Review: Pittsburgh CLO Tribute to Johnny Cash

Pittsburgh CLO

One of the coolest ‘square’ places to spend a weekend evening is the CLO Cabaret. Part musical, part performance art, the shows are always entertaining. I’m not hip enough to stay up late for the “Late Late Night” shows and I’m pretty sure I’m banned from the political shows, but we can blend with the […]

Weird Al Yankovic Parody of “Blurred Lines” Made Me Smile

Weird Al Yankovic

Not only do I finally have a reason to justify that I like the tune, but the “Word Crimes” described in the lyrics are just awesome. I violate many of them everyday. On this here blog. But I still skew toward the smug side when it comes to grammar. I’d much rather deal with the […]

After 11 Years, Ledcat Still Has My Number

Ledcat

This month, Ledcat and I celebrate eleven years of togetherness. Like many LGBTQ couples who (until recently) had no access to marriage, we’ve used our first date as our anniversary. Thanks to smart planning on my part, we moved in together almost two years to the day later. This minimizes anniversary dilemmas. A few weeks […]

What VisibiliT Means To Me

Transperience

After the Pittsburgh Dyke Trans March, I was interviewed by Nancy Evelyn Gold for her new venture – Transperience TV which is the first all-trans content media network. I’ll be sharing an interview with Nancy about her venture, but I was very honored that my clip was selected to be posted independently. I conflated 1997 and […]

ENDA, Religious Exemptions, and Why Non-Discrimination Matters

Repent Amarillo

Most people do not believe this so let me open with a statement of fact – in most of the United States (and Pennsylvania) it is legal to fire someone or deny them a rental unit or service because they are LGBTQ.  It is legal. It doesn’t have anything to do with “right to work” […]

Review: “Tammy” (Spoilers)

  This is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Period. It lacked humor, intelligence, character depth or any real cohesive storyline. The only redeeming thing about the movie to me is that it did not include any transphobic content. That I noticed between cringing, yawning and eye rolling. It wasn’t even a guilty […]

Paul McCartney in Pittsburgh

Going to a concert takes quite a bit of planning and willpower. But hearing an acoustic “Yesterday” during McCartney’s second encore makes it worthwhile.

Send Me YOUR Stories of Disability Accommodation in Pittsburgh

  We often read about accommodations in the workplace and in housing. Rarely does the media delve into accommodations issues when it comes to “public accommodation” like at a movie theater or a restaurant especially when it comes to hidden disabilities. I’m trying to tell those stories.  Your stories. My stories. Eleven months ago, I […]

The Manor Theater, AMC Loews Ignore, Refuse Disability Accommodation

    Last weekend, I tried to get accommodation for my disability at a local movie theater, The Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill. Most of the other theaters I’ve approached have been fine – they just put up a handwritten “reserved” sign on two aisle seats and ask me to be there 15 minutes ahead […]

Five Things That Never Happened In Our Community on the Fourth of July

Fourth of July

When I was a child, I kept coming across passages in books about olden times that described how Independence Day was celebrated. It was nothing like my own experience in the 1970s’ and 1980’s Pittsburgh suburb of West Mifflin. Here’s an excerpt from a particularly vivid memory – Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder From […]