AMPLIFY:

Western Pennsylvania

This post has been removed at the request of the respondent. To read other AMPLIFY posts, please click this link.   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 […]

Mercedes Williamson 17 Year Old Trans Woman Murdered in Alabama

Mercedes Williamson

17. 17 is still a girl, a young woman. This 17 year old was an aspiring cosmetologist with people who cared about her. Yet at 17, Mercedes Williamson joins the ranks of trans women who have been murdered in the United States. According to The Advocate, Mercedes was estranged from her family and living with […]

UPDATED: Donate To Send North Side Youth on a Snow Tubing Trip

Youth Trip Pittsburgh

UPDATE – in 36 hours, we’ve reached 41% of our goal ($500). Please help us cross the finish line so the kids hear the good news on Monday.   Jefferson Recreation Center is a North Side based community recreation center serving youth of all ages. They are hoping to take 13-15 young members (ages 8-18) […]

Report Details Homelessness Among LGBTQ Youth in Allegheny County

Homeless Youth Pittsburgh

A report released by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services ‘I’ll never get used to it: Young People Living on the Street’ confirms that at least one-third of the number of homeless youth (ages 18-24) in our region are LGBTQ and most say a lack of family support is why they are not living […]

The Hand Me Downs That Saved Lives During the Polar Vortex

Winter Gear Drive

Clothes and toys, recipes and jokes, advice and prejudice: we all have to handle all sorts of hand-me-downs every day. Tell us about some of the meaningful hand-me-downs in your life. Just yesterday, I met with the team at Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ Community Center to talk about the next Winter Gear Drive. Last year, we collected thousands of assorted […]

Can I Bring My Gay Friend to the GLCC Youth Programs?

Earlier this week, I represented Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ Community Center (the GLCC) at an event for teen girls in a program called GirlGov . My assigned task was to describe advocacy opportunities with the GLCC. But as so often is the case, my actual reason for being there was something entirely different. The set-up was like speed […]

Donate Back To School Supplies for LGBTQ Youth

School supplies

Backpacks or similar bags are de rigueur for school students, no matter what grade. There are always trends in terms of what’s a cool bag, but for many youth – a durable bag that functions is pretty much what they want. So I have this blue backpack that I purchased in August 1998 for grad […]

What Does My Community Center Mean To Me?

Community Center

As you’ve most likely figured out, I’m invested in Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ Community Center – known as the GLCC (Gay and Lesbian Community Center.) Thus, I am often asking you to also invest either with your time, your donations or your participation in events and programs. So let me tell you why. In 1995, I was […]

GLCC Issues Emergency Appeal for Donations of Blankets, Coats

Pittsburgh homeless

Pittsburgh’s Gay and Lesbian Community Center (GLCC) has been collecting “Winter Gear” for several months as part of its commitment to the Service Access for Youth (SAY) coalition. This coalition of 22 organizations and businesses provides physical, emotional, and social supports for homeless youth, including LGBTQ youth. The Winter Gear drive has also been able […]

Another Fail by the Post-Gazette on Coverage of Trans Issues

Richland School District will not allow Kasey Caron to run for Homecoming King because Kasey was identified as biologicaly female at birth. School board solicitor Timothy Leventry says Pennsylvania law requires a person born female to have a physician certify a sex change operation and have her birth certificate changed to legally be considered male. […]