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Pittsburgh really said, “Oh, you thought it was spring? That’s adorable.”
Friday: 60 degrees.
Saturday: sunglasses, iced coffee, delusions.
Sunday: snow. Again.
We were emotionally prepared to put on crop tops. We were spiritually ready for short shorts. We were mentally drafting outdoor brunch captions. And then winter came back like an ex who saw you glowing and got insecure.
It’s fine. We’re fine. (We are not fine.)
There is something uniquely cruel about false spring. It awakens hope. It teases serotonin. It whispers, “You could see the sun again.” And then — boom — slush.
But listen. The crop tops are not cancelled. They are just postponed. The short shorts are resting. Your hot queer summer is simply in stealth mode.
This is a reminder that just because the snow returned doesn’t mean the warmth didn’t happen. We felt it. We touched it. We believed in it. And it’s coming back.
Until then? We layer. We moisturize. We light a candle that smells like citrus (shout out to Boy Smells CITRUSH) and lie to ourselves.
Spring is inevitable. So is queer joy. And yes, you will get to wear the shorts.
SLAY OF THE WEEK: QMNTY Center Expands Again
When we say the Pittsburgh queer community is building infrastructure, we mean it.
This week, the QMNTY Center expanded its East Ohio Street footprint with the opening of the brand-new QMNTY Pantry & Café, adding daily free meals and expanded grocery access to an already growing corridor of LGBTQ+ support.
What started as a response to skyrocketing food insecurity during last year’s federal shutdown has evolved into something much bigger: a queer-run café and pantry offering prepared meals, perishable groceries, and community space, all rooted in dignity and belonging.
Led by TransYOUniting and Proud Haven, this newest addition joins the QMNTY Center and QMNTY Closet, forming a full continuum of care along one North Side block. Clothing. Food. Gathering space. Connection. All in one place.
Read more on QBurgh and learn how you can support or get involved →
Because when queer community says “we’ll build it ourselves,” we mean it.
SHARE YOUR JOY
Did something gay and glorious happen this week?
✨ You wore your first binder out in public
✨ You finally asked them out (and they said yes)
✨ You slayed at karaoke
✨ You felt cute at Giant Eagle
✨ You just felt seen
We wanna hear it! Send us your queer joy, big or small, and we might feature it in next week’s issue. Because your joy? That’s newsworthy too.
Keep Queer Media Hot And Funded
Okay bestie, real talk.
If you love getting queer joy, community news, archives, drag chaos, and soft feral affirmations in your inbox every week… consider putting your money where your glitter is.
For just $5 a month (that’s like… half a cocktail at happy hour), you can become a monthly supporter of QBurgh.
And because we love a thank-you gift moment, we’ll send you every issue of QBurgh Magazine in the mail. Yes, physically. Yes, gorgeously. Yes, for your coffee table so guests know you’re cultured.
Your support keeps local queer journalism alive. It funds real reporting. It preserves our history. It amplifies LGBTQ+ voices in Pittsburgh. It makes sure our stories don’t disappear.
Independent queer media doesn’t survive on vibes alone. Tragic, we know.
Become a supporter at QBurgh.com/support
Because if we don’t tell our stories, who will?
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QUEER JOY IN THE WORLD: Jadzia Axelrod Created the Trans Superhero We Always Needed
Some stories don’t just entertain; they heal something.
Writer Jadzia Axelrod did exactly that with Galaxy: The Prettiest Star, a groundbreaking DC graphic novel about a transgender alien princess forced to disguise herself as a human boy while hiding on Earth. It’s cosmic. It’s emotional. It’s unapologetically queer.
Inspired by David Bowie, Ozma of Oz, Superman lore, and Axelrod’s own journey as a trans woman, Galaxy is a fully realized superhero navigating identity, love, dysphoria, and destiny. And she’s now officially part of the larger DC Universe.
For many trans readers, Galaxy represents something rare in comics, a hero who gets to save the world and be herself.
Because representation isn’t just powerful, it’s overdue.
QUEER RECOMMENDATION: Hilary Duff’s ‘Luck… or Something’ Is for the Gays Who Survive
If you were once a closeted teen watching TRL with the volume low… this one’s for you.
Hilary Duff dropped Luck… or Something on Friday, and instead of mall-core nostalgia, she gave us something grown. Eleven tracks of millennial reckoning, queer-coded longing, and soft-but-feral survival pop.
She didn’t roll this album out at beige influencer brunches. She held listening parties at queer bars across the country. Sweaty dance floors. Overpoured vodka sodas, gay water. Millennials scream-singing through emotional damage. Communion.
From the quietly devastating “Mature” to the heavy “Roommates,” Duff leans into the emotional complexity of aging in public, especially for the gay fans who grew up with her. It’s less “remember when?” and more “look at us now.”
This isn’t hyperpop chaos. It’s something braver: a former teen idol refusing to flatten her past into nostalgia bait and instead reclaiming it with intention.
8.5/10 glitter-tear experience, stream it where you stream your music.
Because maybe it wasn’t luck. Maybe we survived.
THE AGENDA: Your Queer Week, Queued Up
From puzzles to partner spins, pick your flavor.
It’s A Puzzle Swap
Tuesday, February 24, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM @ The Soft Spot
Let’s swap!!!
Bring your gently used puzzles, trade for new ones, or just hang out and help assemble what’s already on the table. Cozy, low-pressure, introvert-friendly vibes in one of Pittsburgh’s newest sapphic-forward spaces.
If you needed a sign to romanticize your winter hobbies, this is it.
More info →
Mom’s Basement — February Edition
Tuesday, February 24, 11:00 pm @ P Town Bar
Theme: Til Death Do Us Part
Fierce looks. Messy drama. Campy romance. Possibly emotional damage (the fun kind). Mom’s Basement never does subtle, and this month’s theme promises wedding-core chaos, dark glam, and performances that blur the line between “romantic” and “unhinged.” Exactly how we like it.
Arrive hydrated. Leave transformed.
More info →
412Step
Wednesday, February 25, 6:30 pm @ Belvedere’s
Line dance reviews, lessons for beginners, and a little partner dancing for good measure. Whether you’re brand new or already stomping with confidence, this is your midweek serotonin boost.
Country? Yes. Queer? Absolutely. Two-step? Obviously.
More info →
And as always, this is just the highlight reel; check out the full LGBTQ+ community calendar at QBurgh.com/events because the city does not sleep.
More events this week →
Okay, snow survivors.
We got fake spring. We got real winter. We got emotionally manipulated by 60 degrees and clear skies. And yet? We’re still here. Layered. Slightly dramatic. Fully moisturized.
Late February is a strange portal. We’re tired of winter but not yet reborn. We’re dreaming of patios but still scraping ice off windshields. It’s giving transitional energy. It’s giving cocoon-with-attitude.
Here’s how to keep the magic going:
- Submit your queer joy → email us at slay@qburgh.com
- Forward this to your work crush
- Tag @QBurgh on Instagram with your Monday slay.
If this month has you feeling restless, that’s okay. Restlessness means something is shifting. The light is staying a little longer. The music is getting louder. The crop tops are whispering from the drawer.
And in the meantime? We gather. We dance in basements. We swap puzzles. We build queer grocery stores. We write trans superheroes into canon. We keep showing up for each other.
Spring is coming. So is your next glow-up. So is the version of you that’s a little braver than last week.
Stay warm. Stay soft. Stay slightly feral.
Talk soon.