Maya, 20, Identifies as a Black Queer Fat Femme Woman #AMPLIFY

My queerness was never the only thing I had to deal with, and trying to understand who I was in the midst of the rest of my life was so daunting. Name: Maya Age: 20 County of Residence: Allegheny, previously Columbia, MD Pronouns: She/Her/Hers How do you describe your identity? I am a Black, Fat, Femme, cis woman, Jewish, advocate and […]

Freedom Isn’t Free: Invest in the Work of POC in Our Community

Today is the Fourth of July and many of us are celebrating and/or enjoying the relative degree of freedom we have as American citizens. Not everyone is free and not everyone saw independence in 1776 or anytime soon after. The enslavement of African peoples as well as the eradication of Native Americans indigenous to these […]

Ebony Morgan is 15th Trans Woman of Color Murdered in 2017

Lynchburg, Virginia was the home of 28-year-old Ebony Morgan as well as the location where she died from a gunshot wound on Sunday, July 2. Ebony is the 15th trans woman of color and the 13th Black trans woman to be murdered in the US in 2017. According to the Lynchburg media, police responded to […]

Will There Be Justice for Kala Thomas? #SayHerName

Kala Thomas was 25 years old, raising four children as a single, working black mother in Garfield with the support of her extended family. On May 23, her body was discovered in the hillside behind her home. Her abandoned car was found the next day. Six weeks later, police have not identified any suspects. I […]

An Open LGBTQ Pride Letter to @SenCasey UPDATED

Senator Casey LGBTQ

Senator Bob Casey has been working hard to move left and seize the post-electoral mantle of a progressive leader in Pennsylvania. And we absolutely need him to continue his aggressive leadership on choice, healthcare, immigration and more. So it was quite jarring to come across this the other day. It is a photo from the […]

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Hello, hello, hello. Ledcat and I are heading out the door soon for a week of vacation fun at Rehoboth Beach. Our friend invited us to join her family at their beach house which is super generous of them. We are looking forward to some R&R and a few little adventures as well. Our beloved […]

Mindy, 42, Lives Semi-Open as Trans in Rural Elk County #AMPLIFY

Transgender Elk County

Name: Mindy S. Age: 42 County of Residence: Elk County Pronouns: If I look male, then “he”. If I look like a female, then “she”. How do you describe your identity? I am bi-gendered, attracted to cisgender women. Meaning while I can live and be happy with being a male, I have a feminine side that needs to be expressed […]

Katie, 25, Identifies as Puerto Rican, White, Cis-Female and Lesbian #AMPLIFY

What motivated you to take part in this project? I love surveys. I love when marginalized people are asked to share their stories. I love reading all the stories and remembering how diverse this world is. I love being a part of something bigger than myself.

My Family Immigration Story: The Short Life of Sadie Butler (1872-1922)

I first learned about Sadie Butler in the early 2000’s when I sent away for the Catholic Diocesan records of my paternal great-grandfather whom I (erroneously) believed was Irish Catholic. To my surprise, I learned the Irish Kerr’s were Protestant via the marriage information of my second great-grandparents, John K Kerr (1869-1908) and Sarah A […]

#CatCar Repainted at #PghPride by the Most Wanted Fine Art Crew

It has been a busy Pride season for us. In less than two weeks time, we: recorded a segment for ‘Burgh Vivant recorded a segment for Into Pittsburgh co-facilitated the first local workshop on LGBTQ media issues raised more than $1,000 to support the Peoples Pride March 2K17 spoke with reporters at The Daily Dot, […]