Small Business Loans in Response to a Global Pandemic is not Relief

This piece was co-written by Shanon Williams & Christian J. Hughes, two small business owners COVID-19 has officially set in and the nation has been scrambling to establish various types of support from food to mental health and everything in between as we all hunker down and prepare to be in semi/full isolation for the […]

Ten Ways This Blog Is Trying To Be A Good Neighbor During Scary Times

Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

I tend to agree with a piece in The Atlantic about adults distorting and abusing this advice from Mr. Rogers as a panacea rather than a call to action to create a more just world where children feel safe. Individual acts of charity and benevolence in the midst of horrific crisis can be practically useful […]

Guest Blog Post: Fever sale? How COVID-19 is affecting this particular arts-based small business.

Small Business COVID-19 Coronavirus

I’m coping by trying to focus on practical, actionable, data-driven preventative measures we can take to assist the most at-risk people in our families and communities. The following is a post I wrote last Thursday, March 12, on the Facebook page for my business, Etna Print Circus. I chose to share it with a couple […]

How to Be Part of our Pittsburgh LGBTQ Holiday Gift Guide

Reaching out for suggestions for a holidays gift guide for the LGBTQ community. I’d love to include a range of LGBTQ creators and allies. If you are interested, I will have you complete a simple Q&A to describe your gifts and introduce my readers to you/your business. If you are an ally, I will ask […]

LGBT Activists Say Amazon Should Avoid Pennsylvania For Lack of Statewide Protections

When I first heard about this effort a few months ago, I was intrigued – holding Amazon accountable to its own policy of affirming LGBT rights by choosing a new location (HQ2) in a state that has statewide nondiscrimination policies. Pennsylvania does not. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia do, but the state does not. “Employees, their families, […]

Etna Print Circus Wants You to Rethink Your Wardrobe & Self-Expression

We have a holiday tradition of buying matching tee shirts in lieu of ugly sweaters. And we try to buy them from local vendors at events like I Made It! Market or Handmade Arcade. This year, I saw the ‘Yinz is a Gender Neutral Pronoun’ shirts online and immediately purchased two. Then I reached out […]

The end of an era: the closure of A Pleasant Present

The rumor is true.  A Pleasant Present, the wonderful gift and pride shop in Squirrel Hill, is closing its doors after 16 years in business.  I stopped by yesterday to chat with owner Michael Ferraro. He explained they will continue the close out sale (40% off!) through mid-July and close their doors forever.  Ferraro is […]

American Eagle takes a page from BP …

… and not in a good way. We've all heard about the ridiculous/offensive/hateful decision of BP to spend millions ($50 I believe) on a PR campaign, $50 million that would clean up a lot of dying birds and sealife.  Or lost compensate people for lost income.  You get the point. Here in Pittsburgh, we have […]

Bash Back – Latest Pittsburgh Actions

Bash Back, a radical transfolk/queer group, has had two recent actions in Pittsburgh.  One involved an evangelical church that promises to cure homosexuality.  The other involved our favorite bakery, Peace Love and Little Donuts. You recall a recent favorable review published in Cue Pittsburgh?  Here's the response from people who care about these things. In the […]

Fayette County prison guard gender stereotyping suit settled

Fayette County prison guard gender stereotyping suit settled

We first discussed this back in December 2009 when the Tribune Review reported on a federal lawsuit filed by a state prison guard in Fayette County.  He claimed he was being harassed because he did not conform to gender expectations, including being too effeminate on the radio.  (What does that even mean, asks the female […]