bill Peduto &State Representative Chelsa Wagner for “The Life of the Party”Halloween Party feat. live music by The Old E AllstarsDJ Omar Abdul Friday, October 31 from 8 to 11 PM The Grand Hall at The Priory614 Pressley Street, Northside Cost […]

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A little election fatigue

October 18, 2008 by
A little election fatigue

I feel a bit fatigued, to be honest with you.  Obviously, I'm tired of the ads and the 27 minutes of media coverage during a 30 minute program.  But I'm also getting tired of my political friends.  I get at least a dozen Facebook invitations to rally after get out the vote campaign after fundraiser.  […]

Main PageMarriagePolitics

Deliberative poll on same-sex marriage

September 22, 2008 by
Deliberative poll on same-sex marriage

The Post-Gazette's “Next Page” featured a fascinating article on the implementation of deliberative polling around marriage issues.  My interpretation of this process is that it strives to create an informed voter, rather than create systemic changing dialogue grounded in consensus.  At the core of deliberative polling lies the belief that to develop an informed opinion […]

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Voter Registration: October 6 is the deadline

September 18, 2008 by
Voter Registration: October 6 is the deadline

Have you registered anyone to vote in this election?  A friend, a comrade, a work buddy, your godmother, the neighbor, the dog walker, the fence sitter, the guy on the corner, etc?  Here's the link to the PA Voter Information page.   http://www.votespa.com/   All you need to know.  Now, if you are looking for some guidance […]