Honey, I’m Still Free

Kentucky

What’s the biggest chance you ever took? Did it work out? Do tell! The biggest chance I ever took was when I dropped out of graduate school and moved to Kentucky with one car load of possessions to work as a “lay missioner” for the Glenmary Sisters (an order of Catholic nuns.) It was a […]

Blogging 201: Setting Goals

Blogging 201

I decided to embrace a new challenge – a 30 day blogging 201 exercise via Daily Prompts.  My assignment for today is to identify three goals for this blog. Because writing down goals forces you to think carefully about what success means to you — “success” is different for everyone. Because having goals helps you […]

Why I Like to Organize Drives and Collections

The first time I organized a collection, I promised college students a pizza party if they gathered the most recyclable cans in their common area. The year was 1992. I didn’t anticipate the creativity of freshmen male students who apparently ransacked all sorts of nearby residential communities. Thankfully, the Residential Director took pity on me […]

Who Was the Cathy of Cathy’s Closet?

Cathy Cairns

Many of you knew Cathy Cairns. She was a long-time activist and social worker who tackled all sorts of challenges. She worked to bring affordable housing to the Hill District and Larimer. She brought support for women who experience domestic violence to the Beaver County District Attorny’s Office. She brought job training and social services […]

Mock: Define yourself before other people do it for you

Define yourself, Janet Mock said Tuesday night, because if you don’t, other people will define you—and they will “chew you up and spit you out.” In a wide-ranging discussion with about 200 students, faculty and community members at Carnegie Mellon University, Mock said her strong sense of self has helped her endure her time in […]

If You Can’t Afford Tampons, What Do You Do?

Cathy's Closet Sister Supplies

This is a problem that I never thought about until I was 25 years old. While my family had financial struggles, I never lacked the items most women take for granted – pads and tampons. At 25, I met Shirley who gently educated me on the impact of poverty on our womanly ways. I learned […]

10 Things You Can’t Buy With Food Stamps

Food Stamps

My latest piece published on Huffington Post in the “Gay Voices” section …

Please Don’t Call Me A Writer

Pittsburgh Lesbian

I was not a kid who kept a journal or scribbled or longed to be a reporter. I was not a particularly strong writer until I started the graduate program in political philosophy at LSU where I was required to write – constantly. I was also required to read some pretty amazing writing. Somehow that […]

I’m Jealous of Chris Potter’s Coffee Mates

Pittsburgh lesbian

We all get jealous from time to time — what wakes the green-eyed monster for you? Travel – I wish we could travel. Part of it is cost, of course, but part of it is the practical needs of the pets. We made a commitment to take care of them which they return to us […]

Ten Things You Can’t Buy With SNAP (Food Stamps)

Personal Care Closet Pittsburgh

  I was terrible in Home Ec (8th grade) because I had little appreciation for how practical the skills would be some day. I regret not being able to sew for sure – how much money can we save if we could even do basic sewing? I also regret not learning more about cooking. I […]