What Are the Legal Costs To Defend Domestic Partnerships and Marriage Equality in Pennsylvania?

This past weekend was my third wedding anniversary. It was a bit harder than I thought to think about marriage joy. But we had a plan. I’ve gifted my wife with the “traditional”gift each year that we could share, so I decided to gift myself something leather this year. In this leather case, it was […]

Ross Township Commissioner and ACDC Committee Member Patrick Mullin Sharing anti-LGBTQ, welfare-shaming content on Facebook

Content note – homophobia, transphobia, sexism, racism, Allegheny County Democrats, suburban life, ageism, welfare shaming Also please note the original version of the essay contained a pivotal typographical error. That has been corrected. People are sending me Trump social media content shared by other ACDC members. This one gets to me. Patrick Mullin holds two […]

Laura, 56, is a Lesbian Who Wants to Shine a Spotlight on LGBTQ History, Issues #AMPLIFY

Lesbian Mercer County

Name: Laura Age: 56 Pronouns: She/her County of Residence: Allegheny, formerly Mercer County and Centre County. How do you describe your identity? Lesbian/gay Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? A friend at college suggested that I might be gay when she noticed I wasn’t “scoping out” the […]

Peters Township Voted Racist School Board Director, William Merrell, Out of Office – What’s Next?

Peters Towsnship Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Soooo in a very snappy and necessary turn of events, racist School Board Director William Merrell got his comeuppance. First, the School Board censured him on Monday night. He owned up to the nasty racist tweets, but didn’t resign. He’s a jagoff. In its motion to censure, the board stated Mr. Merrell violated the district’s […]

Call To Action: Peters Township, Washington County Might Consider Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Peters Towsnship Non-Discrimination Ordinance

A friend of mine read about the lack of non-discrimination protections in Pennsylvania. So she took action in her community and contacted the Peters Township Council, asking them to consider introducing the ordinance. She is amazing and brave.  Peters Township is in Washington County and this would be the first such ordinance in the entire […]

Selene, 60, is genderfluid, pansexual, femme-presenting, neuroqueer and more #AMPLIFY

How do you describe your identity? genderfluid, pansexual, femme-presenting, dom
white as f*ing bleached flour
autistic, neurodivergent, neuroqueer
multiply disabled, invisibly disabled, visibly disabled, auditory processing disorder, executive function disorder, ehlers danlos syndrome, partially ambulatory

Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? Have been more or less out as weird-queer all my life. Had some excellent friends, also some friends of my mother’s were supportive. Several teachers.

Got beat up, excluded, gamed. Autism (undiagnosed) was not helpful in knowing whom to trust.

Carlisle Approves Non-Discrimination Ordinance, 37th Pennsylvania Municipality to Do So

Non-Discrimination Pennsylvania

On Thursday December 8, Carlisle Borough in Eastern Pennsylvania voted 5-2 to approve a local non-discrimination ordinance that includes sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes. Carlisle is the 37 municipality to take action to protect LGBTQ residents while the PA General Assembly remains unable to move forward on similar statewide legislation […]

City of Butler Considers Expanding Non-Discrimination Protections to LGBTQ Community

Butler County Queer

This is a very important blog post about a very important decision taking place just a wee bit north of Downtown Pgh. Butler City Council is considering creating a Human Relations Authority that would be responsible for ensuring resident of the City are protected in areas of employment, housing and public accommodation from discrimination based […]

Norman, 67, is a Gay Black Male of African Descent #AMPLIFY

Gay Black Pittsburgh

Name:  Norman Age:  67 County of Residence: Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: he/his/him How do you describe your identity? gay (same gender loving) Black male of African Descent Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? My coming out experience happened in the late 60’s with my sisters when I was in my […]

Ben, 29, is Proud to be a Queer Pittsburgher #AMPLIFY

Gay Pittsburgh

Name: Ben Stoviak Age: 29 County of Residence: Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: He/They How do you describe your identity? Queer, gay, male-bodied; I like to think of myself as a lover above these things, though, and like to remind people that I’m many more things than this—I’m a teacher, professional, creative, son, brother, adventurer, and friend. Please describe your coming out […]