Allegheny County Email To Domestic Partners

Pennsylvania Equality

I’ve obtained a copy of the email the County apparently sent to 11 employees accessing domestic partner benefits on Tuesday June 24. I’ve noticed a few concerning issues The email uses this language “effective immediately” with no reference to July 31 or a cutoff date. Media reports added that clarification. Effective immediately is a little […]

Five Things That Never Happened In Our Community on the Fourth of July

Fourth of July

When I was a child, I kept coming across passages in books about olden times that described how Independence Day was celebrated. It was nothing like my own experience in the 1970s’ and 1980’s Pittsburgh suburb of West Mifflin. Here’s an excerpt from a particularly vivid memory – Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder From […]

Joy KMT Speech at 2014 Pittsburgh Dyke Trans March

Joy KMT

(Published with permission from Joy KMT a featured speaker at the Pittsburgh Dyke Trans March. This may not be reprinted in any form without the explicit permission of Joy KMT.) Yesterday when I was coming back to Pittsburgh I cried. My girl asked me what was wrong, I said I didn’t want to be here. […]

Pgh Mayor Peduto Records PSA to Promote HIV Testing

Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ Community Center (GLCC) unveiled a 30 second PSA featuring Mayor Bill Peduto discussing the importance of HIV testing. The Mayor came to the GLCC during regular testing hours to be tested ahead of the National HIV Testing Day on June 27, 2014. The GLCC offers weekly testing hours on Thursdays from 5-9 PM. […]

Four Ways to Support the Pgh Dyke and Trans March

Pittsburgh Dyke March

The Pittsburgh Dyke and Trans March is coming up on Saturday June 21 in Bloomfield.  Schedule of events at the end of this post. Hope to see you there – wrap up Pride with a great community building event that claims visibility for queer women and the trans community. Here’s how you can show your […]

Seeking Photos of Protestors at Pgh Pride

Pittsburgh Pride

During the Sunday Pride festivities in Pittsburgh, a local woman recorded an incident involving a confrontation between anti-LGBTQ protestors and members of our community. The incident resulted in a young woman allegedly from our community being detained by the police with allegations of misconduct by the officer involved. (I use allegedly because she has not […]

Cloning Equality

Pittsburgh LGBT

If you could clone one element from another city you’ve visited — a building, a cultural institution, a common street food, etc. — and bring it back to your own hometown, what would it be? I actually put together an entire plan to do this – to study best practices in LGBTQ municipal equality via a […]