For the past six issues, I’ve used this space to rally us. To remind you that our LGBTQ community has been under attack, that we’ve had to stand tall, dig in, and fight. And we have. And we will. But this time? I don’t want a war cry. I want a toast.
It’s okay to rest. It’s okay to reset. It’s okay to say “yes, the world is a mess, but look at us! We’re still here, still fabulous, still throwing the best damn party in Pittsburgh”.
This season, I want you to celebrate.
Celebrate the camp, the wigs, the rhinestones, the audacity. Celebrate the art, the drag, the poems, the messy glitter-covered canvases.
Celebrate the pure chaos of dancing until your eyeliner runs and your shoes are begging for mercy. Flirt shamelessly. Kiss boldly. Laugh so loud the walls shake.
Because joy isn’t frivolous, it’s revolutionary. Every sequin is a middle finger to the people who want us quiet. Every drag number, every queer kiss in public, every mural, every magazine is proof that we’re not just surviving, we’re thriving.
Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ family is brilliant, brave, and just the right amount of unhinged. And that’s worth pausing to revel in.
So take this issue as your permission slip. Wear the look, take up space, start the band, paint the mural, make the move. Rest when you need to. Rise when you’re ready. And never, ever stop shining.
With glitter and grit,
Jim Sheppard
Co-creator
QBurgh
