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Content Note: disability, bullying, child neglect, resilience, superheroes, body neutrality This is my school photo from late September 1975. I was four years old, in kindergarten. If you squint, you can just see my protruding eyes and the beginning of my lazy eye. I had glasses (and the patch) soon after. But here I look […]
For several years, I have published a Q&A series with candidates for all sorts of offices. Some people approach me and I try to create an open invitation to candidates who meet the criteria of being an LGBTQ ally running for office in Pennsylvania. Each Q&A is hand-crafted so to speak to dive into issues […]
Competitive primaries evince the best out of elected officials. It keeps us honest, and allows us to stay in touch with the communities we serve. I’m proud to have run in multiple tough races, because I think it’s made me a better elected official. We are launching our election season series ‘Political Q&A’ with progressive […]
UPDATE below: How did I spend my 4th of July? We took a local road trip out to Belle Vernon/Rostraver to check out rightwing political signs posted on the property of a local business, Elizabeth Equipment Services. I got the tip last night while watching Hamilton (of course) so Ledcat and I decided we would […]
Marty Griffin misgendered Dr. Rachel Levine, PA Secretary of Health during a media call today. She told him to knock it off. He dithered about being too busy with his very important radio job to prioritize accuracy and respect. Mayor Bill Peduto decided to cancel a planned appearance on another KDKA radio show in response […]
One of the longest running relationships has been with Mayor Bill Peduto. Our friendship is a very loose use of the word; we aren’t personal friends and have rarely had a lot of face-to-face contact. What we’ve shared has been our investment in LGBTQ and other progressive issues, even though we haven’t always been on the exact same side every time.
My latest for the Pittsburgh Current – City Should Dissolve LGBTQIA Advisory Panel It is time for Pittsburgh to establish an Office of LGBTQ Affairs with a dedicated paid staff. This Office will be a resource for all City Departments and Programs, City Council and the City Commissions, Boards, and Authorities. In addition, a LGBTQ […]
Thursday evening, dozens of activists gathered outside the Allegheny County Jail to address the poor treatment of transgender inmates, particularly transgender women. Brought together by SisTers Pgh and BlaQK OPS, protestors maintained a presence along Second Avenue. Police responded in riot gear. Of course they did. That same evening, the District Attorney was all over […]
It is important … to see details and a deeper understanding of an issue, not just an easy sentence of a larger philosophy. ~ Dan Gilman Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed some headlines and social media content rallying the community around the theme that ‘Drag is Illegal in Pittsburgh,’ an inflammatory […]
You may have heard that Pittsburgh City Councilor Darlene Harris raised a ruckus when she used her personal vehicle to drive through a Northside Park along the walking paths. She claims she was investigating City stuff. This quickly deteriorated into the ‘Darlene, woman of the people’ folks and ‘Darlene is a self-entitled jagoff’ folks. I […]
