Sue is founding editor of Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents blog, established in 2005.. She has an MSW from the University in Pittsburgh and a BA in Political Science from Marymount University. Her undergraduate claim to fame is a six month stint as an intern with then Congressman Rick Santorum in 1991. Born and raised in West Mifflin, Sue attended college in Washington DC, then graduate school in Louisiana and ended up in Kentucky doing social service ministry. She returned to Pittsburgh in 1997. She now lives on Pittsburgh’s Northside with her wife, Laura. She was among the first out LGBTQ people named to Pittsburgh’s 40 Under 40 in 2004 and is a graduate of Leadership Development Initiative Class VII. After being fully and permanently disabled in 2010, Sue has continued to serve the community. She founded the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project to address hunger and environmental issues. In 2015, she launched the #AMPLIFY LGBTQ archive in conjunction with a two-year artist in residence stint with Most Wanted Fine Art. Sue and her wife have fostered over 25 kittens through Pittsburgh CAT and Homeless Cat Management Team, and now manage multiple community cat colonies in their neighborhood. In 2020, Sue cofounded the Pittsburgh MasQUe ProjecT to support the queer and trans community during the pandemic, distributing tens of thousands of face masks and other supplies throughout the region. In 2021, Sue created the #PghCatFolx projects to support neighbors working with community cats. Under that heading came the Dr. John P. Ruffing DVM Pet Food Projects, memorializing one of her very best friends who died in 2007. In 2021, Sue worked with community leaders to develop and establish a 501c3 nonprofit organization, Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities (PLC) where she currently serves as Board President. PLC absorbed the #PghCatFolx projects. Also in 2021, Sue was the first person in history appointed to the City of Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission and was unanimously elected as one of three inaugural co-chairs. Her blogging has garnered numerous awards Favorite GLBT Media Publication - 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 (Keystone Alliance Gaylife Newsletter Reader’s Poll) Favorite GLBT Social Media - 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 (Keystone Alliance Gaylife Newsletter Reader’s Poll) Best Local Blogger - 2016, 2019 (Pittsburgh City Paper Reader’s Poll) LGBTQIA Pittsburgh’s Best Blogger - 2020 (SisTersPgh, People’s Pride of Pittsburgh) LGBTQIA Pittsburgh’s Best Lesbian Activist - 2020 (SisTersPgh, People’s Pride of Pittsburgh) Outstanding Blog - 2019, 2022 (GLAAD Media Awards) Sue believes in identifying and filling gaps in supports & services rather than recreating the wheel. She uses both her undergraduate and graduate degrees on a regular basis as a blogger and activist and regularly circulates her 1991 internship photo just to shake things up on her social media feeds. Her own experiences with cPTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and other health challenges have fueled her health blogging and activism. She also writes extensively about her family history, drawing on her amateur genealogy hobby. The blog regularly reviews arts and cultural events as well as exploring restaurants, soap opera storylines, and hyper-local news. Sue and her wife Laura have been together since 2003. They were married on a very cold February 2, 2021 in their backyard at a very small ceremony co-officiated by their pagan priestess friend, Anne, and then-Mayor Bill Peduto. They have six niblings, four in Pittsburgh and two in Philadelphia.

My First Week Coming Home

Cats watching TV

One week since I returned home. Spent most of it balancing settling in against new routines. I still have a few boxes to unpack,  but I’m mostly done. During my cats visits, I intentionally sat in the spots tied to the police executing the 302 warrant. I sat on the floor where we talked. I […]

Pittsburgh Public School GSA Students Stand With Nonbinary Teen Nex Benedict, Call on District Leadership To Do The Same

Please read this statement crafted by students. Of particular importance are the Calls To Action for Pittsburgh Public School administrators. These kids understand better what Nex Benedict endured than most adults ~ Sue As Genders & Sexualities Alliances (GSA) and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSSU) in Pittsburgh Public Schools), we are fortunate to be […]

54 Year Old Latina Trans Woman from Washington Kidnapped, Tortured, and Murdered by Estranged Partner, Found in Mexican Cemetery

Reyna Hernandez, a 54-year-old Latina trans woman from Renton, Seattle has been missing for two weeks. On March 8, 20204, locals discovered her body in Mexicali, Mexico. The Content Notes As a result of the brutality involved note this post contains graphic details of violence against a trans woman who did not survive her injuries. […]

GLAAD Poll: Pennsylvania LGBTQ Voters Will Show Up At the 2024 Polls, Strong Support for Joe Biden

voters

Political conversations discussing restrictions on transgender Americans or signal support for policies that limit access to gender-affirming health care may be causing a backlash among voters. These trends may stir up more opposition than support, according to a survey released Thursday by GLAAD, an LGBTQ media advocacy organization. A majority of all voters say they would oppose candidates […]

Watch Me Try to Stand on My Feet Again

Your heart, your will, your car-They’ve all been brokenYou let everybodyYou got beatAnd it’s not entertainingWatching you try to stand on your feet again Can’t stop the world The GoGo’s Monday was my first full day back in my home. I slept pretty late, both because I was exhausted and because there’s no window in […]

Now I’m Left to Wonder if Anyone Noticed That My Dad Died.

My Dad died on February 28, 2024. Early that morning, I arrived at the funeral home and see one arrangement of flowers. They were from my brother’s coworkers. Two more arrangements arrived later that day. I don’t know who sent them. That was it. We had listed ‘Kerry’s Kittens‘ as a charity in lieu of […]

During the Past 18 Months, Five BIPOC Trans and Nonbinary People Have Been Killed in Atlanta: Righteous Torrence ‘Chevy’ Hill, 35, is the Most Recent

Reports from friends say that Torrence “Chevy” Hill, a well-known Black trans man, died on February 29 in Georgia. The Crime Details are scarce. That’s always troubling because the community has no way to understand a violent loss or attend to their own safety, especially other Black trans men. We have no way of knowing […]

Just know you’re not alone. Cause they are going to make this place my home

Tomorrow, I am going home. It was more than six months ago since I was removed from my home of 18+ years with an invalid petition to involuntarily commit me. I was released in under five hours. But the locks to my home were changed. A good family lawyer righted that wrong, but it took […]

Pittsburgh Radio Station 102.5 WDVE Running Anti-Trans Ads, Again.

Eight radio station ads

Got a tip yesterday about local radio station WDVE 102.5 airing an anti-trans commercial spot. I found this piece on Axios, confirming a large ad buy targeting Pennsylvania by a Trump loving Super PAC, Make America Great Again. According to Axios, this ad buy targets Black voters with the intent of swaying Black and Latino […]

Share This Post With PA Political Candidates You Want to Complete Our Q&A

Reminder – we are publishing our Political Q&A series for the 2024 Primary Election. We’ve heard from seven candidates to date. Waiting for others to request a Q&A by emailing pghlesbian@gmail.com Obviously, the Presidency is literally at the top of ballot, but don’t dismiss the many other critical elections. We invite candidates from all races […]