“Shame On You (Insert Lesbian Slur)” For Calling Out Local Labor Leader Over Affordable Housing

Phil Ameris lesbian bashing

I spent Saturday afternoon tabling for #ProtectTransKids projects at a local arts event. This meant I repeatedly described the anti-trans abusive behavior of the neighbor who targeted the young Black trans teen at the heart of the project. People shared their own stories – their personal experiences, their family members, grandkids, nieces. In the midst, […]

The One Year Anniversary of My Mother’s Death

I’ve written hundreds of memorial profiles. This one is not new news, it is the one year anniversary of my mother’s death. I’ve just cocooned myself here at home. I didn’t post about it anywhere because I don’t want to answer questions or make decisions. I don’t want good intentions to intrude on my careful […]

Q&A with Tracy Royston, Candidate for Pittsburgh City Controller

The Controller’s main focus is to protect taxpayer dollars. I truly believe that the best way to do that is by really talking to people. You cannot just govern from Grant Street. This is the next post of our 2023 primary election season series ‘Political Q&A’ with progressive candidates throughout Pennsylvania. Candidates can be anywhere […]

Phil Ameris, Pres of Construction Worker’s Union, Disparages Affordable Housing, Working Class Families

Philip Ameris

For your consideration from a PublicSource article about the hotly contested campaign for Allegheny County Chief Executive: Phil Ameris, president of the Laborers District Council of Western Pennsylvania, added that Weinstein will “be a fair voice for both labor and development,” and in a dig at more progressive candidates, said he will represent more than […]

26-Year-Old Trans Woman Zachee Imanitwitaho Killed in Louisville

26-year-old Zachee Imanitwitaho was a Black trans woman, born in the African nation of Rwanda. She immigrated to the US in 2019 and settled in the Hazelwood neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. On Friday, February 3, Zachee was shot and killed near her workplace at JB Swift in Louisville around 3 PM CST. Police found her […]

Need Your Help to Get More #ProtectTransKids Yard Signs Into Suburbs. Here’s Why …

Protect Trans Kids

From Politico:  More than 180 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced so far this legislative session, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, with dozens centered on restricting transgender students in school. Last year, state legislators introduced 315 anti-LGBTQ bills, according to the Human Rights Campaign. More than 90 percent of the legislation failed as only 29 […]

Book Review: ‘1979’ Launches a New Mystery Series from Val McDermid

Several years ago, I dove into a genre described as ‘Tartan noir’ – mysteries set in Scotland. I did some digging into authors and found several women, including several lesbians so that was a promising start. In August 2021, Scottish author Val McDermid published her 35th novel and the launch of the first series she’s […]

Q&A with Bethany Hallam, Candidate for Allegheny County Council, At-Large

Bethany Hallam Allegheny County Council

I’ve conducted numerous unannounced inspections of the jail, talking with incarcerated individuals about their concerns and needs. I’ve advocated for trans folks who are incarcerated, and fought to expose the archaic process by which the jail classifies the gender of incarcerated individuals (according to the gender listed by the police in their arrest report). The […]

Our Groundhog Day Wedding Anniversary

Today marks two years since Laura and I had our backyard COVID-19 wedding. It was brief, simple, and cold. We made it into the ‘Society’ section of the Pittsburgh City Paper. We have a nice little registry and occasionally still get a surprise from it. And we have this Kai Devenitch original artwork to commemorate […]

I’m Taking a Forensic Genealogy Training

This is my 10th year of writing memorial posts for victims of lethal anti-trans violence. Over the time, I’ve tried to stay focused on the very original request from my friend Jacob, a trans activist. He asked me to write a “decent post” that contained information about the crime(s) but also acknowledged the life of […]