UPDATED Pittsburgh Designates Zones for LGBTQ Community To Protest , Gives 24 Hour Notice to Community Groups

Pittsburgh Pridefest

UPDATE Saturday: Since I wrote this at 11:30 PM Friday, the City has changed the policy about free speech zones and will not require people to use them. More here. I think Mayor Bill Peduto made a significant error in judgment this week regarding Pridefest by failing to disclose plans for “designated areas for protestors” […]

What Are the Safety and Security Plans for Pittsburgh Pridefest?

Pittsburgh Pridefest

Protestors with an avowed anti-LGBTQ bent haven’t historically been a significant presence at Pittsburgh Pridefest. Yes, here and there. But it was really only in 2014 that they garnered the sort of attention that they craved when Repent Amarillo protested at the City County Building, strolled down the Pridefest route and then set up a […]

UPDATED: Allegheny County Will Terminate Domestic Partner Benefits on June 30

Allegheny County Pennsylvania

As we explored last year, Allegheny County plans to eliminate domestic partner benefits for LGBTQ employees effective June 30, 2015. Heterosexual employees were never offered access to these benefits. From the County Communications Director, Amie Downs: [This] is correct and those employees will be reminded/given notice again of the policy. Eliminating domestic partner benefits is […]

The Advocate on Why LGBT Visibility in the Workplace Matters

Yesterday the delightful local lunchtime eblast Eat That, Read This referenced an issue near and dear to my heart – LGBTQ visibility among municipal and other governmental workforces. mayor peduto’s administration noted for being diverse. not mentioned in this piece: how many awesome staffers, at all levels, are gay! Adam his the nail on the […]

Municipal Government and Publicly Out LGBTQ Employees

Does it matter if local and regional government employers hire and appoint openly LGBTQ people to leadership roles? This question has launched many a Facebook chats, unleashing discussions on everything from outing people to privacy concerns to dislike of being labeled as “the gay <insert title>.” These are valid points to consider. In my mind, […]

Ten Most Popular Blog Posts of 2014

2014 In Review

  These are the posts that drew the most viewers in 2014. It is an interesting mix of LGBTQ specific information and human services/poverty stories. Most of the stories are local, but not all. I think this reflects some of the balance I strive for on the blog. 10. Toys for Tots Distribution Information  – this […]

Artistic Q&A: Maria Lupinacci on Absolute Blogging

Absolute Vodka

As part my NaBloPoMo examination of art and blogging, I asked a few folks to consider some of the same questions I’m pondering. Today, we’ll be chatting with the other political junkie, Maria Lupinacci.   Maria is probably the first Pittsburgh blogger than I met in person – we first spoke on the phone and […]

Pittsburgh Municipal Equality Index Score Increases for 2014

Municipal Equality Index

The 2014 HRC Municipal Equality Index has been released. Pittsburgh residents have gained significant benefit from the 2014 court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania, but has only made slight actual gains in terms of municipal initiated efforts to address equality. Pittsburgh’s most noticeable ongoing weakness is evident in the “gender identity” indicators. The scoring […]

The Story of My Life Is Probably Not Neo-Folk

Your blog is about to be recorded into an audiobook. If you could choose anyone — from your grandma to Samuel L. Jackson — to narrate your posts, who would it be? I’m not a fan of the band One Direction but I do like the song “The Story of My Life” – and this sentence captures […]

Ten Ways the GLCC is building Community in Downtown Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ Community Center is called the GLCC (Gay and Lesbian Community Center) and is located at 210 Grant Street, just a block away from the City-County Building. The GLCC is open 7 days a week with a range of programming open to everyone in the community – LGBTQ persons and straight allies. The GLCC […]