Bill, 62, is a Gay Man Being Visible in Mercer County #AMPLIFY

Gay Man Mercer County

   I remember in New Castle the highest paying factory job was impossible for gay men to get because they relied on reference only from people who already worked there and there was an understanding among them that they wouldn’t give a positive reference to a gay man. Name: Bill Age: 62 County of Residence: Mercer County, formerly […]

Rene, 48, is a Lesbian from Mercer County who wants to belong #AMPLIFY

  Name: Rene Age: 48 County of Residence: Mercer County, formerly Washington County Pronouns: Her How do you describe your identity? Lesbian Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I was in college and fell in love with a woman while I was engaged to a man. I (we) didn’t know […]

Jesse, 28, Helps To Build New LGBTQ Community Supports in Mercer County #AMPLIFY

Name: Jesse Age:  28 County of Residence: Mercer County, previously Beaver County Preferred Pronouns: Him, he, male, sir How do you describe your identity? I am a pansexual male, I don’t see anyone for there penis or vagina, but for the beauty of who they are, yes I am attracted, but that is only a small portion of me, […]

316 Reasons to Add Your LGBTQ Story to the #AMPLIFY Archive

Since 2015, we have been collecting stories from LGBTQ folks with ties to Western Pennsylvania. Some live here now, others grew up in this region. Others still attended college or had a job that brought them here or spent summers with their grandparents in an outlying community. Here includes 26 counties in Western Pennsylvania, from […]

Rural Pennsylvania Group Hosts First Local LGBTQ Pride Gathering in Elk County

Elk County LGBT Pride

This is how it works – or it should work. A group of local folks create a safe space to celebrate and affirm their LGBTQ neighbors. In this case, a 40-year-old pansexual mother of two set up a visibility event in a park in St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania. People came, made connections, joined the Facebook group. […]

Laura, 56, is a Lesbian Who Wants to Shine a Spotlight on LGBTQ History, Issues #AMPLIFY

Lesbian Mercer County

Name: Laura Age: 56 Pronouns: She/her County of Residence: Allegheny, formerly Mercer County and Centre County. How do you describe your identity? Lesbian/gay Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? A friend at college suggested that I might be gay when she noticed I wasn’t “scoping out” the […]

56 Lesbian Stories from Western Pennsylvania to #AMPLIFY Lesbian Visibility Day

lesbian salute

Caution – this seems to be one of those made-up celebrations that are used to generate click-bait articles on websites targeting lesbians, but not necessarily driven by lesbians. So this lesbian is going to seize the moment to write a non-click-bait article promoting lesbian visibility. First, read every single blog post I’ve written since 2005. […]

279 #AMPLIFY Q&A’s from your LGBTQ neighbors in Western Pennsylvania – How Many Have You Read?

We have published 279 Q&A’s to date. Western Pennsylvania has about 4 million residents and about 210,000 LGBTQ residents. How many have you read? And have you shared your story using our online Q&A? Below is a reverse chronological list of the AMPLIFY Q&A’s Maria Talks Lesbian Life in the North Hills of Pittsburgh  Suzanne, […]

72 Bisexual Folx from Western PA Share Their Stories Through The #AMPLIFY Project

Bisexual Pittsburgh

Today is Bisexual Visibility Day, designated to raise awareness and honor the members of our community who identify as bisexual. Through the #AMPLIFY project, we have been able to publish Q&A’s with 70 individuals who identify as bisexual. Please note that this list may not be comprehensive based on how people respond to questions like […]

Mercer County Trans Woman, Claire Wolfever, Sentenced 18-40 Years

Claire Wolfever

Claire Wolfever was 22 years old and working at the Wal-Mart in Hermitage, Pennsylvania. Hermitage is a small town in Mercer County, between Erie and Pittsburgh. When she disclosed her gender identity to her coworkers, she claims they harassed and threatened her. She filed a complaint with the company, but felt threatened enough to steal […]