Q&A with Sara Innamorato, Candidate for PA State House District 21

I’ve known Sara for about a year, mostly through Facebook and shared interests in organizing. I know that she worked with New Voices Pittsburgh, a venerable progressive organization, and had co-founded She Runs to bring electoral tools to women in the region. Then I read about her decision to challenge Dom Costa and her partnership […]

Q&A with Amber Sloan, Candidate for Allegheny County Democratic Committee

A friend of mine stepped up to run for office, specifically for a seat at the table of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee.  Amber is a powerful voice in the City, especially in her home neighborhood of Homewood. Read her AMPLIFY profile here We’ve been featuring candidates for various offices, but this is our first […]

Q&A with Summer Lee, Candidate for PA State House District 34

Summer Lee for PA

The first encounter I had with Summer Lee was when she reached out to me in 2017, asking to meet with me to discuss LGBTQ issues that were on her radar. I learned she is an attorney and children’s advocate, she’s been deeply involved in the efforts to push back against police and staff brutality against students in […]

Q&A with Aerion Andrew Abney, Candidate for PA State House District 19

A few years ago, I answered a knock on my door in Manchester and met this energetic young man who was running for a committee seat. His enthusiasm was contagious and we became Facebook friends. I’ve followed his career and continue to admire his enthusiasm, his leadership in Manchester, and his passion for service. Aerion […]

Q&A with a March for Our Lives Pittsburgh Student Organizer #MarchForOurLivesPGH

March for our lives Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is one of more than 800 cities hosting sister marches with the National March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, March 24. Pittsburgh’s march will kick-off at 11:30 AM at the City County Building on Grant Street. The march route will take you down Grant Street to Fifth, then Fifth to Liberty […]

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Presents Autism-Friendly ‘Wicked’: Q&A with Director of Accessibility Vanessa Braun

Wicked is a  piece of art that should be able to be enjoyed by everyone. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents the autism-friendly  performance of WICKED on Saturday, February 3, 2018, at 2:00 p.m., at the Benedum Center, as a part of its national Broadway tour.  Pittsburgh will be the first city outside of New York to offer WICKED in this form. For this autism-friendly  performance […]

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 […]

Q&A with Lauren from ‘Punksburgh’ blog, named ‘Best Local Blogger 2017’ by Pgh City Paper

In 2016, received this email from a guy named Blake informing me that I had been voted the first-ever ‘Best Local Blogger’ in the Pgh City Paper Reader’s Poll. I thought it was a prank. But it was not – Pittsburgh City Paper readers picked a queer, disabled, middle-aged woman at the first blogger to […]

E! The Dragnificent, Age 12, Headlining at Austin International Drag Festival 2017

Dragnificent E

Over the past few years, I’ve had a chance to get to know a local queer family with two sets of adults, co-parenting a genderfluid child who is a frequent performer in the local scene. Esai is a sweet kid with amazing stage presence and so much love. And a really cool family that is […]

Moon Baby Drops New Single ‘Maralago,’ Says ‘It’s difficult to choose compassion”

Maralago Moon Baby

I listened to the second single from the moon baby’s new EP and was enchanted. I don’t really know them very well, but I am one part of a performance art piece with moon’s friend and collaborator, Josie aka Princess Jafar. So I’m paying closer attention to what moon has to say. And, graciously, she […]