Sometimes I still miss the family I wish I had

Sometimes I still miss the family I wish I had

I had a sort of NPR ‘driveway moment’ this weekend. Mine was in the parking lot of Walgreens where I was heading to pick up a medication for the dog. I flipped on WESA because I was a little weary of Christmas music. Listening to Lee Smith on The Moth Radio Hour reminisce about his […]

Two Problems with the HAIM Fundraiser for the Tree of Life Shooting in Pittsburgh

Pop rock band HAIM created a shirt on their playful Haimukkah ditty as a way to show support for the 3 Jewish congregations targeted by a white domestic terrorist in October in Pittsburgh. It is a lovely gesture.   Dreidels, Candels, Latkes oh my! All the things you need to get your Haimukkah celebration going! […]

Pittsburgh Man Says He Was Assaulted in Local 7-Eleven Because He Is Transgender

Zahair Martinez Pittsburgh

Zahair Martinez, a Black transgender man living in Pittsburgh, claims he was assaulted inside a 7-Eleven on Wood Street in Downtown Pittsburgh by a group of seven people. This was 10:15 AM on Sunday December 2. Martinez spoke with WTAE “ZAHAIR MARTINEZ TELLS ME HE WAS TARGETED FROM THE SECOND HE WALKED INTO THIS DOWNTOWN […]

It is only December 6th and I’m already worn out #HolidayWishes

It is only December 6th and I’m already worn out. I curated a Giving Guide, a Queer Shopping Guide, a LGBTQ Holiday Things To Do Guide, and took on advocating for four holiday projects. I’ve created ten+ Q&As with artists, publishing five to date. I’ve set up multiple product reviews, took on sponsorships of two local […]

Suzanne, 39, never felt that honoring her orientation was even an option #AMPLIFY

female bisexual Pittsburgh

  Name: Suzanne Age: 39 County of Residence: Allegheny, but grew up in Armstrong County. Northern Armstrong County bordering Clarion and Butler counties, different parts of Allegheny County, and Mexico City Pronouns: she/her/hers How do you describe your identity? female bi-ish lesbian Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I consider that I […]

Leo, 24, Fears the Erasure of Nonbinary/Bisexual/Pansexual/Asexual/Demi Narratives in the Queer Community #AMPLIFY

  Nonbinary people are starting to have a voice here but the amount of times I’ve had the pronouns are important conversation with a cis gay man who tells me “well that just wasn’t in my time, you were either gay or you weren’t and there wasn’t in between” is too many times. Name: Leo Age: 24 […]

Pipeline: A Review (Yes, On Closing Day Because It Matters That Much)

Pipeline Pittsburgh

Yesterday, Ledcat and I went to the final performance of Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau at City Theatre. Earlier this month, I published a Q&A with local performer Brittney Chantelle about her work with 1 Hood Media Academy composing the soundtrack for this show. But circumstances kept us from actually seeing the production until today. To my pleasure, […]

Q&A with Brittney Chantele About Working on the Score for City Theatre’s ‘Pipeline’

Pipeline Pittsburgh

This is a slightly different version of our artist Q&A. We wanted to learn more about the production of Pipeline currently on-stage at City Theatre. This play by Dominique Morisseau is a breathtaking endeavor, exploring the school-to-prison pipeline through the story on one young man and his mother. When I learned that 1Hood Media Academy […]

Tomorrow is my birthday. I’ll be 48. 

Tomorrow is my birthday. I’ll be 48. Last night, I dreamed about being homeless, cast away, and shunned because of my flaws. I woke up several times choking, unsure if it was due to allergies or stress. I’m exhausted and dismayed. Birthdays in the sense that they are indicators of getting older do not bother […]

Pittsburgh City Council Unanimously Calls for Pittsburgh Marathon to Remove Chick-fil-A Sponsorship

On Wednesday, October 17, all nine members of Pittsburgh’s City Council signed a request to the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon organizers (P3R) requesting that they remove Chick-fil-A as a title sponsor. We, the undersigned, are writing to respectfully request that P3R remove Chick-Fil-A as the title sponsor of the 2019 Pittsburgh Kids Marathon. The […]