Black Trans Man Banko Brown, 24, Shot to Death by Walgreens Security Guard in San Francisco

headshot of a young Black man wearing a yellow sweatshirt and a yellow viser upside down

Banko Brown, a 24-year-old Black trans man, is the most recent reported victim of anti-trans violence after he was fatally shot by a security guard in a San Francisco Walgreens. Banko used the surnames Brown and Paso. At approximately 6:33 p.m., SFPD officers from Tenderloin Station responded to a report of a shooting at 825 […]

Sue Kerr Named One of 15 ‘Lesbian Icons’ By LGBTQNation

When I was a young child, I remember riding with my grandmother in their car and asking her to identify her favorite part of her life. This was in the mid-1970’s. She didn’t miss a beat when she said “In my 50s.” I did the math and realized that was pre-me. She confirmed and said […]

Anti-Trans Lawyer Behind 2017 Failed Bathroom Ban in Pine-Richland School District Running for School Board in 2023

Mike Wiethorn is so committed to harassing and bullying trans and queer kids in the Pine Richland School District that six years after suffering a significant judicial defeat about anti-trans policies, he’s decided to run for a seat on the PR school board District 3 candidate, Mike Wiethorn. Mike is an attorney with 30 plus […]

Honored by Pittsburgh Equality Center

The Pittsburgh Equality Center gave me a great honor by focusing on my work in their newsletter as a Community Leader. In this month’s newsletter, we will explore the history of Lesbian Visibility Day, and I am thrilled to note that we will be spotlighting a special member of the Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ community – the inspiring […]

Lesbian Visibility Day

I don’t have a lot of bandwidth to share today due to a cruddy stomach virus. I’d prefer to be eating soup than writing this post. But it feels necessary to show up in this space with intent and purpose. Lesbian Visibility Day is dedicated to increasing the awareness of lesbian women and their issues. […]

Reflections on 30 Year Anniversary of March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, Bi Equal Rights and Liberation on April 25, 1993

America’s Civil Rights Agenda Stalled as Attacks on LGBTQIA People Expand Almost thirty years ago, on April 25, 1993, nearly 1,000,000 people marched onto the nation’s capitol in the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. This is a guest blog post by Pittsburgh based queer activist Billy Hileman. Billy was […]

Black Trans Woman Rasheeda Williams Killed in Atlanta

35-year-old Black trans woman Rasheeda Williams was shot and killed in Atlanta on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Rasheeda was a performance artist known as Koko Da Doll and Hollywood Koko Police reports indicate a person was found dead near a shopping plaza in southwest Atlanta. They confirmed a person was found shot to death at […]

Q&A with Katrina Eames, Candidate for Northgate School Board Member

The truth is politicians pushing anti-LGBTQ legislation that attempts to vilify our children for playing sports or experimenting with their gender expression are bullying children. When they try to ban books that show the diversity of our world to stop kids from reading these stories, they are trying to cut off empathy for groups that […]

We Need $340 by Sunday to Send #ProtectTransKids Yard Signs to Pittsburgh Public Schools GSAs

Protect Trans Kids

Good morning. You did a great job this week and since we began this effort to target communitis that want to distribute #ProtectTransKids signs locally. We’ve sent 50 signs each to six communities – City of Butler, Brookline, Carnegie, Fox Chapel, McCandless, and City of Washington. This past week, we’ve been focused on Pittsburgh Public […]

Oklahoma Gay Teen Dies From Gunshot Injury in Easter Homicide

19-year-old Clay Stephens was shot to death in the early morning of Easter Sunday in Lawton, Oklahoma by a man with whom he allegedly had a sexual relationship. A 19 year old white cisgender gay male was killed in the early hours of Easter morning, April 9, in Lawton, Oklahoma. His name was Clayton (Clay) […]