LGBTQ+ Poverty and SNAP: NaBloPoMo

NaBloPoMo 2025: November 2 A great concern me has always been the lack of solidarity affluent white gay men and lesbians demonstrate to the larger LGBTQ+ community, especially those who do not identify as gay or lesbian. This illustrated the importance of a class or economic analysis when discussing “the” LGBTQ+ community. The lapse of […]

Nostalgia and Trauma: How Cleaning My Room Reminds Me Why I Have So Much Clothing

This weekend, I had a lot of time and an empty house so I decided to tackle a few tasks for me – tasks that would make me feel more comfortable, more satisfied, more content I guess. Laundry was a big one. I have a lot of laundry packed in IKEA bags. I had off-season […]

Here’s the Truth About Holidays After a Divorce

It is a crisp autumish Sunday afternoon this August 31 in the year 2025. Tomorrow is Labor Day. I did have plans for a project that fell through, so I am left to my own devices. Chores, laundry, nap. In the before-times, three day holiday weekends usually included housework, a project, and – this is […]

Vacation, all I ever wanted Vacation, had to get away Vacation, meant to be spent alone

Two weeks before the #Decommitment in August 2023, we went on a week long vacation in Western PA. We stayed in a sweet B&B then our favorite motel by the shore of Lake Erie. Little did I know it might be my last. I don’t have the resources for even a modest trip – I […]

Lettuce spread the butter, not the shame or stigma

I regularly rely on a food pantry. Of course, I’m researching a blog post to destigmatize food insecurity resources. Because that’s what I do. I talk about it openly with my circle of friends. I felt no shame or guilt about it. I meet the criteria of the pantry. No shame until today. Today, someone […]

My Disabled Friend Has a Section 8 Voucher, But Cannot Find a Landlord

A friend of mine needs help with housing. D is 58 years old and disabled. He is the primary caretaker for his 59 year old disabled brother. They have a Section 8 voucher from Allegheny County for a 2 bedroom apartment. D has been searching for almost a year for a landlord who will accept their […]

The Lingering Impact of Slouchy Boots Trends of the 80’s

 A little bit of swashbuckling bravado boots might be just what we need to keep up the fight Laird Borelli, Vogue In my middle school days, fashion trends were aplenty. Most of us kids of steelworkers did not have plenty to spend on them. We settled for knockoffs in a time long before TJ Marshalls and […]

The Time a Lesbian Democrat Shamed Me for Being a Disabled Person With Cats

Kittens Instagram

A few days ago, a person whom I know only through social media and a few mutual friends decided to leave a comment on an Instagram post I had shared – a photo of some of our resident cats and foster kittens eating dinner together. Her comment was a disproportionate reaction to  few cat hashtags. […]

Fat, Gay, & in the Way: My latest for the Pittsburgh Current

What does it mean to be fat, gay& in the way? I consider this in my latest for the Pittsburgh Current “At the end of my freshman year of college, my father criticized me for gaining the fabled “Freshman Fifteen,” and I felt shame, even despair. It took me years to acknowledge that this had […]

Brad, 33, is a Gay, Black Man Who Does Charity Work as a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence #AMPLIFY

gay black man pittsburgh

We talked for maybe 20 seconds, and he invited me to the first group meeting of the semester. It was all quick and mundane, but my mind lingered on him afterwards as I thought, “This is a man, and he is gay. He is a gay man.” It wasn’t even about sex, just the idea that a man could be gay and live his life without shame.