LIHEAP helps you pay your heating bills! A LGBTQ Perspective

LIHEAP LGBT

Guest blogger: Rayden Sorock Did you know there is a program that will help you pay your heating bills if you make under a certain amount of money a year? The eligibility cut off is pretty generous – if it’s just you in the house and you make less than $17,655 a year, you can […]

Of Great Ideas

What’s the best idea you’ve ever had? Regale us with every detail of the idea — the idea itself, where it came to you, and the problem it solved. I’m an idea person. Perhaps I would have done well in marketing, but I chose social work so I that’s where I’ve been applying my ideas […]

Arrest and Update in the Murder of Kiesha Jenkins

Kiesha Jenkins

Last week, 22-year-old Kiesha Jenkins was murdered in Philadelphia. Kiesha was a trans woman of color and a student at Temple University. Kiesha, known to some as Kesh, was the victim in an ugly violent attack. Police have not made any arrests as of yet, but they are considering she was the victim of a […]

Rebirth

Rebirth

If you had the chance to be reborn, would you choose to return as your present self, or would opt for a fresh start? Tell us about what motivates your choice. I have no real answer for this prompt. My only real wish is that however I come back, I have enough food to eat every single day.  

Occupational Therapy is a Pain in The Hands

Homeless donation

Last week, I started occupational therapy – I have carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands. I also have a semi-permanent tremor as a side effect of medication that I take. The intersection of hand weakness and hand tremors makes for good times, let me tell you. While surgery can help the carpal tunnel, it can’t […]

UPDATED: Creating a List of LGBTQ Blogs in Pennsylvania

When I started blogging in 2005, I was a little shocked to realize I was among the first LGBTQ bloggers – I’m usually nowhere near that far in front of a trend. I wasn’t the very first – Jason Cable  at PghGay.Com had that distinction. Over the years, the ranks of bloggers has ebbed and […]

Five Ways to Support A Friend Living With Acute Mental Illness

It has been a long, tough summer. From unseasonal weather to unexpected organizing momentum, my preference for having a plan and knowing what to expect has been crushed. And this week, it caught up to me and I am ill. And by ill, I mean that my mental illness symptoms are out of whack and […]

Religious Liberty – How Gays Became Bullies

On Tuesday July 7, 2015, I attended a “religious liberty” seminar sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. I did this for two reasons. One to get continuing legal education credits to maintain my law license. Two to see what the religious (right-wing) folks were up to. This seminar was planned before the United States Supreme […]

Pittsburgh Pridefest – Part One

Pittsburgh Pridefest

More than a week has passed since Pittsburgh’s Pridefest and I’ve used a lot of that time to reflect on my experiences in what has been quite an atypical Pride experience. I’m going to share my thoughts in a four-part series, built around four distinct events – a face-to-face meeting with Pridefest organizers, a community […]

Three Rivers Community Foundation – An Open Letter to Delta Foundation

June 2, 2015   Gary Van Horn Delta Foundation   Dear Mr. Van Horn,   Three Rivers Community Foundation (TRCF) advances social change through grant making, advocacy and capacity development for grassroots agencies and other organizations. TRCF embraces Change not charity™ by empowering grantee organizations to ensure social, economic and environmental justice in Southwestern Pennsylvania. […]