Rumors Abound in 2017 Pittsburgh Democratic Primary

WTAE broke the story about Darlene Harris alleging Bill Peduto is registering homeless people to bolster his chances of winning reelection. You can see the whole clip here.  “I was told by his people that they’re registering them to vote on Watson Street in the Hill (District),” Harris said. “So, you know, talking about politics, […]

Does it Matter if a Mayor or District Magistrate Will Perform Same Sex Marriages?

There’s been some furor lately in the electoral race for an East End magisterial judge seat. Incumbent Judge Dan Butler is under scrutiny for not performing marriages – he doesn’t perform any marriages. The tricky part is that he belongs to a socially conservative Jewish congregation that defines marriage as between a man and a […]

Updated: Open Letter to John C. Welch, Candidate for Mayor in Pittsburgh

Dear Reverend Welch, A robust primary election process is necessary for a healthy democracy, so I have been watching your early candidacy days with anticipation of your agenda for Pittsburgh. Because I have yet to see any public statements by you on LGBTQ issues and the LGBTQ residents of Pittsburgh, I am writing this letter. […]

Mayors Bill Peduto, Bill de Blasio Drop by OUTrageous Bingo UPDATED

OUTrageous Bingo Pittsburgh

The Mayor of New York City was campaigning for Katie McGinty and Hillary Clinton at gay bingo in Pittsburgh. As you can imagine, the crowd went wild. But when Mayor DeBlasio took a seat to call a game with an able assist from Peduto, I was charmed to hear the crowd yelling at him because he called too many ‘O’ numbers in a row and resisting his attempts to launch into a round of ‘Happy Birthday’ in the middle of the game. You come to bingo, you call bingo. LOL

Patricia, 41, Does Not Feel Safe As a Trans Woman in Her Urban Pgh Suburb #AMPLIFY

Allegheny County Trans Woman

Name: Patricia Age: 41 County of Residence: Allegheny, formerly Washington Preferred Pronouns: She/Her How do you describe your identity? At some point, the mental switch flipped in my head firmly into a “female” identity. (I think it was always set to “female” but I was trying to force it to say “male”!) So I identify as a trans woman. I […]

Christmas Spirit Trumps Scrooge In Pittsburgh

Bill Peduto Toys for Tots

Yesterday, the Marines kicked-off a two-day ‘Open House’ for families throughout the region who wanted to access the Toys for Tots donations. This annual distribution is open to members of the community who have the necessary paperwork and the means to get to the Strip District location, as well as to transport their items home. […]

UPDATED Pittsburgh Designates Zones for LGBTQ Community To Protest , Gives 24 Hour Notice to Community Groups

Pittsburgh Pridefest

UPDATE Saturday: Since I wrote this at 11:30 PM Friday, the City has changed the policy about free speech zones and will not require people to use them. More here. I think Mayor Bill Peduto made a significant error in judgment this week regarding Pridefest by failing to disclose plans for “designated areas for protestors” […]

Municipal Government and Publicly Out LGBTQ Employees

Does it matter if local and regional government employers hire and appoint openly LGBTQ people to leadership roles? This question has launched many a Facebook chats, unleashing discussions on everything from outing people to privacy concerns to dislike of being labeled as “the gay <insert title>.” These are valid points to consider. In my mind, […]

Artistic Q&A: Maria Lupinacci on Absolute Blogging

Absolute Vodka

As part my NaBloPoMo examination of art and blogging, I asked a few folks to consider some of the same questions I’m pondering. Today, we’ll be chatting with the other political junkie, Maria Lupinacci.   Maria is probably the first Pittsburgh blogger than I met in person – we first spoke on the phone and […]

Victory! City of Pgh Will Continue to Offer Domestic Partner Benefits to Employees

Pittsburgh Domestic Partner Benefits

I am so very relieved. I just got off the phone with the Personnel Department of the City of Pittsburgh. They confirmed for me that after a review, the City has decided to maintain its existing policy with regard to domestic partner benefits. No one will lose coverage if they remain unmarried. New employees can […]