Ehrrin, 45, identifies as a white cis fat queer femme dyke in Pittsburgh #AMPLIFY

Queer Femme Pittsburgh

  “I WANT to be seen as queer, as it is a foundational part of my identity.” Name: Ehrrin Age: 45 County of Residence:  Allegheny Pronouns: she/her How do you describe your identity?  I am a white cis fat queer femme dyke. I grew up rural and working class, and alllmost southern. I hail from southern West Virginia which […]

Jay, 27, Discusses Challenges of Being a Straight Trans Man #AMPLIFY

Allegheny County LGBTQ

‘ Name:  Jay Age: 27 County of Residence:  Allegheny County Pronouns: He/Him How do you describe your identity? Straight Trans Man Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? It was very challenging my family is not supportive but my friends have been overwhelmingly great. I still have legal challenges […]

Krista, 28, Lives in Washington, PA as a Pansexual Woman #AMPLIFY

Tell me about the first LGBTQ person whom you met. What impact did they have on your life? My first LGBTQ connection felt like a light bulb going off in a sense, like a bright light shining in a once dark room. I wasn’t alone. Meeting someone else like myself, was refreshing and simultaneously made me realize that I wasn’t the outcast the small town I had grown up in had made me feel like. Meeting my first LGBTQ friend was life changing for me. From being bullied, and told I was some sort of freak of nature – to meeting someone else who understood my life experiences, who had gone through them, was amazing.

Regina, 33, Finds Comfort in Lesbian Ambiguity #AMPLIFY

Lesbian South Hills Pittsburgh

I came out to my mom when I was 16. She is a compassionate and reasonably progressive person but I come from a fundamentalist Christian family. I really didn’t know how it would go.

I wrote out what I planned to say and rehearsed my rebuttals. When I finally got up the nerve all of those words drained from my mind and I simply said, “I’m gay. ” My mom responded just as simply with, “I know.”

I won’t say I didn’t run into any challenges as an openly gay high school student or since (coming out is constant) but I have the benefit of an extremely supportive family, church community, and group of friends. That gives me a lot of strength when folks aren’t so kind.

Laura, 44, is a Lesbian Mom in Fayette County #AMPLIFY

Fayette County Lesbian

Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? Well it didn’t go well. I was married with kids. My now ex and I are best friends he is a really great guy. We coparent well. My family has had a harder time with this as it goes against their beliefs

Ama, 30, is a Girl Who Likes Girls and Who Likes Guys #AMPLIFY

AMPLIFY

Name: Ama Age: 30 County of Residence: Allegheny, formerly Fayette County Preferred Pronouns: she/her How do you describe your identity? I’m American. And I’m Irish. I’m an Irish Catholic (quite the distinction from an Italian, Hispanic, or Spanish Catholic). I’m a girl who likes other girls and who likes guys and many trans variations. I am a lover of beauty […]

Andre Gray Found Murdered in Ohio River

Andre Gray

Very sad news for the families of Andre Gray and another missing man, Paul Kochu, who was cis het. Both of their bodies were found in the Ohio River, near Wheeling, West Virginia. The cause of death for Paul is undetermined until a complete autopsy is performed. Andre died from a gunshot wound, so his […]

Hey *I* Was Going to Write a Post-Election Post-Mortem … :-)

I love that Trish jumped right into my favorite topic – Daryl Metcalfe’s reign of holy terror in Pennsylvania. I had been planning a one week reflection on the election, but was derailed by tendinitisand well … OMG, its been a week? Like my sister blogger, I think there is a lot of interesting “space” […]