Speaking at PFLAG Pittsburgh Meeting This Weekend

PFLAG Pittsburgh

Just a little shout-out to the fine folks at Pittsburgh PFLAG. They’ve asked me to speak at their monthly meeting this weekend. It has been several years since I’ve attended and that’s unfortunate. Check out their latest newsletter for more information on the array of supports they offer the community.   May 11, 2014   […]

That One Time At The Dyke March

Pittsburgh Pride

So one year, I was asked to speak at the Dyke March. I was flattered, but I’ll say right here – I blew it. I was absolutely terrified to speak with this group of women and felt like I had nothing to say. I was super anxious and I did not prepare and it was […]

Apologies and Amends – Moving the Dialogue Abt Language Forward

Pittsburgh Pride

I recently posted a commentary decrying a video that Pittsburgh’s own Alaska Thunderfuck had posted on YouTube – a video depicting a drag queen putting a bullet into the head of trans activist, Parker Marie Molloy. It was an appalling contribution to a rancorous debate about the use of the words “tranny” and “shemale” and […]

“How Can I Help?” Are The Sweetest Words

Pittsburgh Pride

There’s plenty of good news to report from Cathy’s Closet We’ve raised nearly $700 through Crowdrise, a private donation and the proceeds from an iCandy event in April. We have 12 collections scheduled, starting last month actually. Cathy was honored with a posthumous award by the editors of Keystone Alliance/Gaylife Newsletter which will be accepted […]

40 Ways Being Named to Pgh’s “40 Under 40” Impacted My Life

Sue Kerr

In 2004, I was among the honorees recognized for our contributions to the community via the 40 Under 40 awards sponsored by Pittsburgh Magazine and the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP)  I was 34 years old and working FT as a social worker with Family Services of Western Pennsylvania. I was involved with Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ […]

That Time Someone Gave me 5,000 Tote Bags

Pittsburgh Donation

Mid-summer 2012, I was coordinating a project to redirect gently used tote bags to the Food Bank. We also received quite a bit of excess promotional merchandise – bags, cups, etc. This operation had no formal space other than my vehicle and occasionally my living room. We quite literally sorted and counted on the street, […]

Review: ‘Finding Vivian Maier: A Documentary’

Warning: this post contains spoilers about plot twists in this documentary. At the Roger Ebert movie review site, a film critic asks one of the moral questions at the heart of this film When does creative ability and the desire to share a true artist’s eye trump what has to be considered an invasion of […]

Reproductive Hygiene Technology Flashback

Of all the technologies that have gone extinct in your lifetime, which one do you miss the most? Oohh, this is a tough question. I certainly have nostalgia when it comes to 8-tracks and cassette decks, but I don’t really *miss* them. And cassettes aren’t actually extinct. I learned to type on a typewriter in […]

Allowing Anxiety to Derail Me Is the Worst Case Scenario

Finding Vivian Maier

Of all the awful possibilities, what’s the worst possible thing that could happen to you today? Now this is an interesting question during Mental Health Month. Some folks can provide a list of things that cause anxiety and others just have a general sense of dread. Setting aside the loss of a loved one, the […]

The First Time I Saw a Therapist

May is the month dedicated to raising awareness about mental health. I’m going to try to raise awareness by blogging more concretely about my own experiences. Fittingly, I met my new therapist today. She seems nice and pleasant. I was a little anxious because I wanted to give her background information, but I had some […]