Alexandria is a Lesbian Artist Trying To Get Her Bearings #AMPLIFY

lesbian Pittsburgh

Name: Alexandria Age: 48 County of Residence:  Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: Female How do you describe your identity? I’m a compassionate person who is a white, female, lesbian artist. How would you describe yourself NOW in terms of “being out”? All the way out Tell me about the first LGBTQ person whom you met. What impact did they have on […]

How Allies Can Erase LGBTQ People When Scheduling LGBTQ Events

Allies Pittsburgh

A recurring theme in the ‪#‎AMPLIFY‬ series is the lack of LGBTQ resources – funding, space, services, leadership opportunities, etc. We have lost a lot over the years, that’s true and we are still battling for the most basic rights., including visibility and dignity. Progress is rarely a linear progression, right? So it is especially frustrating to […]

The Lack of Bisexual Resources in Pittsburgh #BiWeek

Bisexual Umbrella

  This is National Bisexual Visibility Week (#biweek) and not an especially positive reflection on Pittsburgh.  Our community does not have a single group or resource devoted to the bisexual community, nor do we have any openly bisexual individuals in leadership roles within the community. We have two very prominent community leaders who are bisexual […]

#ReelQ30 Preview: S&M Sally

S&M Sally

S&M Sally Saturday October 10, 4 PM at The Harris Theater S&M Sally is the third of a series of sorts following lesbians Jamie & Jill as singletons and, in this third installment, as a couple of one solid year. It is a comedy that delves into the BDSM world with all the of the […]

Lyndsey Identifes as a Queer Genderfluid Lipstick Butch #AMPLIFY

AMPLIFY queer

This is the 50th AMPLIFY profile that we’ve published. Name: Lyndsey Age: 38 County of Residence: Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: She her hers, they them theirs, anything as long as it isn’t said in a manner of disrespect How do you describe your identity? Queer, Gender Fluid, lipstick butch. ** Please note I use Queer as an inclusive catch-all. This is […]

#REELQ30 Review ‘While You Weren’t Looking’ Explores

#Reelq30

One of the true gems of this year’s LGBTQ Film Festival is this film from South Africa which explores queer relationships from a multi-generational and socio-economic divide perspective. Terri and Dez are a multi-racial couple parenting 18 year old daughter, Asanda, in an upper-middle class household. Their own relationship is sexually intense, but they are […]

#ReelQ30 Kicks Off With ‘Out To Win’ Documentary

ReelQ

This year marks 30 years of LGBTQ Film Festivals in Pittsburgh and the Reel Q Film Festival has a wonderful lineup to celebrate. On a very interesting note, the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the sponsors of the opening night events. I think the focus on sports comes at a very important time for Pittsburgh […]

Mario Identifies As Queer Rustbelt Genderfluid Artist #AMPLIFY

I met Mario through Most Wanted Fine Art where we are both Artists in Residence this year. They are planning to participate in the AMPLIFY project when we move into our videography phase in 2016, but I was very pleased that they agreed to submit a Q&A response as well. I hope you’ll find it […]

PJ Identifies as a Cis White Gay Man With a Twist of Genderqueer

Pittsburgh gay

The experiences of ex-pats who left Western Pennsylvania for some reason sheds valuable light on these questions around the regional LGBTQ experience. PJ is a friend who now lives in Chicago, but was here long enough to have some powerful formative experiences. Name: PJ Age:  46 County of Residence: Now in Chicago, but grew up in Westmoreland, […]

Ashe Believes To Be Queer Is To Be Yourself #AMPLIFY

Amplify LGBTQ Allegheny County

Name: Ashe Age:  29 County of Residence: Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: She/her/hers How do you describe your identity? I usually identify as bisexual, but I’ll go with queer from time to time. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? It was honestly surprising. I came out at the beginning of my senior […]