Sometimes I Flinch

Earlier in the month, I had a little Facebook spat with another woman in a local progressive women’s group. She objected to my framing of the killing of Sean Hake and we went back and forth for a while. I had the impression she was connected to  law enforcement officer and was taking my analysis […]

Let’s #AMPLIFY LGBTQ Things To Do in Western PA

Let’s #AMPLIFY LGBTQ Things To Do in Western PA

We have a new feature that we hope will be a regular post on the blog – a signal boost to the efforts of our #AMPLIFY contributors to strengthen our communities. This list is not all-inclusive or comprehensive, but we’ll do our best to share the items our contributors ask us to promote. If you’d […]

Jason, 42, aka Miss Thea Trix Spreads a Positive Vibe in the Mon Valley #AMPLIFY

Name: Jason Zubovic Age: 42 County of Residence: Fayette, formerly Allegheny and Westmoreland counties Preferred Pronouns: Mr. and Miss – him and her How do you describe your identity? I am an openly gay white male entertainer with an amazing partner of three years. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? My […]

How Do You Stay Informed About LGBTQ Issues? #AMPLIFY

Dialogue swirling about ‘fake news’ and the impact it has on our very real lives We ask each AMPLIFY contributor to tell us how they keep abreast on these matters. As you might expect, each person gave us a unique response. But we dived into the data and did a little light sorting to tease […]

Laura, 44, is a Lesbian Mom in Fayette County #AMPLIFY

Fayette County Lesbian

Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? Well it didn’t go well. I was married with kids. My now ex and I are best friends he is a really great guy. We coparent well. My family has had a harder time with this as it goes against their beliefs

Emma, 28, Keeps Her Queer Eyes Open in Pittsburgh #AMPLIFY

Name:  Emma Age: 28 County of Residence: Allegheny County. Formerly, Beaver county, Bradford county, & York county Preferred Pronouns: She/Her How do you describe your identity? I am a white, cis-gendered, gay woman. I wear the ‘lesbian’ hat sometimes, & like the ‘queer’ hat most often, too. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What […]

Mission Accomplished! Gift Card Drive for LGBTQ Elders a Success

Pittsburgh LGBT elders

Congrats, folks. Together, we collected more than $1,000 in gift cards to be distributed to the 9 LGBTQ elders in the SAGE program that we told you about last month. This is so wonderful – we successfully met two goals with the lovely holiday party yesterday (all of the cookies) and the gift cards news […]

UPDATED One Week Left to Donate Gift Cards for LGBTQ Elders #ReachOUT

Persad SAGE party

We met our goal in less than 24 hours after posting this recent update! Thank you, Pittsburgh! The headline is this – we still need gift cards for some of the LGBTQ elders connected to the SAGE project with Persad Center. They are all over 55 and have little to no family support so this […]

Vi, 24, Is Very Concerned About Trans Health Issues in Pittsburgh #AMPLIFY

Trans Pittsburgh

How would you describe yourself NOW in terms of “being out”? I’m personally very open about my sexuality and my gender identity. I will say that being trans is so much harder than being bi. I never want to look masculine in public or private in any way, and would probably live in stealth if I was visually able. I have struggled more after coming out as trans and living my life than I have ever before. It’s extremely disheartening to get turned down from every job since, and be stared at every day.

Ira, 30, Identifies as Pansexual, Genderqueer and Possibly Agender #AMPLIFY

pansexual genderqueer Allegheny County

Name: Ira Age: 30 County of Residence: Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: They/Them How do you describe your identity? I identify as pansexual and genderqueer, or possibly agender. I just don’t “get” gender I guess? I don’t care about it in my partners and don’t feel it applies to me personally. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? […]