Drifting Away from MSNBC as Programs Lose Diverse Voices

Black Women Voices Media

When we first brought cable into our home about a decade ago, we immediately began watching ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’ with religious fervor. Representative lesbian in media? Yes! Rachel introduced us to other programming, including the eye-opening representative weekend programming helmed by many people of color. Most notable was Melissa Harris-Perry morning slots on Saturday […]

800 Calories a Day

Super Donuts

My doctor suggested I try logging my daily food consumption using a “diet” app so I can track my calorie intake.  That seemed smart. So I slogged through the Android app store to find something decent (ugghh) and have been logging for about three weeks. I am averaging 800 calories a day. I am aerating […]

How Our Lesbian Wedding Registry Reunited a Missing Cat With His Humans

In early January, a cat named Buddy escaped from his foster group during a routine transport. He was spotted on the Northside in the Allegheny West neighborhood. In early February, two lesbians also on the Northside got married. One of their wedding registries was primarily cat rescue gear – traps, crates, nets, gloves, food, and […]

Under My Skin

Well, it happened again. A younger white cis man didn’t like what I said, or perhaps that I had the temerity to say it, and he insulted me. That’s a frequent pattern in Pittsburgh politics. The only thing that has changed over 15 years of blogging is that I have grown older while the age […]

Northside Democratic Committeeman Insists Eileen Kelly Remove Pro-Trump Democratic Ward Chair

Eileen Kelly Jeff Anesin

“You snowflakes forget it freedom of speech in this country I wear what the fuck I want to wear!” ~ Jeff Anesin, Allegheny County Democratic Committee, 24th Ward Chair I caught this on Facebook yesterday – another chapter in the saga of pro-Trump Democrats in the Allegheny County Democratic Committee. I’m guessing Eileen Kelly, Adam […]

Thank You for Voting Us ‘Best Local Blog’ in Best of Pittsburgh Reader’s Poll 2019

Best of Pittsburgh Best Local Blog

We are in our 14th year of blogging and it has been an amazing year indeed, for good and for not so good sometimes. Being named the OUTstanding LGBTQ Blog in the nation by GLAAD during their 30th annual media awards was pretty damn exciting. It was also one of those moments where you are […]

So About My #GLAADaward and Queer Erasure in the Pittsburgh Media Market

GLAAD award outstanding blog

My latest column for The Pittsburgh Current is out today. I decided to explore how the lack of mainstream media coverage of this blog winning a national media award reflects the larger issue of queer erasure in media in this market. Colleagues working in local media markets told me that the story was ignored because […]

Help Replace the Laptop of the GLAAD LGBTQ Outstanding Blog for 2019 #GLAADAwards

GLAAD Outstanding Blog Award

  Soooo … this is a tale of irony and frustration. In early May, I had the honor being named Outstanding Blog through the GLAAD Awards. It was so great to have the hard work of 14 years plus dozens of contributing bloggers and AMPLIFYers acknwoledge on a national platform. We decided to celebrate by […]

Eli, 37, is a Queer Bisexual, Trans Man, and Small Business Owner #AMPLIFY

Trans Man Lawrenceville

  By telling our stories, we expose others to narratives they may not be familiar with. This includes reaching potential allies, and folks who are struggling with their sexual and gender identities, as well as those who feel isolated because of them. Name: Eli Shumaker Age: 37 County of Residence: Allegheny County, formerly Clinton, Centre counties Pronouns: He/Him […]

One Blog, Two Fundraisers

We are currently working simultaneously on two very different crowdfunds. First, we teamed up with the Homeless Cat Management Team and CARMAA to organize a cat food drive to specifically benefit caretakers of homeless cat colonies (feral cat colonies) in Pittsburgh. This is a good way to put resources in the hands of people doing […]