Lehigh County Commissioner Compares Domestic Partners to Pets

Just when you think … oh who am I kidding? This doesn’t suprise anyone. Speaking on the extension of equal marriage benefits to same-sex couples in the state, Lehigh County Commissioner Tom Creighton made the comments whilst pushing an amendment which would deny equal benefits to same-sex partners of county employees. “The state has a […]

Letter to the Editor: Chick-fil-A Is Where We Took Our Stand

Seriously, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read this in the Post-Gazette letters to the editor: The people of this region spoke loud and clear of how they feel about gay marriage when we supported Chick-fil-A and stood in line for hours and wrapped around the building several times. The people […]

Would a Domestic Partnership Interfere with a Civil Marriage?

So I continue to wait for someone to remedy the situation with the City of Pittsburgh, I had an interesting thought. FTR, we are now up to three members of Council, a staffer with the Mayor’s office, the ACLU and the Women’s Law Project all trying to find out what happened to the affidavits. Your […]

WESA 90.5 Discusses HB 300 and Non-Discrimination Laws

Earlier in the week, Essential Pittsburgh spoke with State Representative Dan Frankel about HB 300 which would amend the state non-discrimination law to include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. 22 states currently have protections for individuals based upon their sexual orientation, including most of the states surrounding Pennsylvania. Frankel says this makes the […]

Pennsylvania: The Battle Ground for Marriage Equality And Where I Happen To Live

“It must be exciting living in Pennsylvania,” she typed via Facebook. “There’s something new every day.” She is, of course, referring to our unexpected status as an epicenter for the marriage equality struggle. The ACLU has taken the Commonwealth to federal court over marriage equality.  The State Attorney General won’t defend the lawsuit because she […]

LGBTQ&A: State Senator Wayne Fontana

An occasional series where we pose some questions to local LGBTQ folks (and Allies) to learn more about their personal experiences with LGBTQ culture.  Click here for a complete list of all LGBTQ&A profiles.   I’ve lived in Senator Fontana’s district for more than eight years and I”m very active – I email him pretty often and […]

LGBTQ Family Law in PA “Total Chaos” Plus Advice from Dear Abby

From the Post-Gazette An audience member asked whether it was true that same-sex couples could file a joint return in a state like Massachusetts but couldn’t do so in Pennsylvania. The panel uniformly answered yes. “It’s total chaos,” said Tiffany Palmer of Jerner & Palmer. Whether to get married and where involves an individual analysis for each […]

Do PA Mayors Performing Marriage Have Ethical Responsibilities Regarding the Legal Status of LGBTQ Couples?

marriage pennsylvania

As I read about Braddock Mayor John Fetterman performing a wedding ceremony for two gay men from Regent Square, I had mixed reactions. On the one hand, it is an act of civil disobedience designed to create a more equal society and I support that step. But on the other hand, it puts an LGBTQ […]

Dear PA Residents – Please Don’t Rush Into Getting Gay Married

I am so simply exhausted right now that I’m sure this post will be much more flippant than I intend. I’ve been on the phone ALL DAY dealing with media calls and trying to help people get services.  And doing laundry.  And medicating cats. The glamorous life. So I just read that Montgomery County, Pennsylvania […]

Philadelphia Trans Woman, Diamond Williams, Murdered & Further Violated by the Media

UPDATED Last week, Diamond Williams – a trans woman living in Philly – was brutally murdered and dismembered by Charles Sargent, then dumped in a vacant lot  in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood. Sargent is in jail and has been charged. Sadly, the mainstream media added another atrocious twist to this gruesome story by making repeated […]