An occasional series where we pose some questions to local LGBTQ (and Allies) to learn more about their personal experiences with LGBTQ culture.
Bill Peduto, current City Councilor in District 8 and candidate for Mayor, has a long history as a staunch ally for the LGBTQ community. Bill was a founding member of Steel City Stonewall, the lone elected official willing to attend more than one PrideFest and well-versed in the implications of everything from tax codes to Commission appointments for our community. I believe he is one of the only candidates who will go to the mat for us, even if he experiences political fallout – simply because it is the right thing to do.
And beyond anything else, Bill Peduto loves Pittsburgh. All of Pittsburgh, including the LGBTQ community.
Name: Bill Peduto
Affiliation: City Councilman, candidate for Mayor
Tell us about the very first LGBTQ person you met and what that meant for you. I worked at Cafe Azure when I was about 20 years old and was close with many of the LGBTQ staff members there. But the first that I met was named Patrick.
How do you stay informed on LGBTQ issues? Many of my close friends and people in my social circle are LGBTQ and I hear a lot of news from them as well as just following the issues in local and national news.
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What is the most important issue facing the LGBTQ community today? Equal rights is, unfortunately, still an issue that must be addressed.
If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing in Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ community, what would it be? I think I would like to change the politics of it. I wish more of our local elected leaders we step up and be champions on issues of equality for LGBTQ people. There are still some who are not the allies they could be.
Past or present, favorite LGBTQ character in television, film or literature? Honestly I can’t really think of one. Which probably means that LGBTQ characters are not as well-represented in books or on film as they should be.
What is one simple thing a reader can do to support the LGBTQ community? Register to vote and participate in ALL elections, not just the presidential. Also, get involved in your community, join a community group. The more that LGBTQ people are active in their neighborhoods the more it shows people whose minds may not have been opened yet that LGBTQ people are their neighbors and care about this city just as much as they do.
Follow Bill on Twitter @BillPeduto
Like his campaign page on Facebook
For more information on his campaign, visit his website.
It is a good sign when a candidate in the midst of the most crucial campaign takes time to answer questions from a lesbian blog.
To suggest someone for LGBTQ&A, please email us pghlesbian at gmail dot com. Please note that we will publish the responses of all candidates for office in this region, regardless of our endorsements.
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