Political Q&A With Candidates Who Don’t Follow Through With the LGBTQIA+ Community

Political Q&A

For several years, I have published a Q&A series with candidates for all sorts of offices. Some people approach me and I try to create an open invitation to candidates who meet the criteria of being an LGBTQ ally running for office in Pennsylvania. Each Q&A is hand-crafted so to speak to dive into issues […]

Q&A With Bill Peduto, Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh

Bill Peduto Mayor

Competitive primaries evince the best out of elected officials. It keeps us honest, and allows us to stay in touch with the communities we serve. I’m proud to have run in multiple tough races, because I think it’s made me a better elected official. We are launching our election season series ‘Political Q&A’ with progressive […]

UPDATE: White Supremacy Billboards along Route 51 in Allegheny County near Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties

White Supremacy Signs Route 51

UPDATE below: How did I spend my 4th of July? We took a local road trip out to Belle Vernon/Rostraver to check out rightwing political signs posted on the property of a local business, Elizabeth Equipment Services. I got the tip last night while watching Hamilton (of course) so Ledcat and I decided we would […]

KDKA AM Radio Host Repeatedly Misgenders Dr. Rachel Levine, PA Secretary of Health, During Media Call

Marty Griffin misgendered Dr. Rachel Levine, PA Secretary of Health during a media call today. She told him to knock it off. He dithered about being too busy with his very important radio job to prioritize accuracy and respect. Mayor Bill Peduto decided to cancel a planned appearance on another KDKA radio show in response […]

A History of My Friendship With Mayor Bill Peduto

One of the longest running relationships has been with Mayor Bill Peduto. Our friendship is a very loose use of the word; we aren’t personal friends and have rarely had a lot of face-to-face contact. What we’ve shared has been our investment in LGBTQ and other progressive issues, even though we haven’t always been on the exact same side every time.

The @PghCurrent Column Where I Call for Pittsburgh To Abolish the Mayor’s LGBTQIA Advisory Group

Delta Foundation Pittsburgh

My latest for the Pittsburgh Current – City Should Dissolve LGBTQIA Advisory Panel It is time for Pittsburgh to establish an Office of LGBTQ Affairs with a dedicated paid staff. This Office will be a resource for all City Departments and Programs, City Council and the City Commissions, Boards, and Authorities. In addition, a LGBTQ […]

Transgender and LGBQ Community Take Action at Allegheny County Jail; Met With Pittsburgh Police in Riot Gear

Allegheny County Jail Transgender

Thursday evening, dozens of activists gathered outside the Allegheny County Jail to address the poor treatment of transgender inmates, particularly transgender women. Brought together by SisTers Pgh and BlaQK OPS, protestors maintained a presence along Second Avenue. Police responded in riot gear. Of course they did. That same evening, the District Attorney was all over […]

Darlene Harris, Donald Trump, and Doing the Right Thing in Pittsburgh

You may have heard that Pittsburgh City Councilor Darlene Harris raised a ruckus when she used her personal vehicle to drive through a Northside Park along the walking paths. She claims she was investigating City stuff. This quickly deteriorated into the ‘Darlene, woman of the people’ folks and ‘Darlene is a self-entitled jagoff’ folks. I […]

Transgender Bigotry in Sharon, Butler Reinforce Need for NonDiscrimination Protections

Pittsburgh Transgender

Content Note: misgendering, deadnaming, lies, transphobia. On Sunday, the Sharon Herald printed a newspaper article updating the community on the status of a civil lawsuit against the Sharon Police Department involving the shooting death of 23 year-old Sean Hake. Sean was a transgender man. The Sharon Herald first reported that he was a trans woman, […]