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.

Preliminary Thoughts on the ACLU Forum

Preliminary Thoughts on the ACLU Forum

Tonight's event sponsored by the ACLU was very interesting and useful.  The formal topic was “Issues and Answers for the LGBT Commmunity on Law, Marriage, Money and Family Matters.”  The 4 panelists are experts in their various fields.  The interesting twist was having each panelist present on their area of law and then send them […]

Marriage Equality March on Washington and other news

Marriage Equality March on Washington and other news

Cleve Jones (of Milk fame) is calling for an October 11 March on Washington for Gay Marriage.  Pam's House Blend is not in favor of the idea.  Bil Browning from the Bilerico Project has a list of 10 reasons why this is not a workable idea.  What are your thoughts?  I'm personally not driving to […]

PG Article on PrideFest

PG Article on PrideFest

I think it is the rainbow flag that always gets me. Back in 2005 or 2006, the PG ran a beautiful story with a very colorful photo of the rainbow flag as a few children ran underneath it.  That symbol of families and politics and pride merged beautifully. Be sure to check out the Post-Gazette's […]

Trib on Angie Zapato

Trib on Angie Zapato

The Trib published a guest column on the trial in the brutal murder of Angie Zapato.  She was killed because she was a trans woman. Her murderer was found guilty of first degree murder and a hate crime.    Like the U.S. women's movement, which has worked hard to challenge the cruel and faulty assumption that […]

All a Twitter in the Burghosphere

All a Twitter in the Burghosphere

Someone commented about the details of incorporating new social media in queer organizing. Here's something you might consider locally.  Follow me on twitter. Here's my Twitter profile   I am PghLesbian24 (who are the 23 other Pittsburgh Lesbians?) I often tweet about my latest posts or breaking news, along with what I'm having for lunch and […]

Dialogue about advocacy and Pride

Dialogue about advocacy and Pride

My colleague Thomas Waters picked up on my Pride post, focusing on the advocacy assessment.  Thomas and I share a fairly similar world view so often it does come down to tactics and strategy differences (very different).  I had commented that: My frustration with these events is that they gear people up for an activity […]

The Much Anticipated Pride Post

The Much Anticipated Pride Post

PrideFest is almost here.  There are a few specific events which I would like to highlight.  Here's the full schedule of partner events. Your Rights, Our Rights, Human Rights: An ACLU ForumIssues and Answers on Law, Marriage, Money and Family Matters Presented in Partnership with Allies at CMU, Delta Foundation and Pittsburgh Pride 2009 Monday, […]

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor

Proponents of Equality:  III                                Bigots: III Ron D'Amico is helping keep the balance in the Post-Gazette Letters to the Editor count when it comes to marriage equality. I am writing to express my extreme pleasure with Sen. Daylin Leach and his move to legalize same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania (“Senator Pushes Bill to Allow Same-Sex Marriage,” May […]

Doyle, Casey and Specter on Inclusive ENDA

Doyle, Casey and Specter on Inclusive ENDA

Remember the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)?  Earlier in the week, I checked Facebook and discovered I had been invited to join a new group to push for an inclusive ENDA.  Inclusive means sexual orientation and gender identity (and expression but whose counting?).  Not the palatable, baby steps, throw out the scary genderqueer folks version.  The […]

I went to a meeting and New Hampshire got marriage equality

I went to a meeting and New Hampshire got marriage equality

Big night. First, how about New Hampshire?  Now six states offer marriage equality to their residents.  Second, the Humane Society recycling fiasco gets increasingly snarled.  Matted, perhaps?  Read the article and tell me if you share my outrage that the local organizations are upset MORE about their lost profits than by the toxic destruction being […]