She Is a Cisgender Lesbi-Not So-Flexible Black Biological Womyn #AMPLIFY

Latrobe Lesbian

Name:  Saintly Sinner Age:  34 County of Residence:  Westmoreland Preferred Pronouns: She. Her. How do you describe your identity? I am a cisgender lesbi-not so-flexible Black biological womyn. I love being a womyn, I love my vagina, and I love being able to share these things with people who may see strength in me. If I’m able […]

Arrest and Update in the Murder of Kiesha Jenkins

Kiesha Jenkins

Last week, 22-year-old Kiesha Jenkins was murdered in Philadelphia. Kiesha was a trans woman of color and a student at Temple University. Kiesha, known to some as Kesh, was the victim in an ugly violent attack. Police have not made any arrests as of yet, but they are considering she was the victim of a […]

Melvin, 30 Year Old Gay Black Man Murdered in Detroit

Transgender Candle

  Very sad news coming out of Detroit, Michigan – the tragic murder of a third queer person in 2015. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) has learned of the homicide of Melvin, a 30-year-old black gay identified male shot to death on Monday, October 5, in Detroit, Michigan. According to media reports, a […]

How #AMPLIFY Has Changed My Life

I’m nine months into my artistic residency and four full months into the #AMPLIFY project, at least the publication phase. Seems like a good time to do some reflecting. If I were going to put up a sculpture to describe my life this year, it would be #AMPLIFY. It would be a beautiful reclaimed wood sculpture. […]

Claudette is a Non-Binary Queer Who Wants Us To See Beyond the L and the G #AMPLIFY

queer Allegheny County

Name: Claudette Sheree Age: 22 County of Residence: Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: They/Them/Their How do you describe your identity? I identify as queer non-binary hard femme queen Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face?  coming out as a femme non-binary queer person in a very strict family in a very small town. […]

Taylor Wants More LGBTQ Resources and Community Unity #AMPLIFY

Allegheny County Lesbian

Name: Taylor Age: 27 County of Residence: Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: Queen(she) How do you describe your identity? Female Lesbian Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? My coming out was hard, I just came out and said I like girls, everyone was quiet for a while, then they started to ask questions. I […]

Alexandria is a Lesbian Artist Trying To Get Her Bearings #AMPLIFY

lesbian Pittsburgh

Name: Alexandria Age: 48 County of Residence:  Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: Female How do you describe your identity? I’m a compassionate person who is a white, female, lesbian artist. How would you describe yourself NOW in terms of “being out”? All the way out Tell me about the first LGBTQ person whom you met. What impact did they have on […]

How Allies Can Erase LGBTQ People When Scheduling LGBTQ Events

Allies Pittsburgh

A recurring theme in the ‪#‎AMPLIFY‬ series is the lack of LGBTQ resources – funding, space, services, leadership opportunities, etc. We have lost a lot over the years, that’s true and we are still battling for the most basic rights., including visibility and dignity. Progress is rarely a linear progression, right? So it is especially frustrating to […]

Anonymous Grieves How Pgh’s Lesbian & Gay Community Treats Bisexuals #AMPLIFY

Bisexual Pittsburgh

Name: Anonymous Age: 45 County of Residence: Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: She, her. (Non-traditional female) How do you describe your identity? Non-traditional female, bisexual, polyamorous. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I realized that I was bi at 42, after two hetero divorces. I think a big part of that was, when […]

The Lack of Bisexual Resources in Pittsburgh #BiWeek

Bisexual Umbrella

  This is National Bisexual Visibility Week (#biweek) and not an especially positive reflection on Pittsburgh.  Our community does not have a single group or resource devoted to the bisexual community, nor do we have any openly bisexual individuals in leadership roles within the community. We have two very prominent community leaders who are bisexual […]