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We began taking pre-order in December, but now the shirts are ready to roll. We have about 30 left if you would like to purchase one. You can also purchase one to be donated to an AMPLIFY contributor. But act fast before they are all gone.
As we near 200 Q&A’s, we recognize the need to disseminate the information as well as continue to collect stories. We ask you to support out work with a donation today. Your investment helps us build the relationships necessary to find new Q&A contributors and give a signal boost to their stories. Thank you. We asked […]
As popular as they are, the #AMPLIFY posts don’t have the reach that my original blogging does which affirms my commitment to keep these stories intertwined with the rest of the posts. In between writing about the epidemics of violence, the harm of anti-poverty initiatives and some of my own personal experiences with negative factors, we all need the stories of lives lived in spite of those obstacles. I believe reading about the everyday experiences of LGBTQ people in their own words fleshes out the posts that I write about people who can no longer speak for themselves.
Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? Well it didn’t go well. I was married with kids. My now ex and I are best friends he is a really great guy. We coparent well. My family has had a harder time with this as it goes against their beliefs
Unfortunately, we are out of viable contributions to publish. I have several in the queue, but I’m waiting to hear back from the contributors about various issues such as their photos or clarifications on certain questions. But that’s it. We are out of posts at #179. Now 179 is a respectable number of responses. But […]
The official #AMPLIFY tee shirts are now available for sale via our partnership with Commonwealth Press. You can purchase shirts sizes S-3X for $25 plus shipping at the CWPress online store. You also have the option of purchasing a shirt to donate to an #AMPLIFY contributor; this is our way of making sure everyone who […]
A Facebook friend shared an urgent request to find a winter coat for a young gay-identified female student in the Pittsburgh Public School system. Apparently, the school does not have an excess of coats right now. So I spent a few hours putting out the word and, eventually, a Northside neighbor (and new Facebook friend) named Michelle drove a brand new coat to my house around 9 PM. I took it to the high school Friday AM and handed it off to the teacher.
That’s the person I aspire to be – the person who people ask to help find a coat or addresses some other fundamental need. I really don’t want to be the fundraiser, public face or administrator. I never aspired to be an Executive Director (never, not ever, never never.) I just want to be a social worker/community organizer. It fits.
“So that being said … tonight, everything changed. So much that I might return to Papa J’s sans coupon (1 per customer per quarter) for some pizza. Tonight our server Peter did something so awesome that I’ll just never forget it – at the end of our meal, he said “I read your blog. I love it.” Both of our jaws dropped and he went on “I recognized both of you when you came in, but I didn’t want to say anything and embarrass you.”
He didn’t want to embarrass me! He didn’t have to worry about that because I took care of it for him when I kicked over the bag carrying the extra salad and realized the pocket of my new too-big-for-me jeans was caught on my seat as I tried to stand up to talk with him. So I’m sort of slouched in my seat trying to unhook my pants while flailing around with my leg to lasso the wayward styrofoam container (no leakage!) and smiling at the first person to not want to embarrass me.
I was a little overcome and unsure what to say beyond ‘Thank you, I am glad you like it.”
Should I have asked him to become Facebook friends? Should I cyber spy to find Peter of Papa J’s and tag him on my post? What do cool people do in situations like this?”
“[After 9th grade concert] Once we got home, my tears had turned to anger. I ended up slamming every door I touched, kicked off my shoes so hard they hit the wall, and told my mom I hated her. She got in my face, and my dad stepped in. He sent my little brother to his room before I recalled what happened at the school. He sighed, but didn’t say anything. He was a man of few words. After a few minutes of me blubbering, trying to calm down, the three of us went to the kitchen table to talk.
I remember my dad sitting across from me and my mom sitting to my right at our tiny cramped kitchen table. I don’t remember the specifics of conversation, mostly because I blocked it out, but in a nutshell, they told me homosexuality was wrong and I was going to Hell if I continued liking girls. I fidgeted with a leftover napkin as I told them I loved Z. We were best friends. I said I was bisexual, not homosexual, hoping that might somehow make it better. It didn’t. I was still damned just the same.
In the weeks following my admission, my parents forced me to start counseling.”
Today is #GivingTuesday. We ask you to consider a donation to #AMPLIFY – we are trying to raise $600 to produce tee shirts. It is a modest goal to support a community project. We are about 15% there already! And this is our starting point – a pink crew neck shirt in sizes XS to […]
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