Mission Accomplished! Gift Card Drive for LGBTQ Elders a Success

Pittsburgh LGBT elders

Congrats, folks. Together, we collected more than $1,000 in gift cards to be distributed to the 9 LGBTQ elders in the SAGE program that we told you about last month. This is so wonderful – we successfully met two goals with the lovely holiday party yesterday (all of the cookies) and the gift cards news […]

UPDATED One Week Left to Donate Gift Cards for LGBTQ Elders #ReachOUT

Persad SAGE party

We met our goal in less than 24 hours after posting this recent update! Thank you, Pittsburgh! The headline is this – we still need gift cards for some of the LGBTQ elders connected to the SAGE project with Persad Center. They are all over 55 and have little to no family support so this […]

I’m Cranky, Sad and Defiant. December, Here I Come.

There is no opening sentence that will accurately describe my emotional mindset right now. How about “my month has been a delightful Panoply of precursors to the next four years as well as most of what’s been happening forever that I never thought about?” I started out after the election feeling numb and cutting myself […]

23 Year Old Black Lesbian Stud is Murdered in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville Neighborhood UPDATED

Pittsburgh Stud Shanique Sanders

Her name was Shanique Sanders.

Pittsburgh Stud Shanique Sanders
Shanique Sanders via Facebook
She was 23 years old and a resident of Homestead. Wednesday afternoon, she became the latest fatality in the epidemic of violence when her body was found at 1:45 PM on McKinley Street in the Knoxville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. She had been shot at least one time when she was found and transported to UPMC Mercy where she later died.

Shanique used the name Loyalty Fashigg in social media and self-identified as a stud, according to local LGBT activist Amber Sloan who was a friend and mentor to Shanique. Amber told me that Shanique was born in Garfield, grew up in Homewood and was a graduate of Westinghouse High School.

Is an #AMPLIFY Tee Shirt (fundraiser) a Useful Form of Resistance? #GivingTuesday

Here’s our appeal for #GivingTuesday. We need to raise $600. We’ve kicked around the idea of a tee shirt fundraiser in the past, but never came up with a concept beyond using our logo (designed by Kai Devenitch): The ongoing discussion of wearing safety pins combined with this creative anarchist button response got me thinking […]

Exciting News for AMPLIFY as We Team Up With Persad

We are thrilled to announce a new direction for the #AMPLIFY project – beginning in January 2017, Persad Center will be our new fiscal sponsor. Persad is the longest running LGBTQ organization in Western PA serving all of the region since 1972. They have a myriad of programs and services, many of which can offer […]

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.”

Forbes Hospital’s Inadequate Response to Transphobic Employees

Via KDKA TV, last night I learned about a developing story at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville. Some anonymous female employees at this Allegheny Health Network facility had voiced complaints about a trans woman employee being permitted to use the ladies bathroom. First, the good. Allegheny Health Network is following the law with regard to allowing […]

Benjamin, 35, is a Cis Gay Man Who Came out Four Times #AMPLIFY

Ben Gay Pittsburgh

  Name:  Benjamin Age: 35 County of Residence:  Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: he How do you describe your identity? I self-identify as a gay cisgender man. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I’ve probably come out 4 different times. First as someone “into guys,” then as someone with a homosexual […]