32 Year Old Black Trans Woman La’Daijah Walters Fatally Shot In Alabama

La’Daijah Walters was shot and killed in Mobile, Alabama The Crime WKRG reports: Mobile police have confirmed a [person] was shot and killed the morning at [of June 22] Plantation Estates apartments. According to an MPD news release, the shooting happened around 6:35 a.m. inside an apartment unit at 5725 Old Pascagoula Road. No information […]

Gertie Goes Viral on WTAE, WPXI, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

We are very pleased to have had media coverage of our pet food pantry (and Gertie!) during a tough time. Please take a look. Local journalism is so important.

Here’s your Occasional Roundup of Interesting LGBTQ News, Blog, and Substack Posts

I’m struggling to blog something other than pet food, personal updates, and memorials. I am glad there are no more memorial to write for now. I hope that continues. But very big things are happening in our world. Iran defeated the United States in a war. The President is just clearly not fit on even […]

After Five Years, Today I Held My Cat Spencer Cassadine for the First Time

Black cats

Spencer came into my life with great reluctance and a lot of fear in March 2021. I trapped him, his brother, and their mother on the Northside. His mother, Helena Cassadine, was a shy little thing who was gorgeous. Stefano DiMera is a friendly, sweet cat with a ginormous personality that belies his teeny little […]

Being poor is a lot of work. And the pay isn’t that great ….

Yesterday, I gave some thought to legal and living expenses. It seems the reasons I set it up, the intentions behind your gifts, and the expenses I covered should be a source of shame for me. There’s no shame in asking for help. No shame in accepting help. No lack of transparency – I’m an […]

A Black trans woman died in a Birmingham Jail

A 32-year-old Black trans woman died while in police custody in the Birmgingham City Jail. Just two days later, a 35-year-old Black male was found dead in his cell in the same jail. No cause of death is available in either case. The Black trans woman was named Kalena “Peaches” Croskey. The crime According to […]

Year after year, I failed the Presidential Fitness Test. No one questioned why.

Remember the Presidential Fitness tests in school? Push ups, sit ups, some running, dangling from a bar, etc. It sucked That’s how I learned I couldn’t do a sit up. Not in second grade, not in sixth grade, never really. From age five onward, I felt like a sit up failure. Even when my classmates […]

2026 List of Trans Deaths Now Includes Leia Trysiss Ali, a Fa’afafine from America Samoa

Her name was Leia Trysiss Ali. She was 35 years old when reports of her suspicious death came to light in Las Vegas, Nevada. Little is know and/or confirmed of the circumstances of death. Honoring Leia Leia was born and raised in American Samoa, she was of of Fijian/Indian descent. She graduated from Leone High […]

Pittsburgh Pet Food Pantry Closes After Landlord Intimidates Volunteer About Housing Security – Part One and Two

This has been a nightmare. The landlord of the space where we store the food for the Dr. John P. Ruffing VMD Pet Food Pantry has forced our hand. We have to remove all of our items by Wednesday, June 17. We’ve been storing the food in the actual second floor pantry of a volunteer’s […]

Q&A with Pirates about the 2026 Pride Night at PNC Park

The first Pride Night at PNC Park was 22 years ago. That’s time for a lot of reflection. Name: Patrick Joyal Pronouns: he/him/his Role with the Pirates: Director of External Affairs  Please tell us about something not well-known involving the Pirates—something we should know about or explore, something to be proud of.  One piece of […]