Emergency LGBTQ Youth Food Drive – Please Help With a Gift Card

As you know, we have multiple agencies supporting LGBTQ youth and young adults. They work together. One of the leading organizations is Proud Haven. We’ve been supporting their drive to collect Burlington Coat Factory cards to help youth purchase their own winter gear. I just learned a few minutes ago that the unofficial food pantry […]

Sam, 28, is a Genderqueer Artist in Pittsburgh #AMPLIFY

the moon baby

  Name: Sam Age: 28 County of Residence:  Allegheny County, formerly Butler and Mercer counties, and a year away in Saint Augustine, Florida Pronouns: inconsistent How do you describe your identity? I am a genderqueer artist Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I did not come out until I was […]

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 […]

Jennifer is 40, Bisexual, and a Fan of Sara Lance #AMPLIFY

  Name: Jennifer Lynn Age: 40 County of Residence: Allegheny County. Went to college in Greene County and lived in Montgomery County, MD for a few years. Pronouns: she/her How do you describe your identity? bisexual Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I was lucky enough to receive support from my […]

Reece, 31, Grew up in Southern Virginia, but Found LGBTQ Connections in Pittsburgh #AMPLIFY

Name: Reece Age:  31 County of Residence:  Allegheny, formerly Butler County.  Lived prior to that in Southern Virginia. Pronouns: he/him/his How do you describe your identity? Mostly gay. Most of my life I identified as bisexual. A lot of guys come out as bisexual to “soften the blow” for when they later come out as gay. That […]

Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson is the 24th Trans Person Murdered in 2017

Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson was found dead in a motel room in Oklahoma City on Monday, November 27, 2017. She was 31 years old. She is now the 24th transgender person known to be murdered in the United States during 2017. Her death comes just a week after the Transgender Day of Remembrance honored victims of […]

Tara, 24, is a Femme, Queer Human #AMPLIFY

Name:  Tara Foran Age: 24 County of Residence: Philadelphia, formerly Allegheny County Pronouns: she/her How do you describe your identity? Femme queer.  Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I came out when I was 17. At the time, I was witnessing a shift in the way the people around me […]

Obamacare & Crowdfunding Help Wes, 46, Pursue His Authentic Life

Trans Man Pittsburgh

  This is Wes. He is a friend of mine whom I met just a few years ago in Pittsburgh. I mostly know Wes as a parent to his wonderful genderfluid child and co-parent with his ex and their respective partners. I admire his activism, his professional work, and his devotion to Game of Thrones. […]

Michael, 50, is a Gay Man Who Lives Without Shame #AMPLIFY

The #AMPLIFY project needs your support to continue growing this archive. Please consider sharing your story today and/or making a donation to the project. Thank you.  Name: Michael Buzzelli Age:  50 County of Residence:  Allegheny, previously Los Angeles  Pronouns: He How do you describe your identity? Gay male Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? […]

52 Trans Stories from Western Pennsylvania Honor the Lost Voices on this #TDOR

November 20 is the Trans Day of Remembrance.  If you read our blog regularly, you know that we try very hard to honor the lives and acknowledge the deaths of our trans neighbors who have been lost to violence. We encourage you to participate in local TDOR events. This is the list of neighbors lost […]