Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

Are the residents of Collier, Kennedy, Neville, Robinson and Stowe townships and the boroughs of Bridgeville, Carnegie, Coraopolis, McKees Rocks and Pennsbury Village anti-LGBTQ? Do they believe that trans kids playing sports is one of the top priorities for their school districts? Do they see LGBTQ people like me as being an enemy or the opposition based on my identity?

I guess we’ll find out on Election Day.

One candidate for the PA State House District 45 – a Democrat currently holding office on Allegheny County Council where he is also President – seems to think this is the case. He’s using dog whistle tactics to sow discord and fear in the district, ultimately throwing trans and queer neighbors under the bus to win his race.

I opted to step back from my usual campaign work this election cycle. Honestly, it was hard as I missed the campaign Q&A series. I feel disconnected from the election, the campaigns, and the candidates. It is almost as if I am valued only for creating that content, not as a typical human being living in a district. The lone exception to that has been Summer Lee’s campaign. They are doing a solid job connecting with people like me.

This nasty little anti-trans MAGA mentality by the current President of Allegheny County Council running for higher office brought me out of the self-imposed exile.

The 45th State House District had been represented by Anita Kulick who is retiring. Catena is running to replace her. So is Brittany Bloam.

Catena approved his campaign decision to send out a mailer. It specifically calls out the trans community.

Per a source, here's a mailer sent in a western Pennsylvania Democratic primary for a suburban Pittsburgh district, sent by county councilman Pat Catena on his race against attorney Brittany Bloam. pic.twitter.com/bociznnQk8

— Stephen Caruso (@StephenJ_Caruso) May 6, 2026

The flyer says Bloam is “supported by an extreme left group that advocates for transgender athletes in our sports.”

If you read more closely, the language says that this so-called extreme left group is “the opponent.” Or more precisely that voters supporting trans students participating in sports are “the opponent.” Perhaps supporting trans people in general makes one “the opponent”?

If you condemn people who support trans neighbors, what does that say to those trans neighbor?

A flyer from his “friends” doxxed Bloam. He’s anti-choice. And he also sought that very endorsement (Steel City Stonewall Democrats) himself.

This is from the President of Allegheny County Council, from a Democrat. A white male cisgender heterosexual Democrat who believes that targeting the most vulnerable people in his district is an acceptable means to win votes. That’s disgusting. It is the hate speech word play that feeds into anti-trans narratives and leads to terrible outcomes.

Catena was called out and issued a non-apology.

“I want to sincerely apologize to the LGBTQIA+ communities, and to anyone else I hurt or disappointed with the recent mailer sent on behalf of my campaign,” the statement said. “The message was inappropriate and did not reflect the level of respect I have for our transgender neighbors.”

“Public service should bring people together, not deepen divisions. I remain committed to treating every individual with dignity and respect, and will be having tough conversations to better inform myself of the struggles of our most vulnerable communities.”

The message was inappropriate, he says. No, the belief that trans athletes deserve scorn is harmful, dangerous, and falacious. And certainly inappropriate.

Public service should bring people together, not deepen division, he says. So why did he attack trans people, their supporters, and Brittany Bloam in his campaign? If he actually believed he should not deepen divides, why go negative to win his race? Why hurt people?

He’s going to have tough conversations to learn about the trans community in his district. Why are they tough? He sits down with trans constituents, listens to their experiences and stories, and he responds. Are the conversations tough because he still believes his district is anti-trans? Because it is tough to talk with people you’ve insulted and belittled?

Because it is hard to be a Democrat elected official in 2026 who is uncomfortable with challenging the binary constructs of gender? Or perhaps because it isn’t hard to be that guy, but pretend you aren’t?

It isn’t tough to believe trans athletes deserve to play. It is tough to resist bigotry, misinformation, and hate in our current political culture. But that is what is required. White cisgender heterosexual men like Pat Catena got us here. They need to show up now.

Very few people were satisfied with his non-apology. Members of Allegheny County Council have taken steps to remove Catena as President. He is not a suitable person to lead that body. They can’t follow through until after the Primary Election, but I hope they keep up the pressure and ensure there are consequences for sacrificing the few shreds of peace of mind trans people have at this point.

Notably, a local organization Trans Youniting rejected a $500 donation from Catena’s campaign. Read their statement at Qburgh. Making amends is part of accountability, not a way to sidestep it.

Then Pat Catena showed his true colors with this video (the embed code is wonky)

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17T4RJfnra/

• “To my friends in the 45th district.”
• “My family has been threatened.”
• ‘I made a mistake and I apologized”
• “The other side …”
• “You know me”
• “Vote for me based on my lifetime of service to you. And our communities”

My jaw didn’t drop because I had zero confidence he was truly remorseful. Rather than follow through on his commitment to tough conversations, he does it again. He says supporters of the trans community are ‘the other side.’ He makes a claim about his family being threatened – he previously said someone came to his house when Council was debating the decision to ban County employees from engaging with ICE.

This is where having friends in the trans and queer community would behoove him because we are threatened on a daily basis and could advise him on how to deal with it. Having your family threatened is a terrible experience, but far worse is the subtle implication that ‘the other side’ did this, much less that the trans community threatened his family. Tying trans people to illegal or violent actions is right out of the MAGA playbook.

Also the threat was tied to a completely different issue.

I went back and read reports of the debate on that legislation. Catena abstained.  According to WESA, he said he was abstaining because he refused “to allow anyone to claim that threats or intimidation had any influence over the democratic process or the outcome of my decision. “If the goal of this threat was to silence me or intimidate this council, clearly you can see that it has failed,” he added.

I don’t think ‘a failure to silence him’ means what he thinks it means. Actually almost nothing he says has any firm meaning because he’s a self-serving coward that takes me back to 2005/2006 when I first began blogging.

Each time he says “you know me” my soul got a little darker. That phrase implies that personal connections to Catena offset his public actions. Same with “my lifetime of service to you. And our communities.” He’s building metaphorical rings of intimacy, trust, and secret squirrel type politics. He doesn’t only represent people who know him, he serves the entire communities.

Or does he?

Pat Catena has not learned a damn thing from this experience. He has no remorse, no self awareness, and no decency. He speaks out of both sides of his mouth about his stance on reproductive justice and his commitment to the trans community. Both of these things should deeply concern all LGBTQIA+ people and our supporters in the PA House 45th District.

I do not see that Catena has lost the endorsements of any of his friends who claim to be pro-trans. Nor does he have any endorsements from trans, LGBTQ, or allied entities. Not a teachers union, not the SEIU, not an environmental group, no social justice groups. certainly no pro-choice groups.

• Allegheny County Democratic Committee
• The Pittsburgh Regional Building Trades Council
• Pittsburgh Laborers District Council
• Char Valley Democratic Chairs Committee
• AFL-CIO
• Pittsburgh Plumbers 27
• Steamfitters Local 449
• Almalgamated Transit Union
• FOP Political Action Committee (shocker!)
• Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters
• Teamsters Local 249

Pat Catena has no decency. He’s trying to take up space with his white cisgender heterosexual male privilege instead of supporting a representative State House. We don’t need more white men in Harrisburg. Get a clue, old boys. Support qualified candidates including woman, BIPOC folx, LGBTQ folx, younger Gen Z folx, disabled folx, etc. Get out of the way and get to work building up a Pennsylvania government that represents all of us, not just your friends.

He was a coward on the ICE legislation. He tried to bribe the trans community. He is deceptive about his actual stance on women’s reproductive health and abortion. He refuses the deafening cries to step down as Allegheny County Council President even though he is creating a significant distraction in that role. He’s going to hide under his desk until its all over.

He is not a good man and I do not think he would serve the good people of his district well in Harrisburg.

Not even his friends.