Sue is the founder of Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents blog, established in 2005.. She has an MSW from the University in Pittsburgh and a BA in Political Science from Marymount University. Her undergraduate claim to fame is a six month stint as an intern with then Congressman Rick Santorum in 1991. Born and raised in West Mifflin, Sue attended college in Washington DC, then graduate school in Louisiana and ended up in Kentucky doing social service ministry. She returned to Pittsburgh in 1997. She now lives on Pittsburgh’s Northside with her wife, Laura. She was among the first out LGBTQ people named to Pittsburgh’s 40 Under 40 in 2004 and is a graduate of Leadership Development Initiative Class VII. After being fully and permanently disabled in 2010, Sue has continued to serve the community. She founded the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project to address hunger and environmental issues. In 2015, she launched the #AMPLIFY LGBTQ archive in conjunction with a two-year artist in residence stint with Most Wanted Fine Art. Sue and her wife have fostered over 25 kittens through Pittsburgh CAT and Homeless Cat Management Team, and now manage multiple community cat colonies in their neighborhood. In 2020, Sue cofounded the Pittsburgh MasQUe ProjecT to support the queer and trans community during the pandemic, distributing tens of thousands of face masks and other supplies throughout the region. In 2021, Sue created the #PghCatFolx projects to support neighbors working with community cats. Under that heading came the Dr. John P. Ruffing DVM Pet Food Projects, memorializing one of her very best friends who died in 2007. In 2021, Sue worked with community leaders to develop and establish a 501c3 nonprofit organization, Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities (PLC) where she currently serves as Board President. PLC absorbed the #PghCatFolx projects. Also in 2021, Sue was the first person in history appointed to the City of Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission and was unanimously elected as one of three inaugural co-chairs. Her blogging has garnered numerous awards Favorite GLBT Media Publication - 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 (Keystone Alliance Gaylife Newsletter Reader’s Poll) Favorite GLBT Social Media - 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 (Keystone Alliance Gaylife Newsletter Reader’s Poll) Best Local Blogger - 2016, 2019 (Pittsburgh City Paper Reader’s Poll) LGBTQIA Pittsburgh’s Best Blogger - 2020 (SisTersPgh, People’s Pride of Pittsburgh) Outstanding Blog - 2019, 2022 (GLAAD Media Awards) Sue has also personally been honored Person of the Year - The Advocate Magazine, 2022 15 Lesbian Icons - LGBTQ Nation, 2023 LGBTQIA Pittsburgh’s Best Lesbian Activist - SisTersPgh, People’s Pride of Pittsburgh 2022 Sue believes in identifying and filling gaps in supports & services rather than recreating the wheel. She uses both her undergraduate and graduate degrees on a regular basis as a blogger and activist and regularly circulates her 1991 internship photo just to shake things up on her social media feeds. Her own experiences with cPTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and other health challenges have fueled her health blogging and activism. She also writes extensively about her family history, drawing on her amateur genealogy hobby. The blog regularly reviews arts and cultural events as well as exploring restaurants, soap opera storylines, and hyper-local news. Sue and her wife Laura have been together since 2003. They were married on a very cold February 2, 2021 in their backyard at a very small ceremony co-officiated by their pagan priestess friend, Anne, and then-Mayor Bill Peduto. They have six niblings, four in Pittsburgh and two in Philadelphia.

Trans Latina Kitty Monroe of Phoenix is the First Reported Victim Of 2024 Violence

The first trans person killed in 2024 is Kitty Monroe, 43. Equally important, she lived in Phoenix, Arizona. Also, Kitty was a Latina trans woman. The Crime Witnesses who came forward have said she was attacked about 2 a.m. Jan. 1 by a man and woman in the parking lot of Casa de Licores, a […]

Pittsburgh Theater Isn’t Just For Fancy Folks, It’s For Yinz

Pittsburgh Theater

Coming up in local Theater (and Theatre) this winter and spring are the following shows. I’m looking forward to something on each schedule. It was 11 years ago that I began intentionally reviewing, mostly the arts but some other occasional ventures. I don’t profess to be an expert on any of these things. But I […]

On Christmas Eve, Black Trans Woman Amber Minor, 40, Was Shot to Death in Missouri.

Amber Minor

The Crime Amber Minor, 40, was killed in Raytown, Missouri on Christmas Eve. She was a Black trans woman. Furthermore, her death brings the total for 2023 to 44. At 8:35 a.m. on Dec. 24, officers were dispatched to the 9800 block of 77th Terrace on a report of a body lying in a driveway. […]

She Was One of Best People I’ve Ever Known

I recently learned that a member of my extended family died in mid-September. This post could dovetail into all the reasons why you should share this type of information regardless of circumstances (unless it causes harm.) But instead I want to tell you about the reasons I loved her. If you are into genealogy, you […]

I Remember the First Snow

Snow is coming. Not a lot of snow, but probably enough to cover the sidewalks for a few hours. The snowfall that reveals the paw prints of the urban wildlife and homeless animals who come to the yard. I usually like the snows of January and February. It is cozy and comforting, a blanket that […]

Is My 1991 Internship With Rick Santorum No Longer The Most Quirky, Interesting Thing About Me?

Rick Santorum internship

Today, I met an LGBTQ person from Pennsylvania who did not recognize the name Rick Santorum. Huh. This was in the context of an interview with the Philly Gay News about my blogging. It was bound to happen eventually. He left public office in 2006, defeated by current Senator Bob Casey. He has a lackluster […]

Suspected DUI Driver Crosses Lanes, Kills Virginia Trans Advocate Before the New Year

Lexus Shelby Riddick-Walker

The Crime The last violent fatality of 2023 comes at the hands of a familiar foe, alcohol or more specifically driving under the influence. Lexus Walker, a Black trans woman, was 43 when she was killed by an alleged drunk driver doing the wrong way through a stretch of tunnels in Hampton Roads, Virginia. This […]

The End of My Year 2023 By the Numbers

It has been 127 days since I was involuntarily removed from my home of 18+ years – in handcuffs under false pretext using an invalid warrant. That’s one third of 2023. One entire third of my year. Gone. Every single one of those day, I have focused on two things: recovering from the traumas and […]

Celebrating 18 Years of Blogging at Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents

As I have said, on Friday, December 29, we celebrated a huge milestone – 18 years of blogging and the start of our 19th year of blogging. What does that look like? 6,140 blog posts – I published them, but I didn’t write them all. 330+ posts were created by the #AMPLIFY contributors. That’s 341 […]

The Murder of a 53 year old Trans Woman in Maryland

The Crime Meghan Riley Lewis, 53, was a white trans woman living in Maryland, parent to two children, technology professional, a Dead Head, musician, and resoundingly lauded for her compassion and kindness. On December 27, she tragically joined the ranks of trans neighbors who have died violent deaths in 2023 when a single gunshot fatally […]