Back to School Q&A with Trans Activist Daniel, 16, of Lakeview School District

We’ve blogged earlier in the year about the decision of Lakeview School District in Mercer County to expand their nondiscrimination policies to explicitly address needs of transgender students. This was a rule change to better comply with existing policy, not a new policy altogether. When the School Board met in May, one student – Daniel […]

Winter, 18, Identifies as a Genderquestioning Bisexual Person #AMPLIFY

Allegheny County LGBTQ

Name: Winter Age:  18 County of Residence:  Allegheny Pronouns: She/her How do you describe your identity? I am a genderquestioning bisexual. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I’m not fully out. I only came out two years ago to my friends and a few family members. My mom, stepdad, […]

Chrissy, 40, Wants LGBTQ Folks to Educate One Another With a Sense of Humor #AMPLIFY

Pittsburgh Lesbian

Name: Chrissy Costa Age: 40 County of Residence:  Allegheny County, formerly Chicago Pronouns: She/Her How do you describe your identity?  Lesbian Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? When I accepted my sexuality I sought a therapist to help me come out to my family. I had become distant […]

Kitty Is Out and Open as a Bisexual Trans Woman in Erie County #AMPLIFY

Erie Transgender Bisexual

Read the entire AMPLIFY LGBTQ Q&A archive. AMPLIFY LGBTQ is a new occasional series of blog posts designed to give a “signal boost” to the voices of our LGBTQ neighbors throughout Western Pennsylvania. We are using a Q&A format and will minimize editing their responses. The questions, however, may change as we ask each participant to […]

Equal Rights in Pennsylvania

Last week, I shared a graphic from The Guardiandepicting the fact that Pennsylvania as a Commonwealth has extended zero benefits to its LGBTQ residents (and tax payers.) I’ve been challenged – on the fact that a State Surpreme Court determined that as PA permits single persons to adopt, they cannot use sexual orientation of the […]

Jenkintown, PA Passes Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Jenkintown, PA Passes Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Jenkintown Borough in Montgomery County (PA – East) has passed an inclusive anti-discrimination ordinance, per the Philly.com blog. This marks the 25th Pennsylvania Municipality to extend these protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Here is a complete list of the 25 as well as the most significant of those who do […]

Anti-Discrimination Protections in Whitemarsh Township

Anti-Discrimination Protections in Whitemarsh Township

Congratulations to the residents, elected officials and advocates in Montgomery County’s Whitemarsh Township for establishing discrimination protections for their residents.  Springfield and Lower Merion also recently enacted such ordinances for the protections of their residents’ rights to housing, employment and public accomodation. I believe that brings the statewide total up to 18 municipalities?  Here’s a […]