Political LGBTQ&A with Jessica Benham, State Representative Elect PA House District 36

Jessica Benham

I know that many bisexual people and many Autistic people see themselves reflected in me, and that my win gives them hope about the ways they, too, can make a difference in the world. As of this most recent election, Pennsylvania has at least 57 openly LGBTQ individuals holding elected office. In November 2020, we […]

Facebook Wouldn’t Let Me Post this Content About Face Masks for LGBTQ People in My High School Alumni or Similar Groups

Sue Kerr Amy Fiore Garrison

This was originally a FB post I tried to share in several West Mifflin Facebook groups because it involves two West Mifflin alumni (see below.) Facebook rejected it, no matter how much I edited it. This was not the fault of the moderators; they never saw it. Rather than beat my head against the Facebook […]

Facemask Q&A with Stoney Michelli of Stuzo Clothing

Stuzo Clothing Founder Stoney Michelli

We actually created [masks] in 2017 for fashion and function.  We were traveling to many cities and festivals for our pop ups and were susceptible to a lot.  We needed something that would protect from germs and dust.  It had to also include fashion being that half of our faces would be covered.  Over the […]

Ten Years Ago This Weekend, I Voluntarily Committed Myself to a Psychiatric Unit

Forbes Hospital Mental Health

Content Note: mental health, psychiatric hospital I’ve written extensively about my mental health. It has been a lifelong battle that I wasn’t even armed for until I was age 22. And now at age 50, I am uncovering new layers of my story and history that sometimes feel amazing and sometimes, so very sad. In […]

87 Trans Stories From Western Pennsylvania Honor Trans Awareness Week 2020

Transgender Awareness Week

The week before Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, we have Transgender Awareness Week to help raise the visibility of transgender people and address issues the community faces. Since 2015, the #AMPLIFY project has curated first person Q&A’s with members of the region’s LGBTQ community. The archive is meant to be a permanent resource to understand […]

Thanksgiving Things to Do in Pittsburgh

Food! If you have never had the joy of restaurant dining on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day, you may experience sticker shock – upwards of $40/person is not unusual. And that’s not a buffet. BUT there’s a great option on the Northside called Bistro-to-Go on East Ohio Street. Their traditional turkey dinners are fantastic and at […]

Today, There are 366 New Reasons to Invest in the Pgh MasQUe ProjecT

where to find face masks

Today, Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 366 new cases. These individuals range in age from 3 months to 96 months with a median age of 35 years. The State reports five new deaths in Allegheny County. One of those people was in their 20s. Since March 14, there have been 18,339 cases of […]

Facemask Q&A with Shapeshifters Eli Coughlin-Galbraith

Where to buy face masks?

First, let me (Sue) apologize to our readers. One question I submitted to Eli used gendered language that is inaccurate. Eli addressed the issue in their response. I did apologize privately, but want to hold myself accountable. It was a careless error caused by sloppy proofreading, but I realize that the impact could be very […]

Life on the Ground in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (Yep, The Home of Pittsburgh)

I live about a mile from the vote tallying garage. The past few days have been rife with tension, heightened by the incessant whir of the helicopters from the local TV stations. I can’t figure out why they need to send helicopters when a van would be sufficient. Maybe they are afraid of violence? The […]

Will It Be A ‘Long Winter’? Day 240

Fans of Little House on the Prairie books should get my reference – one entire book describes how the Ingalls family and neighbors endured from October 1880-May 1881. The book exaggerates a few facts, but is generally considered an accurate representation of the suffering and hardships endured by residents throughout the Great Plains. That book […]