Another TWOC Murdered in Kansas City Missouri, #SayHerName Jasmine Collins

Transwoman Murder

Reporters covering the murder of TWOC Tamara Rodriguez in Kansas City have brought to light another death that occurred on June 23 but went unacknowledged because of misgendering. 32-year-old Jasmine Collins was stabbed to death, allegedly over a pair of shoes. From The Advocate: Police in Kansas City, Mo., tellThe Advocate that a 32-year-old trans […]

Second Arrest Warrant in the Murder of Andre Gray

Bisexual Pittsburgh

Last night, I learned of a new development in the investigation of Andre Gray’s murder. Police issued a warrant for the arrest of Raymond Schifino also known as Hoover Smallz.  From KDKA: Raymond Schifino, 29, has been charged with arson, theft, abuse of a corpse, animal cruelty and tampering with evidence. According to the criminal […]

Update on the Campaign to Remember Andre Gray

Pittsburgh Bisexual

Last weekend, we were striving to raise $3500 for the memorial bench to honor Andre Gray and his dog, Boss.  Honoring those we’ve lost is an important ritual in our society, almost a necessary part of the healing process. This really powerful piece ran in the Post-Gazette Pet Tales column.  Boss — who was not yet […]

Coley Claims To Be Invisible in Plain Sight #AMPLIFY

Southwestern PA LGBTQ

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 […]

AMPLIFY! Sam Prefers The Ambiguity of Queer Identity to a Specific Label

Sam Thorp

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 […]

AMPLIFY! Katie-Anne Speaks as Two-Spirited, Bi-Gendered Resident of Johnstown

Katie-Anne

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 participant to tell us what we’ve missed […]

UPDATED: London Chanel, 21, Eighth Trans Woman of Color Murdered in 2015

London Chanel Transgender

Very sad news from close to home in Philadelphia – 21-year-old London Chanel was murdered early Monday morning and then promptly misgendered in the reporting. Fortunately, her friends weighed in quickly and the media updated their reporting. How sad that’s part of the ritual of mourning our trans sisters – fact checking the media. A […]

Arrest in the Murder of Pgh Bisexual Man of Color, Andre Gray

Andre Gray

Yesterday came word that the Pittsburgh Police have charged 30-year-old Hubert Wingate with the murder of Andre Gray. Andre was 34 years old and a resident of Lawrenceville when he went missing from his apartment in October 2014. His body was discovered in the Ohio River in late March and his funeral was this past […]

Updated: Final Arrangements for Andre ‘Pokie’ Gray

Funeral Flowers Pittsburgh

As we reported, Andre’s body was recovered from the Ohio River on March 20 near Wheeling, West Virginia. His cause of death has been declared a homicide by gunshot wound. A person of interest (Hubert Wingate) is already being held at the Allegheny County Jail for other charges. No charges have been filed and Pittsburgh […]

Monday 3/23 Marks Five Months Since Andre Gray Disappeared in Pittsburgh

Andre Gray Pittsburgh

  Monday March 23 marks five months since Andre Gray disappeared from his Lawrenceville home. Andre is 5’9″, 200 lbs. He is part of the LGBTQ community. There have been no significant leads in the case. Andre’s family has repeatedly said that they want closure, they want to bring Andre home. They have organized searches, […]