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Pittsburgh GLCC: Call for Volunteers!

Pittsburgh GLCC: Call for Volunteers!

In the past year or so (I’m sure those involved will say the process has been longer) growth and change at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (GLCC) has been very apparent. An organization that once seemed to struggle with any communication past their paper newsletter, is just doing an amazing, outstanding, and awesome job and the Center is really helping to meet the needs of the community. and you can help keep that progress[Read More…]

July 23, 2012 Comments are Disabled general

The fracturing Republican party: RIP GOP?

As a progressive, I’m not so sure that the GOP is fracturing, or at least fracturing enough for my tastes. Perhaps neither Erickson nor myself realize how pervasive corporate control of government is. Any of us, who really want less government, or government that protects all Americans may be the ones wearing the blinders. The American people may have already lost control, and it isn’t to one party or the other, but to big money which has a whole different agenda than either Erickson or I would propose.

July 23, 2012 Comments are Disabled Election, general
The PA Voter ID Law is a Queer Issue!

The PA Voter ID Law is a Queer Issue!

The PA Voter ID law will harm LGBTQ Pennsylvanians by the way it will disenfranchise younger voters. …the very direct attack this law has upon our community by the way it impedes trans persons from voting. The person who emailed me didn’t seem to care about trans persons, a position held by too many gays and lesbians. It is difficult to say how many trans men and trans women are effected, as we don’t have any way of counting this part of our community. But this is a real and immediate issue too.

July 20, 2012 Comments are Disabled Election, general
Who answers when you call 911?

Who answers when you call 911?

Last week. I had the opportunity to tour the Allegheny County/ City of Pittsburgh 911 Center, a call center that takes 1.5 million calls a year. I was there for a tour, but also to ask questions about LGBTQ issues in relationship to the 911 services.

July 19, 2012 Comments are Disabled general
The long range damage of PA’s Voter ID law.

The long range damage of PA’s Voter ID law.

op-ed written by Lucas Michelen, a student at Temple University that I received in an email. It is a clear and straight forward account of the way PA’s Voter ID bill will impact college students who wish to vote in the November 2012 election, and it is a great read, all on its own. Reading it however, prompted me to think about the long range damage this will cause. Many see the importance of the upcoming election as the immediate and short-term impact it will have. What will it mean for our Democracy for the next four years? This is a worthwhile argument, however, the effects go far beyond this election.

July 18, 2012 2 comments Election, general
Punk rocker comes out as transgender.

Punk rocker comes out as transgender.

but I was astonished as I became aware of the stereotypes and assumptions I brought to it, and the expectations I had of Gable, simply from the sound as well as from the visuals. Learning more about me was great, and learning more about why a person, and in this case, this singer,felt the need to transition is really important stuff. I think the majority of people don’t know how to comprehend feeling as if you are a different gender, so the more trans persons talk about their journey and their feelings, it can really help others understand.

July 13, 2012 Comments are Disabled general

Video from the Pittsburgh Vigil for Mollie and Mary

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/45149061[/vimeo]

July 3, 2012 Comments are Disabled Activism, general

The problem of polling and interpreting the polls: SCOTUS rules on the Affordable Care Act

The link below is to a CNN article about the Supreme Courts decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act in full, a prospect many were not counting on. Opponents of the legislation often have pointed to polls that show a number of people opposed to the legislation. But finally, this gets pointed out: Previous surveys have indicated that some who oppose the law do so because they think it doesn’t go far enough. Early on,[Read More…]

June 28, 2012 Comments are Disabled Activism, general

Equality PA Brings White House Appointee to Pittsburgh

Today, there is a special meeting/presentation by Equality PA to host Obama appointee, Chai Feldblum.  Here are the details: Friends: Over the past several months, Equality PA has had the pleasure and honor of developing a great working relationship with The White House. In that time, we’ve worked to bring Obama Administration appointees and thought-leaders into close contact with numerous members and allies of the state’s LGBT Community for conversation and learning. On Tuesday, June 26[Read More…]

June 26, 2012 Comments are Disabled general
The holy war we didn’t ask for.

The holy war we didn’t ask for.

So, the battle isn’t holy in the sense of being “with God” or even “with Religion,” in the biggest sense of the term, but rather, this is the last and desperate attempts by a group of human beings in Rome to control the lives of others in the name of their religion.

June 19, 2012 1 comment general