Sue is the founder 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) Outstanding Blog - 2019, 2022 (GLAAD Media Awards) Sue has also personally been honored Person of the Year - The Advocate Magazine, 2022 15 Lesbian Icons - LGBTQ Nation, 2023 LGBTQIA Pittsburgh’s Best Lesbian Activist - SisTersPgh, People’s Pride of Pittsburgh 2022 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.

Yesterday, My Friend Created a Venmo to Support My Legal Fund

My friend has long stayed away from online currency accounts. The few times I needed to send $$ to her, I sent it to her son’s PayPal. So I was quite surprised to get her note that she had successfully set up a Venmo account and sent me $20. Sure enough, there it was with […]

The Times I Believed in Easter and How That Traumatized Me

I grew up believing in Easter the way all Gen X kids did – yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s get to the candy. We watched the Rankin and Bass holiday shows, much inferior to the Christmas shows. Wear a new dress, eat some ham. I had no clue, like most Catholic kids. No clue what any […]

Why I Disinvited Both Mayoral Candidates From the 2025 Political Q&A

This was a tough decision. You, dear readers, deserve candidates who follow through on their commitment to answer questions. We see this NOT playing out every single day as federal elected officials avoid town halls or other forms of engagement with their constituents. Both Democratic candidates for Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh agreed to […]

The Pet Food Pantry Needs Paper Towels and Baby Wipes for Cat Colony Spring Cleaning

The Dr. John P. Ruffing VMD Pet Food Projects pet food pantry has been operating for six months. We have 40 active caretakers/households registered and 60 total. We typically give 11-15 pounds of dry and 20 cans of wet each month. We’ve also been working to get people connected with each other, especially neighbors. We’ve […]

Q&A with Shammen McCune, the Actor, Educator, and Artist

Magic happens (like empathy, compassion, respect, passion, trust…) when we take a moment to listen to one another, acknowledge our specific existence in the world without judgment, and respect each other Sometimes it is the show, sometimes it is the actor who connects with you, or me in this case. I find that when it is […]

The 2025 Political Q&A Series: Kellianne Frketic, Candidate for Allegheny County Council

My office will prioritize government accountability by increasing transparency in legislative and executive decisions. This includes strengthening ethics oversight, ensuring that government records and processes are accessible to the public, and advocating for independent commissions to prevent partisan gerrymandering or unchecked executive authority.  Meet the Candidate Welcome to the 2025 election season series ‘Political Q&A’ […]

New CBS Soap Opera Reminds Viewers that Black Folx Have Glamorous, Gorgeous Soapy Tales to Tell

I have been an avid fan of soap operas since the mid-80’s when my friend Sherri introduced me to Days of Our Lives during summer vacation. We would plop down and stare in rapture at the hair, the clothes, and the glamour. We watched Dallas, Falcon Crest, and Dynasty. I soon ran home from the […]

April Showers Make Way For Much Needed Flowers

This blog and the work we do is supported by my SSDI check, a few ads, and mostly – you. You subscribe, you share, and you invest. A week ago was my SSDI check date – they divide us by birthrates into the first, second, third, etc week of the month. While watching Rachel Maddow […]

On Trans Day of Visibility, Black Trans Woman Kaitoria ‘Kai’ Bankz, 31, Shot to Death.

An attempted carjacking left a Black trans woman dead and her brother hospitalized on Monday, March 31, 2024 in Autaugaville, Alabama. Her name was Kaitoria ‘Kai’ Le’Cynthia Bankz. The would-be carjacker, Kelmen Merrell King, is in police custody. WSFA reports that Bankz and King communicated online before the deadly incident and met for what investigators […]

Hands Off! Pittsburgh Joins National Resistance To Trump and Musk on Saturday, April 5, 2023 in Downtown

Pittsburgh is one of hundreds of communities participating in the Hands Off! rallies this Saturday. Read on for more details and visit this site for details on nationwide efforts. My crew will be there handing out Protect Trans Kids stickers – look for our tote bags! Time Saturday, April 5 12:30 – 2pm EDT Location […]