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.

Sadly, an obituary

Sadly, an obituary

Sadly, Dr. William I. Cohen has passed away.  He was not an acquaintance of mine, but I do note his many accomplishments: Dr. William I. Cohen spent 19 years heading the Down Syndrome Center of Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, creating a loving, family-centered environment where parents with developmentally disabled children found unexpected reassurance. He had […]

What a difference a dog makes …

What a difference a dog makes …

Wow.  My respect for animal rescue people just went through the roof and I'm still feeling pretty lousy.  Last night, we found a dog running along a street on the Northside.  She jumped right into the car and has proven to be a real sweetie.  She's very very unhappy at being left in a crate […]

This is the shop the neighborhood built: the return of K.S. Kennedy Florist

“This is the shop that our neighborhoods rebuilt,”  says Kerry Kennedy, proprietor of K.S. Kennedy, Distinctive Floral, Gift and Gourmet which recently reopened in a new storefront just a few doors down from his former location on Western Avenue.  The former location was destroyed by a New Year’s Eve fire which also consumed Kerry’s live in […]

Gaycist?

Meeting Minutes from Allegheny County Council Hearing on Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Meeting Minutes from Allegheny County Council Hearing on Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Download the attachment for the transcribed minutes.

Sick Days

Sick Days

It is 5:25 AM and I am still stick.  I spent yesterday pretty much in bed which I rarely do. Last night, I tossed and turned with the whole “I'm cold/I'm hot” thing and body aches.  I took some Tylenol, but now I'm awake at 5:25 AM (actually I was awake at 5:00 AM) with […]

ACLU speaks out in defense of Allegheny County HRC Ordinance

ACLU speaks out in defense of Allegheny County HRC Ordinance

Barb Feige, Deputy Director of Pittsburgh's ACLU, wrote in to affirm that the proposed anti-discrimination legislation will not interfere with anyone's religious liberty. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania supports the Allegheny County ordinance as a step forward in the struggle for civil rights and equality for all people. We are also in a […]

Reminder: Lily Tomlin Benefit for the GLCC

Reminder:  Lily Tomlin Benefit for the GLCC

An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin     February 7, 2009 at the Benedum Center Performance at 8:00 PM Followed by a Meet and Greet reception benefiting the GLCC   If the names: Edith Ann, Madame Lupe, Judith Beasley or Trudy make you think of Lily Tomlin and you would enjoy a night of Classic […]

Pgh Public School Hearing on New Sexual Education Curriculum

Pgh Public School Hearing on New Sexual Education Curriculum

From the Women & Girls Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Last night at the Pittsburgh Public School Board Education Committee Meeting, the PPS Health Curriculum Review Committee recommended that the School Board adopt a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum for the district. Currently there is no consistent health or sex-ed curriculum or policy guiding instruction for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, so […]

Ooh … this looks like fun

I feel better. I had my first meal at Mad Mex today.  While the booths are incredibly uncomfortable, the food was good and the service was great. I hope I tipped enough.  Plus, I have leftovers for tomorrow!  This came through the email box today: