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A guest post from longtime LGBTQ activist and former Pride committee member, Billy Hileman. This is in response to decisions by the Delta Foundation that excluded Richard Parsakian’s participation as curator of dance performances at the festival, and separately left him no choice but to withdraw the historic rainbow pride flag. For the first time in […]
Late last week, longtime LGBTQ activist Billy Hileman began posting images on Facebook calling out the Delta Foundation around their decision to invite Iggy Azalea to perform at Pittsburgh Pridefest. Hileman coordinated Pridefest organizing in the 1990’s. He agreed to answer a few questions for me. “Defending Iggy doesn’t work. Iggy Azalea has no business […]
Each October, we celebrate LGBTQ History Month to coincide with National Coming Out Day on 11 October and to commemorate the first and second marches on Washington in 1979 and 1987 for LGBT rights. The third march, co-coordinated by Pittsburgh activist Billy Hileman, took place in April 1993. This is something I did not know. […]
America’s Civil Rights Agenda Stalled as Attacks on LGBTQIA People Expand Almost thirty years ago, on April 25, 1993, nearly 1,000,000 people marched onto the nation’s capitol in the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. This is a guest blog post by Pittsburgh based queer activist Billy Hileman. Billy was […]
Saturday, April 8, 2023 Declared “Wendi Miller Day” Coming out in the late 1990s brought me into the orbit of some of the iconic community leaders whose courage and prescience during the 1980s and 1990s laid the groundwork for the rights and privileges LGBTQ+ folx enjoy today in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania. I didn’t know them […]
Since 1988 and every year thereafter on December 1, World AIDS Day has been an international day for global health in the fight against AIDS. On this day, our communities remember those who we lost to HIV/AIDS, cherish those who are living with HIV, and recognize the impact this disease has had on families and […]
I thought it was a LGBTQ activist emergency. Really. Monday morning, my wife texted me repeatedly, telling me to call City Councilor Bruce Kraus’ office immediately. I was a little dumbfounded by the request. So I called, no answer. I called his cell phone (it is Pittsburgh, having his cell phone is not that unusual), […]
Disclosure: I am a member of this Commission and currently serve as a co-chair. I also introduced this recommendation to the Commission. I am available for comment. ~ Sue Commissioners: Kathi Boyle • Nekia Burton Tucker • Denise DeSimone • Jam Hammond • Billy Hileman • Sue Kerr • Bruce Kraus • Maria MontañoLenny Orbovich […]
Statement from the City of Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission regardingthe bigoted anti-transgender radio advertisement airing on certain localradio stations: Not in Our Town. Disclosure: I am a member of this Commission and currently serve as a co-chair. I also helped to draft this statement. I am available for comment. ~ Sue Commissioners: Kathi Boyle • Nekia […]
One year ago, I was among a group of 17 individuals nominated and approved to serve as Pittsburgh’s first LGBTQIA+ Commission. That was February 9, 2021 so a little more than a year. Sue Kerr, Kathi Boyle, Richard Parsakian, Leonard Orbovich, Sarah Rosso, Jam Hammond, Guillermo Velazquez, Denise DeSimone, Luca Salerno, Tiffini Simoneaux, Nekia Burton […]
