Why Use The Term “Alleged” When Reporting on Crimes Against LGBTQ People

I’ve had a few questions about the use of the term “alleged murder” to refer to the deaths of Betty Janet Skinner and Brittany-Nicole Kidd-Stergis in Cleveland last week. I can only imagine the degree of hurt, anger and outrage – perhaps fear? – in the community and it is fair to say that the […]

Pittsburgh: Not So Equal After All

Marriage equality Peduto pittsburgh equality

Pittsburgh received 72 out of 100 possible points on a recent national survey of municipal equality released by the Human Rights Campaign.  The city was not ranked in 2012.  The index was divided into 6 categories: non-discrimination laws, relationship recognition, municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement, and relationship with the LGBT community. Pittsburgh […]

A Confession – I Reported You to the U.S. Postal Service

USPS

We all hate junk mail, yet through the mail slot it comes almost daily. So I scoop it up, sort it and don’t worry about it for another 24 hours. Except, the post man is not the only perpetrator. There’s a whole slew of folks who like to use my mail slot to deliver their […]

City Councilman Burgess Doesn’t Seem To Think LGBTQ Identity Reflects Diversity

City Councilman Ricky Burgess believes – nay, insists – that the next President of City Council be a person of color. And he’s willing to step up to the challenge.  Burgess notably the only member of that body who refuses to sign the Pridefest Proclamation because Pride is too “sexualized” has also historically  ignored the […]

Two Women Who Restored My Faith in Humanity Yesterday

1.  State Representative Naomi Jakobbsen of Illinois left the bedside of her dying son to vote yet on “marriage equality” – a measure that passed with a cushion of one vote. Tragically, her son died before she could return to the hospital. How do you adequately say thank you to someone who would do this? For […]

Election Wrap Up

There are simply no words to describe how I feel to know that Bill Peduto is the Mayor-Elect of Pittsburgh. As a woman, a lesbian, a social worker and a person living with a disability  – I just can’t find the right words. Relief? Thankful? Even hopeful?   Other notable electoral news across the queerosphere […]

Who Do Our Allies Really Welcome to the Table?

Tonight, I have no tact, I’m paranoid and I don’t understand how collaboration works. So the gatekeeper decides that I do not get access to my elected official unless I explain myself to him first. This is why I hate that so many elected officials have gmail accounts that are screened by staff anyway. What’s […]

Photos from LGBTQ Rally in Lawrenceville

I’m still working on my write-up of the rally itself – I hope to have some constructive, next-step news early this week. In the meantime, you can take a look at the photo I took at the rally. Click on this photo to go to the entire album.

Pgh Gay Men Assaulted in Alleged Gay Bashing Incident

Two local men, Ben Stoviak and his boyfriend Aaron , reported that they were physically assaulted by three unknown men around 2 AM Sunday morning. Stoviak posted this on his Facebook page: Last night, a group of men attacked me and my boyfriend on Butler Street in Lawrenceville. After yelling, from across the street, “Faggot!” […]

Governor Corbett Compares Same Sex Marriage to Incest

Corbett Pennsylvania

So yesterday we learn that a County Commissioner from Lehigh County compared domestic partners (and same sex married people) to pets. Today, Governor Corbett lowered the bar back to comparing our relationships to incest. The context?  He was taking responsibility for the inappropriate comparison of same sex marriage to child marriage, claiming that “a brother […]