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.

Black Trans Woman Ashia Davis Killed in Detroit

Ashia Asia Davis

The reported killing of a 34-year-old Black trans woman in Detroit highlights the violence and anti-trans sentiments permeating the 2023 Pride season in the United States and beyond. Ashia Davis – also known as Asia Davis – died early Friday morning on the second day of Pride month. According to CBS Detroit Highland Park police […]

Prom 1988: Did I Have the Time of My Life?

I had a very nice prom experience 25 years ago. My BFF John was my date. He was four years older than me so that was cool. He loved to dance so that was cool. He cut a dashing figure in his tuxedo so that was cool. And he was an out gay man so […]

The Niblings Call It Quits on #LGBTQFamiliesDay 2023

For as long as I’ve had this blog, I’ve written about my niblings – a gender neutral term to describe the children of our siblings, often referenced as nieces and nephews. We have six, ranging in age from 11 to 17. Two live in Philadelphia, four here in Pittsburgh. A few months ago, the youngest […]

Its a Small World

Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

I’ve been home alone for five days. Laura took a much-deserved mini-break with a friend. I relaxed for two days. I had two events on my calendar. First, a Pride event in New Castle that was lovely. Unfortunately, I ate a late dinner coupled with heat and not enough water so I was sick most […]

Update on the Legal Cases Behind #ProtectTransKids Project

Protect Trans Kids

It was a litle less than a year ago that the O’Donnell-Collar family first entered a courtroom to resist the racist, transphobic harassment by their next door neighbor. After repeated police calls and detailing many, many interactions, they had finally convinced the District Attorney’s office to issue a summary citation of one count of harassment. […]

Election Outcomes Primary 2023

I am so pleased and/or relieved by the outcomes of the Pennsylvania Primary in Allegheny County. Note: It feels silly to congratulate candidates on winning a campaign or running a good campaign. I want to congratulate the residents of Allegheny County for not only a win, but a massive shift toward better models of government. […]

The #FayetteFive Kitten Kronicles: Day One and Two

foster kittens

I told you about the five kittens who landed in our bathroom. No, not the ones from 2019 – a whole new group in 2023. They settled in by huddling together in an orange fish tunnel someone gave us, I think it is from Aldi? It is a great kitten room tool because it is […]

Proud to Endorse Democrat Michael Lamb for Allegheny County Executive

Endorse Michael Lamb

If you know me or you’ve been reading my blog regularly for the past 18 years, this will not surprise you. It was in 2007 that I first mentioned the appeal of Michael Lamb in this role. I do not always endorse. Please read on. My blog’s history with Mike Lamb goes back to the […]

Meet Our New Foster Kittens: The #FayetteFive

Five little kittens in a collage

Let me set the stage. Four years ago on May 8, 2019, we ‘plucked’ an orange fluff ball from our backdeck. The next day, we were accepted as a kitten foster home by Pittsburgh CAT and over the next five days, trapped the entire litter – all five of them. You may remember then as […]

Review: A Mother Son/Duo Reviews Dear Evan Hansen

I feel as if this play told the perfect personal view of what it’s like to suffer from social anxiety and feel as if you don’t matter or no one is watching. Our review of Dear Evan Hansen currently at The Benedum is a little different. We sent our reviewer Sarah and her 16-year-old son, […]