PA House Republicans Advance Anti-Trans Legislation That Will Do Nothing to Help Working Families

On its face, the legislation is absolute rubbish. Trans women and trans girl and nonbinary folx are incredibly underrepresented in academic athletic programs. All this fuss and bother to pass these bills in Republican controlled states is such an obvious attempt to delude voters into thinking they are protecting children while actually not attending to […]

Autistic Asian-American Teen Trans Woman Kathryn Newhouse Murdered by Her Father in Georgia

On Saturday March 19, 2022, a 19-year-old Asian-American autistic trans woman living with mental illness issues was murdered by her father in their family home. Her father then died by suicide using the same gun. Her name was Kathryn (Katie) Newhouse. A native of Illinois, Kathryn was most recently living with her family in Canton, Georgia. […]

Sled Riding the Pipeline in West Mifflin

Sled Riding in the 1970s

And though he never would wave goodbyeYou could see it written in his eyesAs the train rolled out of sightBye-bye In this cold snap, I drive to my cat colony even though it is faster to walk. Not so much faster now sliding on the snow and exerting myself to get the gate unlocked and […]

PYC Statement on Former LGBTQ Nonprofit Leader John Dawe’s Sentencing for Sexual Abuse

I am glad to see the Pennsylvania Youth Congress coming forward with a clear, concise record of their efforts to hold sexual predator John Dawe and the LGBTQ adults who enabled him accountable for sexual violence inflicted on our youth. This has been known for years. These organizations are no better than the Catholic Church […]

Watch: Yolanda Renee King, MLK’s granddaughter, talks with Rev Al Sharpton about her activism

The best thing of the weekend was this exchange. When Yolanda Renee King said “Hi Uncle Al, thank you for having me on your show,” my heart swelled. Reverend Al Sharpton is an emotionally accessible man and journalist, but this was a new level of how generations fuel each other. Watching both of them smile […]

How to Request Toys for Tots in Western Pennsylvania in 2021

Toys for Tots Pennsylvania

This is our annual (9+ year) round-up of Toys for Tots programs in Western Pennsylvania for 2021. I’ve done my best to sort through the available information and provide you what you may need to know. PLEASE click through to the applicable link to doublecheck the details. I will update as information becomes available. Some […]

Remember the Aunties on #LGBTQFamiliesDay

This is my first #LGBTQFamiliesDay as a married lady. My wife, Laura, and I tied the knot on Groundhog’s Day earlier in 2021 after nearly 18 years of togetherness. You can read our story here if you are interested. It was a very cool political lesbian blogger wedding, but wildly different than anything I could […]

White Trans Teen Oliver ‘Ollie’ Taylor, 17, Killed in Oregon After Being Kidnapped

On May 19, 2021, a 17-year-old white trans young man Oliver “Ollie” Taylor died after being kidnapped and shot on May 12 in Gervais, Oregon. Ollie is the 27th trans person violently killed in the United States to date. Ollie endured a kidnapping at the hands of a 20-year-old acquaintance as did another friend was […]

How to Donate to Funeral Expenses for Chynaa Carrillo, Jasmine Cannady, and Jeffrey ‘JJ’ Bright

Over a five day period, Western Pennsylvania lost three young BIPOC neighbors to violent deaths. On Thursday, February 18, in New Wilmington, PA 24-year-old Chynaa Carrillo was beaten to death by the man she was dating. He was killed by police at the scene. Chynaa was a trans Latinx woman and a CNA working in […]

16-Year-Old Trans Male and Older Sibling Shot to Death by Mother in Western Pennsylvania

Jasmine Jeffrey Bright

Another tragedy involving a trans neighbor unfolded Monday, February 22 in Ambridge, Beaver County, Pennsylvania when a 48-year-old mother shot both of her young adult children in the head, killing them at the scene inside the family home. 22-year-old Jasmine Cannady and younger brother, 16-year-old Jeffery ‘JJ’ Bright died. JJ has been repeatedly misgendered and […]