We #AMPLIFY Stories from 50+ LGBTQ Parents in Western Pennsylvania on #LGBTQFamiliesDay

Welcome to another year of LGBTQ Families Day, a ‘day of blogging (and more)’ about LGBTQ families, sponsored by the blog Mombian and the Family Equality Council. Once again, I’ve decided to share #AMPLIFY posts highlighting the voices of parents, step-parents  and grandparents and other caretakers of children.  If you are a LGBTQ person with ties to Western Pennsylvania, please add your voice to this archive (parent status is not a requirement.) You can read the full archive of nearly 300 stories at this link. (The estimated LGBTQ population of Western PA is 185,000, so our sample is about .2% of that population)

I am also planning to write an original post of my own about my experiences with my family AND publish a post from local LGBTQ foster parents about their experiences. Follow the tag at the end of the post to find those.

 

I have been collecting Q&A responses from LGBTQ folks with ties to Western Pennsylvania. The project is called #AMPLIFY and we plan to continue seeking Q&A contributions through at least the end of 2020. Participants are 18+, identify as part of the LGBTQ community and have ties to Western Pennsylvania.

We ask a lot of (mostly) open-ended questions about their identities and experiences. We do not ask any questions specifically about their family status, but many of them mention the fact that they are parenting in the context of one or more of the questions. About 20% of the contributors are parents.


If you appreciate our blogging, please consider a contribution


For my contribution to the annual Blogging for LGBTQ Families Day project, I decided the best thing to do is to amplify their Q&A posts. Please read as many as you like and absorb some of the wisdom and wit they have to share. Please note that I included people I know to be parenting or grandparenting. I did not necessarily include everyone who is a caretaker for a child. If I left anyone out, I apologize. Feel free to reach out to me and I’ll update. And let me know if/how we should add this as a question to the Q&A.

 

  1. Lange, 41, is a Queer Single-Parent in Pittsburgh 
  2. Rae, 48, is a Pansexual Trans Woman Living in Allegheny County
  3. He’s a cisgender polyamorous bisexual guy, but nobody asks
  4. Laura, 42, is a Bisexual Mom in Pittsburgh 
  5. Tracey, 58, is a Queer Mother Parenting Nonbinary Children 
  6. Morgan, 31, is a Black, Bisexual, Queer, Polyamorous Woman & Mother
  7. Bobbi Jo, 63, is a Transgender Lesbian in Indiana County
  8. Angie, 32: Out, Loud, and Proud Black Pansexual Mom
  9. Amy is Bi in Pittsburgh But Not Really Out
  10. Joel, 35, is Gay, a Trans Guy, Polyamorous, Christian, Parent, & Husband 
  11. Krissy, 34, Talks About Step Parenting as a Bisexual Woman 
  12. Angela is a Queer Mother & Intersectional Feminist
  13. Caiolin, 56, is Just Another Woman Who Happens To Be Trans 
  14. James, 54, Is a Gay Pittsburgh Dad Living in Texas
  15. Laura, 44, is a Lesbian Mom in Fayette County 
  16. Janet, 66, is Bisexual, Cisgender and Gender Nonconforming
  17. Caitlyn 51, Lives Her Authentic Self as a Trans Woman in Erie 
  18. Jamie, 52, Celebrates the Queer Tribe Rising
  19. Jay, 33, Says Stories Are Part of Queer Liberation
  20. Cheryl, 42, Wants Us To See Everyone in the LGBTQ Community
  21. Eileen, 52, Reflects on the Awakening of Her LGBTQ Community
  22. Kim, 40, Mother, Pansexual and Mexican-American in Washington County
  23. Camellia, 30, is a Lesbian, Soon-to-be Wife, and Momma 
  24. Wes, 44: Queer Trans Man, Parent Wants You To Know That He Exists
  25. Sara, 28, Single Mom, Agnostic Jew, and Queer in Ohio
  26. Jay, 54, Considers His Gay Identity Both Now and The
  27. For Jodi’s Kids, Having Two Mothers Is Just a Fact of Life
  28. Kim, 44, Say She Lost Her Job in Beaver County Because She’s a Lesbian
  29. Alissa, 34, is Just Another Girl in the Crowd in Lawrence County
  30. De, 49, is Concerned About LGBTQ Youth in Rural Western PA
  31. Viva Valezz is a Queer Burlesque Performer Parenting a Gender Fluid Child
  32. Heather Refuses to Marginalize Herself as a Bisexual Woman
  33. Dinah Denmark: Lesbian, Jewish, Buddhist
  34. Kathi Wants To Connect with LGBTQ Elders in Rural Communities
  35. Shaquanna Wants Families to Have Positive Conversations With LGBTQ Relatives
  36. Jeff Hopes the LGBTQ Community Will Embrace a Common Queer Identity
  37. Jess is a Lesbian Mother Who Wants More Family Friendly Resources
  38. Diane Discusses Being Belligerently Out in Pittsburgh
  39. Anonymous Grieves How Pittsburgh’s Gay and Lesbian Community Treats Bisexuals
  40. Maria Wants You To Know a Family Like Hers #AMPLIFY
  41. Lyndsey Identifies as a Queer Genderfluid Lipstuck Butch
  42. Alex is a Black Trans Man Who Doesn’t Apologize For His Existence
  43. David Talks About the State of Equality in Erie
  44. Bee Asks Where Single Parents Fit Into the LGBTQ Community
  45. Vic Lives Closeted in Westmoreland County
  46. Gary Has Lived in Northwest and Southwest PA As An Openly Gay Man
  47. Paula Speaks Out About Bi-Erasure and Bisexual Exclusion
  48. Joy KMT Values Intersectional Healing Spaces
  49. Gina Shares Her Truth With Those Who Deserve To Know
  50. Donna Met a Female Impersonator Who Made a Lasting Impression
  51. Joyce Believes Tolerance Is Not Acceptance

If you or someone you know is an LGBTQ identified person 18 or older with ties to Western Pennsylvania, please ask them to share their story with this archive. The form is here.

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If you would like to read our previous years’ contributions

2018 – 50 LGBTQ Parents #AMPLIFY Their Experiences for #LGBTQFamiliesDay 2018

2017 – #AMPLIFY LGBTQ Families, 40 Parents Share Their Experiences

2016 – #AMPLIFY LGBTQ Families, 29 Parents Share Their Experiences

2014 – Summertime Traditions For Our LGBTQ Family

2013 – Blogging Because We Are Family!

2012 – Being an Advocate: 7th Annual Blogging for LGBT Families

2011 – Blogging for LGBT Families 2011 – Don’t Devalue the Aunties

2010 – Pittsburgh LGBTQ Families – a Blog Post

2009 – Blogging for LGBT Families in Pennsylvania

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