Trans Woman Helle Jae O’Regan Murdered in San Antonio

Helle Jae O’Regan is the 11th transperson known murdered in the US during 2020. She died on Wednesday, May 6. She was 20 years old when she was murdered in a bizarre rampage at her San Antonio workplace – a hair salon. A man apparently denied services left the store, returned with a knife and […]

Pittsburgh Trans and Queer Face Mask Project Receives Donation of 3000 Masks

Lots of big news from the Pittsburgh MasQUe ProjecT Donation of 1,000 masks from City of Pittsburgh Donation of 2,000 masks through Global Links Partnering with Pittsburgh Equality Center as our fiscal sponsor Partnering with Center for Creative Reuse as fabric sponsor Working with Garden of Peace, SisTers PGH, Shepherd Wellness Community, True T PGH […]

The #WarshYourHands Shirt and Soap and Snowflake Kits Are For Sale

Snowflakes wash their hands. Steel City Snowflakes WARSH our hands (n’at?) These cute kits contain one tee shirt printed by the snowflakes at Etna Print Circus, one bar of soap handcrafted by Dragonfly Lake Scents, and a digital Steel City Snowflake created by us. All for less than $26plus shipping. You can also do a […]

Black Trans Woman Nina Pop, 28, Murdered in Missouri

Nina Pop was 28 years old when she was killed, making her the 10th transgender person known to be murdered in the U.S. this year. She died on May 3, 2020. She was born and raised in Sikeston, Missouri. Sikeston is about 145 miles south of St. Louis. She worked in a local restaurant and […]

The Destructive Creativity of Hypomania

I am what some call bipolar. Bipolar is not a respectful way to describe my disorder or identity. I have bipolar disorder. I live with bipolar disorder. It is part of me, but shortening a diagnosis to a single word is not efficient or effective. It’s just lazy. Don’t describe anyone as ‘bipolar’ I was […]

Day 49

It is hard to continue living with uncertainty. I know there’s no return to normalcy, rather the creation of a new normal. How new it will be is puzzling. With regard to health, surely we will continue wearing face masks and practicing social distancing until there is a vaccine and widespread antibody testing. Just as […]

World Press Freedom Day 

From the New York Times Local journalism is in crisis and at risk of disappearing. These vital resources are critical to the safety, security and knowledge of our communities, never more so than in these difficult times. On World Press Freedom Day and every day, we encourage you to find a local news organization you […]

Be Part of Our Face Mask Reviews and Help Pgh Food Bank

We are going to need multiple masks to get through 2020. Two person aka one to wear, one to wash at a bare minimum. Anything might work in the short-term, but over the long haul – people need to make careful choices. How do you choose the right face mask for you? What material? Elastic […]

Penélope Díaz Ramírez is the Third Trans Woman Murdered in Puerto Rico in Ten Day Period

Just days after reporting on the murders of two Latina teens women in Puerto Rico, we’ve learned of the brutal slaying of a third. Penélope Díaz Ramírez, a 31-year-old trans woman, was beaten and hanged to death at the Bayamon correctional complex, a men’s prison in Puerto Rico. She was murdered on April 13, but […]

Look for the helpers. Then help them.

One thing I’ve typically done well is filling gaps in services, looking for unmet needs. Right now, I have a lot of balls in the air because the needs are seemingly endless. These are projects where modest donations can have a big impact. Here are some ways to help your neighbors. Help animals. Help veterans. […]