I Might Have Reported You on Facebook, But They’ll Never Tell

Facebook has some nifty privacy and community safety tools that are far from perfect, but do let all of us play a role in keeping the online community safer. There are many things you can do to “protect” yourself from having to see content that you don’t like – you can unfollow someone but remain […]

If Kevin Acklin Had Lunch at Bistro-to-Go

Tell us about a time you made a false assumption about a person or a place — how did they prove you wrong? I have a few stories in the vein. First, there was Kevin Acklin.  I wrote this in 2009 when Kevin submitted a guest blog post. My first encounter with Kevin was at the January 10, […]

Is Maria Bamford Procrastinating Her Reply To My Tweet?

Maria Bamford

Last night, I coaxed Ledcat into watching a 49 minute comedy show on Netflix with me. Fully knowing that watching Netflix means we’ll end up covered in cats, we curled up on the sofa to take in “The Special Special Special” featuring Maria Bamford. Maria Bamford is a comedian that I had not heard of […]

ENDA, Religious Exemptions, and Why Non-Discrimination Matters

Repent Amarillo

Most people do not believe this so let me open with a statement of fact – in most of the United States (and Pennsylvania) it is legal to fire someone or deny them a rental unit or service because they are LGBTQ.  It is legal. It doesn’t have anything to do with “right to work” […]

Fish Fry Review: Most Holy Name of Jesus (Troy Hill)

Pittsburgh Fish Fry

Random review of #fishburgh adventures during Lent. Find a fish fry on this Google maps collection. You can also follow them on Facebook and find tons of reviews and suggestions. Name: Most Holy Name of Jesus Roman Catholic Parish Date: Friday, March 28, 2014 Time We Ate: 5:30 PM Location: Troy Hill (Northside) 3600 Mt Troy Rd We selected this […]

My Family Herstory: Part One

Jane Marie Rice Remley

March 1 — Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about? Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check. One thing I believe to be very […]

Inside the ‘frozen closet’

Pretty much everyone knows about the Russian government’s persecution of LGBTQ people—and the protests, both small and large, planned for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi. But did you know that some gay people are facing discrimination from their own U.S. sanctioning bodies? Newsweek has a fascinating story about how U.S. Figure Skating officials and […]

Letters to the Editor on LGBTQ Equality

Letter To The Editor Pittsburgh

As disappointed as I am with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s disjointed coverage of LGBTQ issues, I have to applaud the readers who submit letters to the editor with gusto and flourish. Four days ago, Jonathan Dohanich of Monaca wrote to oppose marriage equality  on the grounds of procreation, his distorted understanding of legal protections accessible by […]

Can Lesbians Disappear At Will?

Daily Prompt: Now You See Me You have a secret superpower: the ability to appear and disappear at will. When and where will you use this new superpower? Tell us a story. I’m stumped. Thinking of a scenario where the unexpected appearance of a middle-aged white lesbian who can barely use a pen doesn’t exactly […]

Monday is Bisexuality Visibility Day

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there’s been a Bisexuality Awareness (or Bi Pride) Day since 1999. Then immediately chagrined that I hadn’t known that. You are likely familiar with the ongoing dialogue around identity and language – affectionately dubbed “the alphabet soup” debate. Is it LGBT, GLBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQI, etc? In the midst […]