Dearest Community –
Welcome to QBurgh!
This is such a proud moment for us.
It’s been hard to believe that our Community has been without an LGBTQ publication for all of these years. There is such a need for QBurgh. We are incredibly pleased to be finally fulfilling that need.
By “we” I am talking about us—all of us. We have a lot of incredible people and organizations in our Community that need to be heard. There are voices that should be amplified so we can listen and learn.. This is just one of the reasons why we need QBurgh now.
It’s been a very tough summer and now fall for us all. Our new normal still is being defined. The country is finally facing social issues that should have been addressed a long time ago. Hurray to the peaceful protestors we have seen these past few months. QBurgh supports your efforts. Let me share a quote from Courtney C. Stephens: “If nothing changes, nothing changes. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’re going to keep getting what you’re getting. You want change, make some.”
QBurgh creates an opportunity to start rebuilding our Community. All the past internal fighting and bickering have been very counter-productive for us. Let’s change that narrative into something more meaningful and positive.
QBurgh is an opportunity to document our LGBTQ history. This is a special project of ours. It would be fun to not only remember but also share what our lives were like when we were growing up here in Pittsburgh. There are so many of great stories to tell. We look forward to providing the platform for this to happen.
Many thanks to Jim Sheppard, my QBurgh Co-Creator, for sharing his vision on how we can best serve our Community. We both believe that we need diversity not division to unite our Community. We ask our readers to please hold us accountable. As two white, cisgender, gay males, our life experiences may be quite different from yours. It’s our responsibility to ensure that everyone’s voice heard. This takes us back to the “we” thing we hope to accomplish here.
You do something because you believe in it. We believe in Qburgh. Hopefully Qburgh will generate a new sense of Community spirit and energy. That is our goal.
Together in Pride,
-Jeff
