Transgender Bigotry in Sharon, Butler Reinforce Need for NonDiscrimination Protections

Pittsburgh Transgender

Content Note: misgendering, deadnaming, lies, transphobia. On Sunday, the Sharon Herald printed a newspaper article updating the community on the status of a civil lawsuit against the Sharon Police Department involving the shooting death of 23 year-old Sean Hake. Sean was a transgender man. The Sharon Herald first reported that he was a trans woman, […]

Update Your #AMPLIFY Contribution if You Like

AMPLIFY LGBTQ

**THIS IS FOR UPDATES ONLY. This is NOT for first time contributors. ** Click here for the update form. First time contributors should go to this form.  #AMPLIFY has been up and running since January 2015 and collected more than 225 contributions. We know that for some folks, life has changed so we are offering an […]

Two Questions for the Pgh Mayor’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee

Pittsburgh Mayor's LGBTQIA+ Advisory Council

I have a few questions about local governing and LGBTQ issues. I will be sharing these directly with the members of the Council whom I personally know. I’ve asked if I could attend a meeting to discuss my concerns, but was informed that the Department of Personnel would not permit me to do so.  Earlier […]

Scrap the Trap Rescued an Orphaned Racoon in Our Pgh Neighborhood

I stepped outside on the stoop and a woman sitting in her car told me a raccoon was ‘on the loose’ and might bite me. So I stepped back into the house and decided to call my neighbor with ‘Scrap the Trap – Pittsburgh.’ A few minutes later, I was tracking an obviously terrified young […]

Six Reasons Bisexual & Pansexual Folks Should Get #AMPLIFYed

Bisexual Umbrella

Visibility matters.  In late September, the nation will be recognizing the bi community via Bisexual Awareness Week. Last year, we compiled a list of the bi and pan folks who had contributed to the AMPLIFY project by that point in time. We had 27 particpants at that point in time. We plan to publish another […]

Ashley Ugolotti, 27, Deserves to Be Remembered For Her Whole Self

I have written so many ‘In Memoriam’ blog posts over the years, that I’ve asked a graphic design friend to create a suitable image I can use in lieu of generic images. Then I burst into tears because that feels so terrible, even though it feels equally necessary. This came to mind last week when […]

It Happened To Me: I Found Unclaimed Property in the @PATreasury

File this under good news and great timing. I decided to browse the PA Department of Treasury Unclaimed Property website. To my suprise, I found four items that belonged to me. So I filled out the form, had it notarized and sent it off to the State. And waited. And waited some more. Three months […]

Drag Brunch, Queer Burlesque at James St Gastropub in September

Two terrific shows at James Street this month featuring LGBTQ performance artists doing their best to entertain you. Great admission prices and great queer entertainment in our own backyard. I love love love that James Street brings queer entertainment to our side of town on a regular basis. Drag Brunch is a wonderful event. The […]

Kashmire Redd, 28, is 19th Trans Person Killed in 2017

Kashmire Redd

I just read this on TransGriot where Monica Roberts reports that a 28 year old black trans man, Kashmire Redd, was stabbed multiple times by his partner and succumbed to those injuries. This happened in Gates, New York, a suburb of Rochester. Kashmire is the 19th trans person killed this year. 40 year old Doris Carrasquillo […]

Help Us Honor LGBTQ History Month in October

AMPLIFY MLK Day

October is LGBTQ History Month, something we take very seriously on the PghLesbian blog and via the #AMPLIFY project. To help us honor our history, we are planning to publish guest post from LGBTQ neighbors and allies describing the local and regional history they believe we should remember. This will be part of a permanent […]