Is an #AMPLIFY Tee Shirt (fundraiser) a Useful Form of Resistance? #GivingTuesday

Here’s our appeal for #GivingTuesday. We need to raise $600. We’ve kicked around the idea of a tee shirt fundraiser in the past, but never came up with a concept beyond using our logo (designed by Kai Devenitch): The ongoing discussion of wearing safety pins combined with this creative anarchist button response got me thinking […]

Microaggressions on the Rise in Pittsburgh?

So I’m going to document the microagressions on this blog. I’m going to make sure you, dear readers, have a glimpse into how the world has shifted for a white, middle aged, middle class, gis gender lesbian on a day to day level. Because it is everywhere, it always has been and I’ve usually been able to acknowledge, but move on most of the time.

But there are too many Confederate flags waving over the trucks and homes of friends of my friends. There are too many Catholic-lite folks who deny the racial divides in Pittsburgh while swigging a craft brew at their favorite food truck. There are too few women in elected office and too many kids not part of the ‘412’ culture. Too many good intentions making things worse while demanding validation for trying. It is the participation trophy demands in social justice work that are draining our resources and preventing us from lifting up the actual contributions from people of color, queer and trans folks, bisexual folks, disabled people, etc. We have too many sacred cows and not enough kleenex for the white tears of indignation and outrage.

Looking Up The Family Nuts #NaBloPoMo

NaBloPoMo Thanksgiving

What do you think we could all do better with if we looked at it with a child’s eyes? Yesterday, we spent the holiday with Ledcat’s family which includes Ava, age 10 (almost 11) and Jack, age 8 (8 and a 1/2 in his terms.) Ava was assigned to make the name tags for our […]

Take Our #AMPLIFY Tee Shirt Survey & Resist UPDATED

If you are interested in purchasing a tee shirt (as a fundraiser) either for yourself or to donate to another participant, please complete this survey. We need feedback on the style of shirts we order, the slogan/logo and some other details.

If you need a little “grrrr” to get you going, last night someone trolled me through this survey. It wasn’t pleasant to read, but the nasty comment illustrates why we need to lift up the narrative of everyday lives. This person has been trolling me since I wrote a blog post about Dalia Sabae, a bisexual woman of color who was murdered by her husband a few weeks ago. It takes a measure of commitment to the hate to log into a survey & work some personal slams against me into the responses. If you want to read more about that, go to my Facebook page.

Our Cat Has Pancreatic Cancer and Three Months to Live #NaBloPoMo

Emberly came to live with us in late September 2015. He had been living on the streets near a friend’s home in Brighton Heights. My original thought was that we would take him to the shelter when it was open, but a night in our bathroom was better than another night on the streets. Then […]

Lav, 29, a Queer Trans Gender Non Binary Mermaid Witch Warrior #AMPLIFY

trans queer Allegheny County

Being trans is hard for me because while I feel very much male I also feel like a woman. I also feel like neither. At times I want to transition and other times I am completely happy being in this body. At this point I have accepted that my gender fluctuates and i have stopped doubting myself but it can be hard to be visible. Sometimes I have guilt for feeling safe in my female body. Sometimes I resent not being able to be seen as the person I am unless people really get to know me. I think I still have some growing to do in terms of my gender identity. I’m not really sure but I think that trans people who have paved the path for me to feel these feelings and know I can be supported is incredible and brave and revolutionary.

I Made It! for the Holidays Returns for 2016 THIS WEEKEND #ThingsToDo

I Made It! Holiday Market

Ledcat and I are both loyal fans of I Made It! Market. We’ve been to lots of markets, occasionally set up tables and especially love I Made It! for the Holidays each year. The vendors are so much fun and always have interesting gift items.  The rotating venues make it special as well. I also […]

Gin Wigmore is Performing at Stage AE in December

Gin Wigmore Pittsburgh tour

A few weeks ago, I was asked to interview New Zealand musician Gin Wigmore who is performing at Stage AE on Wednesday December 7, 2016.  She has a new full length album due to drop in March 2017 and launched her “Let It Ride” tour in Mexico City this weekend. President Obama is a huge fan and […]

Storytelling is Solidarity #NaBloPoMo #TDOR

Trans Day of Remembrance 2016

Today, we acknowledge and commemorate the lives of our trans siblings & neighbors who have lost their lives to violence this past year via the Trans Day of Remembrance #TDOR. Since early 2013, I have tried diligently to write one blog post for each person so I can use a proper photo, use their lived […]

Here’s My #NaBloPoMo Post About The Gilmore Girls

I have been blogging daily, but not sticking with the prompts. However, I refuse to be a #NaBloPoMo drop-out. This coming Friday, I will not be shopping. Instead, I will sleep-in and then settle in to binge watch The Gilmore Girls ‘Year in the Life’ special on Netflix. Fortunately for me, Ledcat’s friend has asked […]