Reece, 31, Grew up in Southern Virginia, but Found LGBTQ Connections in Pittsburgh #AMPLIFY

Name: Reece Age:  31 County of Residence:  Allegheny, formerly Butler County.  Lived prior to that in Southern Virginia. Pronouns: he/him/his How do you describe your identity? Mostly gay. Most of my life I identified as bisexual. A lot of guys come out as bisexual to “soften the blow” for when they later come out as gay. That […]

Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson is the 24th Trans Person Murdered in 2017

Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson was found dead in a motel room in Oklahoma City on Monday, November 27, 2017. She was 31 years old. She is now the 24th transgender person known to be murdered in the United States during 2017. Her death comes just a week after the Transgender Day of Remembrance honored victims of […]

Dear Santa Letters from My Great-Grandmother Circa 1896

One of the sweetest moments in my family tree exploration was the discovery of a very simple item – a letter to Santa published in the Pittsburgh Press on 18 December 1896. The author was a 6-year-old girl named Jennie Rice. She lived at 70 Poplar Alley in the Lower Hill District. Jennie was either […]

Is Krampus Coming to the White House This Year?

Melania White House

When I first saw the images from the White House Christmas decor, I immediately thought “Melania is honoring her heritage!”  Melania Trump is from Slovenia, one of several Central European-Balkan nations that include “companions” in their holiday traditions – typically frightening beasts who acommpany St. Nicholas for some reason or another, manifesting the consequences of […]

Western PA Federal Court Ruling Establishes Sexual Orientation as Protected Class in Workplace

EEOC ruling sexual orienation

A November 16 ruling by in the US Federal District for Western Pennsylvania paves the way for sexual orientation to be considered a protected class in the workplace. Scott Medical Health Center has been ordered to pay $55,500 and provide written notifications of sex harassment allegations made in the next five years. The case, filed […]

Tara, 24, is a Femme, Queer Human #AMPLIFY

Name:  Tara Foran Age: 24 County of Residence: Philadelphia, formerly Allegheny County Pronouns: she/her How do you describe your identity? Femme queer.  Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I came out when I was 17. At the time, I was witnessing a shift in the way the people around me […]

LGBTQ Holiday Happenings in Pittsburgh 2017

Gay Christmas

A round-up of some of my favorite things. This list is not comprehensive by any means, but these are events that happened to catch my eye. If you value this type of blog post, please consider a donation to support our work.  Healing and Solidarity Circle Mon Nov 27 – 8pm — Sanctuary Pgh, 5015 Penn […]

Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri: When The Answer to Everything is Violence

I love spoilers. I have zero concern with knowing the ending ahead of time when I see a movie. It helps me to relax and enjoy the ride if I’m not trying to figure it out. There are spoilers in this post so stop reading if you are not a fan. But when Ledcat suggested […]

Five Bright Spots in My Thanksgiving

Our holiday was perfectly fine. The food was great, the family was all there, etc. But I feel like there was a lackluster veneer between me and everyone else. I’m sure part of that is depression over the menstrual period I’ve been having for two solid months as it sucks all the good out of […]

Those Times When Santa Came to Visit on a Fire Truck in West Mifflin

Santa Claus West Mifflin

When I was a child growing up in West Mifflin, a blue-collar suburb of Pittsburgh, there were a few consistent holiday rituals. These included: making Advent wreaths at CCD; watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special; and fire truck Santa. Each year the local volunteer fire department would drive around the neighborhoods with Santa on a […]