Pittsburgh Pirates Wrap Up Pride Month With Fireworks and Homophobic Country Music Artists

The very same week that we witnessed two huge acknowledgements from professional athletes of their status as gay folx. The very same week, the Pittsburgh Pirates social media team decided to laud their upcoming fan concert this Thursday, July 1, 2021 featuring known homophobe and anti-vaxxer, John Rich of Big & Rich. Let’s go bucs? […]

Q&A with Val Pennington, Candidate for Mayor of Bellevue Borough

Val Pennington

[A] friend from my elementary school days. The daily cruelty and open hostility they were subjected to, coupled with my inability to act – out of fear of similar treatment, still haunts me, and inspires me to craft a world where bigotry is abnormal and not tolerated. I want children to feel a sense of […]

Q&A With Hilary Wheatley Taylor, Candidate for Magisterial District Judge for District 05-2-19

HIlary Wheatley Taylor

But from that experience comes a perspective that can only benefit those that might come before me as Magistrate: I’ll approach each person as more than their worst day or worst choice or most shameful story.  I know first hand that we are all more than any one of those things and we deserve a […]

Q&A With Raymond Robinson, Candidate for Magisterial District Judge 05-02-42

Raymond Robinson

My work with youth showed me how the experiences of different groups vary even when engaging in similar behaviors. I have seen how young girls are often treated more harshly by paternalistic judges than male counterparts.  Similarly, I’ve seen how the experiences of black youth look drastically different than white youth regarding behaviors in schools. […]

Q&A Election 2020: Jeff Miller is Voting Biden/Harris to Heal the Nation

Jeff Miller senior Citizen Pittsburgh

This is a new limited-Q&A series focusing on Election Day. I’ve approached an array of regional folks to ask them the same seven questions about the election. This election is complicated in ways we never thought possible, but there are paths forward. Listening to what our neighbors are prioritizing and how they are framing the Biden/Harris […]

Q&A with Therapist Matthew Reinhart About Trauma During a Pandemic

Trauma

How are you doing? I feel the weight of the world so I reached out to some experts on trauma to offer some insight into navigating our personal challenges, our encounters with the anti-maskers, and more as queer people. These are really long reads because the topics are intense and novel (couldn’t resist.) I hope […]

About the Delta Foundation and Pittsburgh Pridefest 2020

Delta Foundation Pittsburgh Pride

By now, you have likely heard this news – the Delta Foundation is dissolving and a new coalition has emerged to pick up the Pride mantle moving forward. UPDATE –> there are now two coalitions planning Pride 2021 events. Plus, People’s Pride. I’ve been expecting this decision, really since 2015 when Roots Pride challenged us […]

For Your Consideration: The Case to Appoint Sue Kerr to Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission

Pittsburgh LGBTQIA Commission

In July 2020, Pittsburgh City Council unanimously approved the formation of a new commission focused on the LGBTQ community to replace the current Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee established in 2008 by Mayor Ravenstahl. Commissions serve the City residents, not just advising the Mayor. This is a change I first proposed in July 2019. From TheTrib: […]

2020 Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Community Survey by Pittsburgh Equality Center

The Pgh Equality Center is an important community resource. I served on the board circa 2004. I was part of the strategic planning process. I’ve been a volunteer in various capacities. They are currently seeking community input on their services and programs. I urge you to make time to share your thoughts. I do need […]

Day Five of COVID-19 Quarantine: How to not kill your domestic partner

Working from home with pets

So we’ve been home since the weekend. Okay, technically I have been home since 2010. Laura has been working from home since Tuesday. Random observations The load on our wi-fi (FIOS) is significant. We are being careful to turn off devices to minimize lag time. That’s slightly annoying. We are also keeping devices, especially our […]