Remember the Aunties on #LGBTQFamiliesDay

This is my first #LGBTQFamiliesDay as a married lady. My wife, Laura, and I tied the knot on Groundhog’s Day earlier in 2021 after nearly 18 years of togetherness. You can read our story here if you are interested. It was a very cool political lesbian blogger wedding, but wildly different than anything I could […]

Q&A With Bethani Cameron, Candidate for City Council District 4

Bethani Cameron

Let’s re-imagine public safety with a heavy emphasis on mental health and substance use response teams who have many years of school to understand how to evaluate and de-escalate, and how to encourage ongoing treatment for those who need it.  We make police do this now. It doesn’t work. We will have more and more […]

Remember the Kitties: Ferat Cat Colony Food Drive Update

where to donate cat food pittsburgh

  Remember, we are hosting an ongoing cat food drive to benefit the human neighbors who take care of the colonies. Some are elders (up to 97!), some are also volunteers with feral cat organizations, others are veterans and families and even more have picked up the mantle from a family member – what a […]

Three Additional Trans and Gender Nonconforming Murders Come to Light Just Before TDOR

A horrifying discovery this night before Trans Day of Remembrance – reports of the violent deaths of three more gender non-conforming and trans neighbors came to light. Thank you to The Advocate for excellent reporting on heartbreaking and tragic stories. Photo of Yunieski Carey Herrera via The Advocate Miami transgender performer and activist Yunieski Carey […]

Q&A with Blogger Mark S. King about Awards, HIV Storytelling, and Finding Hope in a Pandemic

Mark S. King GLAAD Award

As the reigning GLAAD OUTstanding LGBTQ Blog from 2019, it has been my duty to to pass the title and tiara to the 2020 winner, Mark S. King from My Fabulous Disease. While he’s been getting a lot of mileage from his Susan Lucci status as ‘always a bridesmaid, never a bride’ these past years, […]

Q&A with Carolyn & Donny of Empath Sober Bar

Empath_Mocktails

We are here to redefine the “go-to” way of how we socialize and celebrate and to provide options for everyone. It is not about just the drinks but about the atmosphere, connection and community that we are looking to create. Your Names: Carolyn Hilliard and Donny Donovan Your Age: Carolyn (37) and Donny (29) Your […]

316 Reasons to Add Your LGBTQ Story to the #AMPLIFY Archive

Since 2015, we have been collecting stories from LGBTQ folks with ties to Western Pennsylvania. Some live here now, others grew up in this region. Others still attended college or had a job that brought them here or spent summers with their grandparents in an outlying community. Here includes 26 counties in Western Pennsylvania, from […]

Flip the Script: a Q&A for Sue Created by Anne Lynch

Flip the Script

This is the first installment of our new blogging Q&A project: Flip the Script. I have invited a group of friends and acquaintances to design a Q&A for me to answer. As we near #AMPLIFY 300, I thought it would be a good opportunity to ‘flip the script’ and put myself on the opposite side […]

Ten Alternative Gifts to Celebrate Easter & Spring & More

alternative easters gifts

We are honoring Passover and Easter this week along with the first real lasting bout of spring weather. This means lots of sniffles, but also buying stuff for gifts – candy, toys, etc. I don’t want to take away your joy at gnawing on that giant chocolate ear, but there are some other ways you […]

Homeless Cats & Urban Residents: A Q&A With the Homeless Cat Management Team

Pittsburgh Cat Food Drive

Last month, we launched a cat food drive to support homeless caretakers in partnership with the Homeless Cat Management Team and CARMAA to support the good folks who are taking care of homeless cats. In that spirit, I reached out to one of the “cat ladies” who has been instrumental in educating me. Last year […]