TWOC Maya Young, 25, Fatally Stabbed in Philly

Maya Young Philadelphia

Terribly sad news from Philadelphia – Maya Young, a 25 year old trans woman of color, was stabbed to death Saturday February 20. Police have released no motive and do not have anyone in custody. Please note the cited media report uses her old name.  Misgendering and detailing Maya’s own criminal history – even though […]

Bobby, 50, Queer Trans Guy, White Anti-Racism Activist #AMPLIFY

Transgender Pittsburgh

Name: Bobby Age: 50 County of Residence: Allegheny County. Grew up in Venango County. College in Washington County. Lived in Beaver County (Allequippa) Lived in Westmoreland County (Latrobe) Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his How do you describe your identity? Queer Transguy  longterm Wilkinsburg resident. White anti-racism activist Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? Early Spring 1983, my […]

Monica Loera, 43, First Trans Woman Murdered in 2016

Trans murder

Very sad news from Austin, Texas. A 43 year old transgender woman was murdered earlier in the month. From TransGriot According to the Austin Police Department, 43 year old Monica Loera was engaged in a conversation with a man in front of her home along the 300 block of East Powell Lane in north Austin […]

Austin, 30, is a Straight Trans Man from Washington County #AMPLIFY

Transgender Washington County

Name: Austin Jacob Age: 30 County of Residence:  Washington  County Preferred Pronouns:  He/Him/His How do you describe your identity? I’m an Austrian, Scottish, Irish American Christian UU who is a straight transman. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? Coming out the first time as a lesbian was the hardest. […]

Nine Pennsylvania LGBTQ Blogs You Should Follow

We don’t maintain a traditional blogroll on this here site. Have you seen the right column? It is packed with information – its the proverbial junk drawer in this kitchen. So every once in awhile, I like to post about queer and trans blogs your should know about. In no particular order The Feminization of […]

Review: The Danish Girl

Spoilers. Last week, Ledcat and I went to AMC Loews at the Waterfront to see ‘The Danish Girl.’ This is one of my least favorite movie theaters because of its slightly shabby condition, a fact not helped with the introduction of self-serve soda fountains. Still, AMC brings in the lesser known films on a regular […]

Alissa, 34, Is Just Another Girl in the Crowd in Lawrence County #AMPLIFY

Lawrence County Transgender

Name: Alissa Age: 34 County of Residence:  Lawrence Pronouns: She/her How do you describe your identity? I’m a transgender female lesbian. Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? All of my original support came from friends followed by my family and parents. The challenges I have faced have been working with […]

The #AMPLIFY 100

Top Twenty Posts of 2015

best of 2015

I took a look at the most ‘popular’ posts/pages from 2015. AMPLIFY didn’t even crack the top twenty which is interesting because the individual posts do quite well. Clearly, my regular blogging is still driving most of the traffic to the website. So that’s an important lesson for me to keep in mind. And a […]

Corvus Regrets the Lack of Sober, Radical, Queer, and Disability Friendly Community in Pgh #AMPLIFY

Queer Pittsburgh

Name: Corvus Age:  33 County of Residence: Allegheny Preferred Pronouns: I like “they” but he or she is also ok. How do you describe your identity? Queer Transgender Butch fits for now. I’ve tried on genderqueer, nonbinary, genderfluid, and other identities but I no longer feel I’m represented by them given how the definitions seem to have changed, or […]