Anastasia, 55, is a Woman Who Identifies as a White Trans Lesbian in Pittsburgh #AMPLIFY

Pittsburgh transgender lesbian

I shouldn’t make presumptions about how folks would react: that I should be prepared for generosity as well as a negative reaction. After the decades of gaslighting, I still struggle to keep this in mind, but I do believe that there is a lot of good will among straight/cis people for the LGBTQ+ community. Name: Anastasia […]

Hutch, 57, Marched With Harvey Milk and Knows We Have Miles To Go #AMPLIFY

Pittsburgh Bisexual Man

Name:  Hutch Age: 57 County of Residence:  Allegheny, formerly Westmoreland Pronouns: Male How do you describe your identity? Bi Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I was kind of out in mid 70s in Massachusetts. But officially came out at 16 when I moved to San Francisco in […]

Laura, 42, is a Bisexual Mom in Pittsburgh #AMPLIFY

Bisexual Woman in Pittsburgh

What motivated you to take part in this project? I didn’t want to give into the fear. Now more than ever, we need to be seen and heard. I remembered the movie ‘Milk’ (loved that movie!) and Sean Penn (as Harvey Milk) saying ‘Come out, come out, wherever you are!’ but now I can’t seem to verify that anywhere. But, the quote I can verify as Harvey Milk’s, that is just as relevant is..’Hope will never be silent’. Here’s to never losing hope.

August, 46, Feels Separate as a Black Gay Man #AMPLIFY

Name: August Age: 46 County of Residence:  Allegheny, formerly Dauphin Pronouns: He How do you describe your identity? Homosexual. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I was by myself and my brother has been my biggest support. As for the LGBT community on a whole, it has proven to be […]

Sean, 29, Wants to Change the LGBT Climate in Western Pennsylvania #AMPLIFY

Name:  Sean Meloy Age: 29 County of Residence:  Allegheny, formerly Centre County and Washington DC Preferred Pronouns: He / His / Him How do you describe your identity?  Gay male  Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? Well, it was two-fold. Firstly was “coming out” to myself, which was formally […]

Municipal Government and Publicly Out LGBTQ Employees

Does it matter if local and regional government employers hire and appoint openly LGBTQ people to leadership roles? This question has launched many a Facebook chats, unleashing discussions on everything from outing people to privacy concerns to dislike of being labeled as “the gay <insert title>.” These are valid points to consider. In my mind, […]