Holiday Shows at Pittsburgh Theaters, Santa Claus Visits ‘Burgh Vivant

Always a good time for some festive performances. Here’s a few that look terrific to us. Carnegie Stage The Carols  Dec. 7-9 @ 8:00pm, Dec 9&10 @ 3:00 pm Dec. 14-16 @ 8:00 pm, Dec. 16&17 @ 3:00 pm Tickets range from $5-30 It’s Christmastime in 1944. War is raging and, here at home, a […]

US Supreme Court Leaves Stand Texas High Court Ruling Undermining Marriage Equality

Domestic Partner Benefits

This is a nightmare scenario for me. I am not being histrionic, or perhaps I am being consistent with the histrionic level I’ve been maintaining on domestic partner benefits since 2014.  The US Supreme Court has let stand a Texas Supreme Court  ruling that there is no established right to spousal benefits in same-sex marriages. […]

Local LGBTQ Links We’ve Been Reading This Week

Links you should read Chris Potter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette covers the HRC response to a position paper from Republican gubernatorial candidate Paul Mango. Mango taps into the ‘lightning rod’ issue of bathroom access for the transgender and GNC communities. Cyd Zeigler at OUTSports explores the lack of public statement from Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin on […]

I’m Having a Hysterectomy and Stigma Won’t Stop Me From Talking About It

lesbian hysterectomy

Why am I writing about my uterus? Stigma around menstrual health and reproductive health are rampant, even in 2017. Stigma kills us and keeps us locked in cycles of pain. Stigma increases our susceptibility to cancer and other life threatening conditions. Stigma erodes our quality of life and the quality of our sex lives. In early […]

Reece, 31, Grew up in Southern Virginia, but Found LGBTQ Connections in Pittsburgh #AMPLIFY

Name: Reece Age:  31 County of Residence:  Allegheny, formerly Butler County.  Lived prior to that in Southern Virginia. Pronouns: he/him/his How do you describe your identity? Mostly gay. Most of my life I identified as bisexual. A lot of guys come out as bisexual to “soften the blow” for when they later come out as gay. That […]

Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson is the 24th Trans Person Murdered in 2017

Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson was found dead in a motel room in Oklahoma City on Monday, November 27, 2017. She was 31 years old. She is now the 24th transgender person known to be murdered in the United States during 2017. Her death comes just a week after the Transgender Day of Remembrance honored victims of […]

Dear Santa Letters from My Great-Grandmother Circa 1896

One of the sweetest moments in my family tree exploration was the discovery of a very simple item – a letter to Santa published in the Pittsburgh Press on 18 December 1896. The author was a 6-year-old girl named Jennie Rice. She lived at 70 Poplar Alley in the Lower Hill District. Jennie was either […]

Is Krampus Coming to the White House This Year?

Melania White House

When I first saw the images from the White House Christmas decor, I immediately thought “Melania is honoring her heritage!”  Melania Trump is from Slovenia, one of several Central European-Balkan nations that include “companions” in their holiday traditions – typically frightening beasts who acommpany St. Nicholas for some reason or another, manifesting the consequences of […]

Western PA Federal Court Ruling Establishes Sexual Orientation as Protected Class in Workplace

EEOC ruling sexual orienation

A November 16 ruling by in the US Federal District for Western Pennsylvania paves the way for sexual orientation to be considered a protected class in the workplace. Scott Medical Health Center has been ordered to pay $55,500 and provide written notifications of sex harassment allegations made in the next five years. The case, filed […]

Tara, 24, is a Femme, Queer Human #AMPLIFY

Name:  Tara Foran Age: 24 County of Residence: Philadelphia, formerly Allegheny County Pronouns: she/her How do you describe your identity? Femme queer.  Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I came out when I was 17. At the time, I was witnessing a shift in the way the people around me […]