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.

The Trib’s Mike Seate – Homo Friend or Foe

The Trib’s Mike Seate – Homo Friend or Foe

Tribune-Review columnist Mike Seate has recently made repeated forays into gay issues, commenting on Rene Portland as well as the straight-appeal of beloved gay bar True.  His most recent column examines anti-gay activists outrage with that icon of the gay community … Wal-Mart. Yes, of course, its because Wal-Mart is selling DVD copies of Brokeback Mountain.  […]

Russian Christians Partner with Skinheads on Gay Rights

Russian Christians Partner with Skinheads on Gay Rights

Here's a sad fact: Russian Orthdox Catholics are working in unity with skinheads to oppose gay rights. On Sunday police had to hold back a crowd of bottle-tossing skinheads and Bible- clutching church folks who were protesting a gay event at a local club. Not to be outdone by the Christian-Skinhead connection, Russian Muslims are […]

PA Amendment Vote Expected This Week

From the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights in Philadelphia… April 28, 2006 Constitutional Amendment Set to Run in PA House The House of Representatives is in session [the week of May1]and the bill is posted on the voting calendar. This means that a vote can occur at any time. The House Appropriations Committee […]

Rene Portland: Could PFLAG Help?

Rene Portland:  Could PFLAG Help?

Rene Portland wins basketball games. She brings out the basketball best in her players. She knows her craft. But is Rene Portland is a good coach? A front-page story in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette takes an in-depth look at Portland's background, including her professional successes. She uses a “Mommy” approach to her team — monitoring their […]

Altoona Finds Soldier Not Guilty of Sexual Assault; Complaintant Forced to Come Out

Altoona Finds Soldier Not Guilty of Sexual Assault; Complaintant Forced to Come Out

An Altoona jury found that an Army Reserve officer was not guilty of sexually assaulting a female officer.  He said it was consensual sex.  She claimed otherwise.  Guess who the jurors believed? During the trial, the woman soldier testified that she had not wanted to file charges for fear that it would come out that she […]

Thugs Linked to Government Attack Polish Gay Marchers

From 365gay.com, we find this morning that marchers in a Polish gay tolerance parade (Equality Days) were attacked by youth “counterprotestors” (thugs).  Dozens of the parade's 1,000 marchers were injured.  Media sources indicate that there is a link between this particular group of thugs and Polish President Lech Kaczynski who has a history of oppressing […]

Lesbian Correspondent Goes National!

Lesbian Correspondent Goes National!

I want to thank the man who made it all possible for this little correspondent to hit the big time …. soon to be former US Senator Rick Santorum!   Yes, folks, I am doing a one month guest stint as a lesbian correspondent for a NATIONAL blog (ooohhhhhhh!).  🙂 It is called Big Gay Picture […]

Hypocrites in right winger land

Hypocrites in right winger land

As a member of the female species and a feminist I have been paying attention to the furor in Mt. Lebanon. I have some friends who live in Mt. Lebanon and my grandfather lived there for many years. It's a nice place. Lately it has also provided a lesson in good ole fashion hypocrisy, one […]

AFA of PA: Being Queer More Risky Than Bullying and Harassment

AFA of PA: Being Queer More Risky Than Bullying and Harassment

I just have to post the whole damn message I received as part of my subscription to the American Family Association of PA email list.  🙂   Apparently, homos have shorter life spans than our heterosexual counterparts.  Not to mention the obligatory reference to us hurting kids. From: AFA of PA [mailto:info@afaofpa.org] Sent: Thursday, April 27, […]

City Paper – Marriage Amendment Could Hurt A Lot of Heterosexuals

City Paper – Marriage Amendment Could Hurt A Lot of Heterosexuals

We've said it before, but it bears repeating …. Metcalfe's Marriage Amendment could hurt tens of thousands of unmarried heterosexual couples.  The City Paper does a nice job with this. U.S. Census 2000 estimates there are roughly 240,000 Pennsylvania families — about 5 percent of the state’s 4.8 million households — made up of unmarried […]