My World Mental Health Day in 2022

World Mental Health Day

CN: childhood sexual violence, trauma This World Mental Health Day, I’m thinking ahead 12 days to my birthday (Oct 22.) I have a complicated relationship with my birthday because of the trauma I experienced during my childhood along with the neglect and abuse. There’s a lot of reasons – the inconsistent celebrations, the shame and […]

The (dis)comforts of turning 50

Comfort comes from feeling engaged and accepted by others. As I approach my 50th birthday, I naturally have been reflecting on well my 50 years of life. This past year has been a doozy, My 19 year old cat Simon died a few days after my 49th birthday. I had to end my relationship with […]

Grand Jury Report on Predatory Priests should make you rethink Fish Fry Season

Fish Fry Friday Pittsburgh

I wrote this in March 2019. I skipped all the Lent fish fries last year, but am unsure what to do this year. Lent is arriving in Pittsburgh and that means fish fry season is upon us. A mainstay of Catholic culture in Pittsburgh, this is the first fish fry season since the release of […]

Governor Corbett Compares Same Sex Marriage to Incest

Corbett Pennsylvania

So yesterday we learn that a County Commissioner from Lehigh County compared domestic partners (and same sex married people) to pets. Today, Governor Corbett lowered the bar back to comparing our relationships to incest. The context?  He was taking responsibility for the inappropriate comparison of same sex marriage to child marriage, claiming that “a brother […]

Change the Conversation: Untitled by Anonymous

Change the Conversation logo

I am posting this contribution from Anonymous. Trigger Warning – Sexual assault, child molestation, victim blaming.  Sexual assault is a serious problem. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. While Sexual assaults have decreased more than 60% in the recent years there […]

What Does the Sexual Assault at Penn State Mean For Me?

What Does the Sexual Assault at Penn State Mean For Me?

Like you, I was and continue to be horrified by the revelations of the sexual abuse of minor boys and the apparent cover-up (or fail to act?) on the part of pretty much anyone with power and authority at Penn State. It has been all over the media, as you know. It is inescapable and […]