#SteelCitySnowflake Q&A with Tereneh Idia

Tereneh Idia Steel City Snowflakes

As part of our #SteelCitySnowflakes project, we are highlighting neighbors who contribute to the social justice fabric in our communities. Our very first snowflake profiles Tereneh Idia who sets the bar high for this work by thoughtfully assessing the concept. I personally think her feedback is vital and appreciate being in community with her.  Thank […]

Patrouious Achatz, 25, Compares LGBTQ+ Resources in Allegheny, Westmoreland, and McKean counties #AMPLIFYupdate

A Heteroromantic Demisexual Man with Trans Experience

At the request of our contributors, we are creating space for people to submit updates. We know that for some folks, life has changed so we are offering an opportunity to post an update to earlier responses. We will NOT be modifying that content, but we will create a link to this new post. This […]

FAQ: “What Do You Do When You Are Depressed?”

Depression Survival Tips

As I currently navigate my way through a bout of depression, I’m thinking about this question that I get all of the time – how do I manage my home life when I’m going through it? Welp, this post is going to focus on three Care Tips that I personally use to get through the […]

Allegheny County Democrat Committee is Not a Safe Space, Especially for Black Women

Summer_Lee_Jessica_Beham

They had one job. Endorse Democrats best suited for their respective offices. Somehow the Allegheny County Democratic Party interpreted that to mean 1) endorse a Trump supporter and 2) support misogynoir. In so doing, the ACDC has once again demonstrated that they are an actual threat to democracy, common sense, good government, and marginalized folks. […]

Grand Jury Report on Predatory Priests should make you rethink Fish Fry Season

Fish Fry Friday Pittsburgh

I wrote this in March 2019. I skipped all the Lent fish fries last year, but am unsure what to do this year. Lent is arriving in Pittsburgh and that means fish fry season is upon us. A mainstay of Catholic culture in Pittsburgh, this is the first fish fry season since the release of […]

Paczki? Pierogies? This Pittsburgher Had Never Heard of Them

Nut Roll Pittsburgh

Lent is nigh and soon a new food season will be upon us. People will wax nostalgic about their fried fish and bemoan the reality that older women who bake food tend to eventually die off unless middle-aged people who bake food take their place. The faithful will queue up in social halls, fire halls, and […]

Nominate a #SteelCitySnowflake

When I think about a Steel City Snowflake, a lot of folks come to mind – from high profile social justice warriors to the everyday folks in the trenches doing the important, vital work. Most of the time, that work goes unacknowledged, even unnoticed by the general population. Our working definition of a snowflake is […]

Enter to win a free download of Birds of Prey: The Album

Enter now for your chance to win a free download of Birds of Prey: The Album, the star-studded, all-female musical companion to the new film from Warner Bros. Pictures. Featuring “Boss Bitch” by Doja Cat and “Diamonds” by Megan Thee Stallion & Normani. Plus new music from Halsey, Saweetie, Galxara and Charlotte Lawrence Birds of […]

That Time When the Social Security Administration Took Away My Disability Benefits Without Telling Me Why: Part One

SSDI Benefits Stopped

A week ago Friday, I put the final touches on an essay for PublicSource and gave it my blessing to be published the following Monday. The topic was social security and I had a teeny twinge about triggering an unwarranted review by someone who sees all the words I create, but doesn’t read them enough […]

The Flu Strikes PghLesbian

Went to my PCP today. Wore a mask. Had a very large uncomfortable nasal swab. I have influenza. I am resting and pushing fluids. I feel like a truck ran over me. So blogging may be sporadic. Fortunately, I have soup, kittens, and Ledcat.