Facebook, Queer Folks and What’s In a Real Name

Facebook has recently been enforcing their “real/legal names” policy, resulting in a disproportionate number of members of the LGBTQ community being forced to change the name displayed on their Facebook profile. This includes a significant number of drag performers and members of the drag community. Facebook policy around names: Facebook is a community where people […]

Brynn Tannehill Speaks to the National TransPride Pittsburgh Conference

Brynn Tannehill

I “met” Brynn online a few years ago through a network of LGBTQ leaders. She came to Pittsburgh to offer a keynote address at the National TransPride Pittsburgh Conference in September 2014. I think she’s brilliant as she discusses acceptance, visibility and tolerance. You can keep up with Brynn’s regular contributions to Huffington Post.  Brynn […]

Joe Stevens: Queer Culture, Female Roots and Making Music as a Trans Man

Joe Stevens Pittsburgh

Ticket GIVEAWAY – at the bottom of the post Joe Stevens has been making music for quite a while, first as part of beloved duo “Coyote Grace” and now on his own. He is coming to Pittsburgh on Thursday, September 25 to perform at Cattivo with Great Caesar and Night Lights. Tickets are $10 and […]

Five Things On My “Happened To Me” List

Cosmo magazine

So this week was one filled with some interesting twists. Not quite a “To Do” or bucket list but close enough. I was targeted by Gender Identity Watch as a “anti-lesbian lesbian blogger” because I am an ally to the trans community. This is commonly known as being “TERFd” which you can learn more about […]

LaToya Johnson-Rainey is An Ally to the Trans Community

Many months ago, I received an email from LaToya Johnson-Rainey, owner of A Hair Boutique. She had heard about the (then) upcoming Pittsburgh Dyke Trans March and wanted to know how she could help. LaToya ended up donating water to the march, something very much appreciated. And practical. In other words, supportive without asking for […]

‘Transparent’ Debuts on Amazon, Explores Later In Life Transitioning

Jeffrey Tambor

This weekend, I watched the first episode of ‘‘Transparent’ on Amazon – a new webseries focusing on the later in life transition of Moira (born Mort) and the impact on her three adult children, ex-wife and their assorted family and friends. Moira is portrayed by cisgender, heterosexual actor Jeffrey Tambor, well known for his roles […]

In 2013, 72% of anti-LGBT Homicide Victims Were Transgender Women

Island Nettles

This is an important piece from BuzzFeed about the epidemic of violence against trans women, particularly trans women of color. This snapshot commemorates the one year anniversary of the murder of Islan Nettles, a crime that remains unsolved. Out of 18 anti-LGBT homicides in 2013 included in a report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, almost […]

Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents Joins Call for Inclusion of Trans Women at Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival

  Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents (PghLesbian) has joined the growing number of organizations and media outlets supporting a petition for the inclusion of transgender women in the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival (MichFest) The petition organized by Equality Michigan has garnered the support of multiple national LGBT organizations. PghLesbian joins The Bilerico Project, BiCast, and The TransAdvocate […]

Pgh City Council Votes to Update Trans Non-Discrimination Protections

  Something very interesting took place in Pittsburgh City Council today – they directly addressed a matter of transgender municipal equality for the first time in history. The issue is non-discrimination which Pittsburgh City Council first took up as far back as the late 1980’s. In 1990, the City amended the Human Relations Ordinance to […]

Second Trans Woman Murdered in Baltimore

Mia Henderson

    Tonight comes more terrible news from Baltimore – the murder of 26-year-old Mia Henderson, a trans woman of color whose body was discovered today. From Parker Molloy at The Advocate: Police have identified the victim as 26-year-old Mia Henderson, and said her murder bore similarities to that of another transgender woman, killed in Baltimore […]