Krista, 28, Lives in Washington, PA as a Pansexual Woman #AMPLIFY

Tell me about the first LGBTQ person whom you met. What impact did they have on your life? My first LGBTQ connection felt like a light bulb going off in a sense, like a bright light shining in a once dark room. I wasn’t alone. Meeting someone else like myself, was refreshing and simultaneously made me realize that I wasn’t the outcast the small town I had grown up in had made me feel like. Meeting my first LGBTQ friend was life changing for me. From being bullied, and told I was some sort of freak of nature – to meeting someone else who understood my life experiences, who had gone through them, was amazing.

Ally, 20, Describes Her Fluid Sexual Orientation #AMPLIFY

Lawrence County

Name:  Ally Age: 20 County of Residence: Lawrence County. My parents house is in Lawrence county but I currently live in Allegheny for school with my girlfriend. Preferred Pronouns: She/her How do you describe your identity? That’s a good question. I do identify as a white female, but as for sexual orientation I don’t know. I don’t like to label […]

Emily, 40, Talks About LGBTQ Visibility, Intersectionality & Resiliency #AMPLIFY

lesbian pittsburgh

What motivated you to take part in this project? Part of wanting increased visibility for your community is being more visible yourself. When the plea was posted in the LGBTQ Community of Pittsburgh Facebook group I felt it was my responsibility as a member of this community to contribute my voice. Plus, I love talking about myself. 😉

Alexa, 22, Talks About Acceptance as a Bisexual Woman #AMPLIFY

How would you describe yourself NOW in terms of “being out”? I wouldn’t say I’m fully out but I’m working on it. If I’m talking to people and they ask if I’m seeing anyone I am nervous at first to say I have a girlfriend but I do and I am proud of myself after. I need to get past my concerns on what other people think of me. I need to work on what I think of me. We are “official” on social media and both our families know also.

Anonymous, 30, Wants More Visibility for the Pansexual Community #AMPLIFY

Name: Anonymous

Age: 30

County of Residence:  Washington, formerly Allegheny

Preferred Pronouns: Her, she, etc.

Patrouious Describes His Fears & Frustrations as a Trans Man in McKean County #AMPLIFY

Read the entire AMPLIFY LGBTQ Q&A archive. AMPLIFY LGBTQ is a new occasional series of blog posts designed to give a “signal boost” to the voices of our LGBTQ neighbors throughout Western Pennsylvania. We are using a Q&A format and will mostly avoid editing their responses. The questions, however, may change as we ask each […]

If You Can’t Afford Tampons, What Do You Do?

Cathy's Closet Sister Supplies

This is a problem that I never thought about until I was 25 years old. While my family had financial struggles, I never lacked the items most women take for granted – pads and tampons. At 25, I met Shirley who gently educated me on the impact of poverty on our womanly ways. I learned […]

The Road Not Taken Does Not Exist (And Doesn’t Lead to Pittsburgh Anyway)

Pittsburgh Road Less Traveled

You may have noticed that I bounce back and forth between two different set of daily prompts, Daily Prompts and BlogHer. Today, however, I found a common thread so I’m going to use both prompts The Prompt: Unexpectedly, you lose your job. (Or a loved one. Or something or someone important to you.) What do […]