Butler City Council to Vote on NonDiscrimination on Thursday

This week, City Council in Butler, Pennsylvania will vote on an ordinance to create municipal level protections for residents based on protected classes (gender, race, religion, etc) including sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. For months, members of PFLAG Butler have been working tirelessly to educate members of council and the larger community about […]

Why People Share Their Stories With #AMPLIFY

LGBT History Month Pittsburgh

In June 2015, we added this question to the Q&A

“What motivated you to take part in this project?”

The responses have been enlightening when I consider why people take 30-60 minutes to share some of their most personal thoughts with the wide world. Their investment isn’t fleeting – the Q&A will live on as our archived collective experiences.

I particularly wanted to participate because I wanted an older perspective to be included.”

City of Pgh Accepting Applications for LGBTQIA Advisory Committee

Mayor Bill Peduto is looking for applicants to serve on the soon to be re-established advisory group. Participants will meet monthly and serve on at least one subcommittee. Applicants must submit their information via an online form; the City has partnered with multiple community groups to allow individuals access to the application even if you […]

The Anxious Life Part Six: I’m Not Talking About Orlando

The Anxious Life Part Six: I’m Not Talking About Orlando

I don’t want to talk about it. I put the rage and fear and hopelessness into a little box and tucked that into my heart in a little space that keeps it secure. I was very sad for very many days. I spent those hours asleep or numb which is what you feel when you […]

The Return of #AMPLIFY

  We’ve been on a brief hiatus, but next week publication of the #AMPLIFY posts resumes. We continue to need your contributions – just takes about 30 minutes to complete the Q&A.  Soon we’ll be able to start audio recording interviews. All because … Funding for the #Amplify LGBTQ Voices project was provided by The […]

Diane, 56, Is Asexual With Lesbian Leanings and a Writer #AMPLIFY

Asexual Flag

Name: Diane Age: 56 County of Residence:  Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: she How do you describe your identity? I am asexual with lesbian leanings. I am white, never married and live with my sister. I also write GLBT romance novels. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? Did not realize I had […]

We Asked #AMPLIFY Contributors About Their Favorite Characters

LGBTQ characters AMPLIFY

We are pulling out some of the responses to the AMPLIFY survey for a closer examination. These are open-ended questions and people take liberties with their interpretation. What I did here was use a word cloud program that eliminates common words like ‘the’ and generates word size in proportion to frequency. So the largest words […]

Jill, 49, Wants Young LGBTQ People To Have a Safe Place to Go In Cambria County #AMPLIFY

lesbian cambria county

  Name: Jill Age: 49 County of Residence:  Cambria, grew up in Somerset Preferred Pronouns: she/her How do you describe your identity? Woman, female, lesbian Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I was 23. Married to a man who very much understood me. Met a woman and spent the next […]

As A Gay Man, Ryan Wants More Scrutiny of Bath Houses and Non-Profits #AMPLIFY

Gay Allegheny County

Name: Ryan Age: 42 County of Residence: Allegheny.  I grew up in NE Ohio until the age of about 23. Preferred Pronouns: He, she, it, they, etc? How do you describe your identity? I’m an adult, white, gay, male, humanist, Democrat. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? It happened in stages, false […]

Jay, 54, Considers His Gay Identity Both Now and Then #AMPLIFY

Allegheny Gay

Name:  Jay Age: 54 County of Residence:  Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: he How do you describe your identity? father, gay male, spiritual and social worker Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I came out to friends and family my first year of college. The friends I hung around in high […]