Ignoring Our Neighbors – the Ultimate Cost

Ignoring Our Neighbors – the Ultimate Cost

I don’t even have the right words to share this. This morning, a woman died in a fire in her own home. She was described as a “hoarder” and apparently her possessions created a nightmare scenario for firefighters who were unable to save her. That’s not the only tragedy. From WPXI: Neighbors told Channel 11’s […]

Being an Advocate: 7th Annual Blogging for LGBT Families

I was mulling over my contribution to this year’s day dedicated to blog posts about LGBTQ families and I kept coming back to the recent chart in The Guardian which showed that LGBTQ people and families in Pennsylvania have no rights. It bothers me that so many people don’t know or accept this information because […]

Pittsburgh Adds Queer Music Festival to Pride Events

Pittsburgh Adds Queer Music Festival to Pride Events

Although not an official Pride event, Rhinestone Steel is a welcome addition to incorporate a different perspective into the array of celebrations of our community. The event has a family friendly component earlier – including hula hoopers – and then becomes adults only after 6 PM. Saturday June 23rd 2012 —-3pm until 1am at 5020 Penn […]

The Proliferance of the Non-Apology

The Proliferance of the Non-Apology

Drarun Ravi has elected to begin his 30 day sentence and issued an apology. “I accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish choices that I made on Sept. 19, 2010, and Sept. 21, 2010. My behavior and actions, which at no time were motivated by hate, bigotry, prejudice or desire […]

New Email List for Western PA LGBTQA Social Media Advocates

Are you using Facebook or Tumblr to promote equality in Pennsylvania? We’d love for you to join a new resource designed to connect you with others doing similar things — a Google group. Our goal is to have an ongoing dialogue about issues, political races and other topics relevant to achieving equality for the LGBTQ […]

Right Wing Talking Points on ENDA – Linking “Right to Work” With Attacks on Unions

Esteemed law professor from the University of Pennsylvania Tobias Barrington Wolff was recently a guest on WHYY (NPR.) Clarke Cooper of the Log Cabin Republicans was the other guest.  Tobias had this to say: When we discussed ENDA, Clarke sought to link the issue of workplace discrimination protections to the anti-union laws that Republicans are […]

Memorial Day Makes Me Angry

Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

Growing up in West Mifflin, I had no real idea what Memorial Day was about. We typically had a cookout and there was a parade near our house. It was next to a cemetery dated back to pre-Revolutionary War times so I had a sense of history, but not necessarily any connection to veterans in […]

Penguins’ Brooks Orpik Sends Pro-LGBT Message To NHL Fans

Penguins’ Brooks Orpik Sends Pro-LGBT Message To NHL Fans

Wow. I completely missed this. You may be familiar with the You Can Play initiative by the NHL to promote LGBT tolerance in athletics. It has been speerheaded by the Burke family and the Flyers. Recently, the Penguins’ Brooks Orpik contributed a video. Orpik told the Post-Gazette: “When they asked me to do it, there […]

State Rep Pushes to Modify Tax Code, Eliminate Discriminatory Inheritance Tax

State Rep Pushes to Modify Tax Code, Eliminate Discriminatory Inheritance Tax

State Representative Babette Josephs wants to eliminate a 15% inheritance tax for domestic partners, LGBTQ and straight, and is urging her colleagues to take action on legislation she introduced in 2011.  Erie Gay News has the story. Josephs’ legislation (H.B. 1828) would define a domestic partnership as a relationship not defined by marriage or a […]

Western PA Bloggers Team Up To Promote LGBT Equality

My colleague Tom Waters drafted this explanation of a joint initiative we are launching … Two prominent western PA bloggers are joining forces to host a first ever LGBTQA bloggers and social media summit. Sue Kerr, primary blogger at Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents and Thomas C Waters of thomascwaters.com are planning a get together that they hope will be informative, interesting […]