Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

Overall, I think I’ve been a good citizen/resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Imperfect, but I do fight the good fight.

Still being declared totally and permanently disabled at age 40 was hard.

Like many of you, I’ve internalized the belief that being productive aka working AND earning money sets the bar for being a good citizen, a good person, a good neighbor. I had a job since age 15 with a lapse from Dec 2003-April 2004. Maybe another in the 90s? Often, I had multiple jobs. It is what you did.

Since being disabled, I do a lot of unpaid work – this blog. Volunteer projects. Serving on committees and Commissions. Things that I can do with my limited energy and resources. I’ve received many national honors and awards.

Things that I can say to myself when I feel like I’m a failure because I cannot work for pay. When I feel ashamed because I need help. When I start to worry that people will think poorly of me. My therapist points out that the fact that I worry about this shows I’m not some sort of grifter running a con. And still …

I’m actually a big fan of ‘poverty skills’ in the sense that I have a lot of respect for people whose creativity, ingenuity, and tenacity keep them alive in a society that does not. Back in 1995, I took a training on food supports from the Kentucky State DHS department where I first learned of a study that showed women who relied on food stamps made much better and efficient shopping decisions than the typical woman shopper. At that point, I knew a local woman who would walk back and forth between the two town grocery stores, divvying up her food stamps to get enough cash to buy diapers. She was a genius in my mind. And also why did she have to do that?

I need to do better at acknowledging that I deserve help simply because I need it. I don’t have to keep a running tally of my accomplishments and contributions to show I ‘deserve’ support, compassion, and fairness. That will be a hard lesson to unlearn.

The Administrator of Medicare and Medicaid says

In a shocking clip, Dr. Oz says the solution to having a chronic illness is to just be healthy. Meanwhile, he’s flanked by RFK Jr. who is pushing methylene blue – which has life-threatening interactions with antidepressants. This is completely insane.

Oz: 70% of the money we spend is on chronic illness and we are not getting our money's worth. For folks listening right now, it's your patriotic duty to be as healthy as can you… pic.twitter.com/AgOdEaJDg6

— Acyn (@Acyn) May 8, 2025

I’m unpatriotic for being chronically ill. What a horrifying message.

The fact is that I need help to fund my lawsuits, I need help with food, I need help with transportation and daily living costs. I don’t buy new clothes, I don’t plan on a vacation ever, I focus on my lawsuits, my pet expenses, and daily living. And I try to circulate money through the sharing economy when I can.

I need your help. I can’t ever earn enough to defend my civil rights. Who can?

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