January is National Mentoring Month What is a mentor? The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “an experienced and trusted adviser.” Whether we’re mindful of it or not, we all have had someone in our lives who has helped us transform ...

The Come Out Laughing tour was started by Jason Dudey in 2008 after he decided to launch a gay, gay-friendly, who-cares-whoyou-are-or-who’s-in-your-bed comedy show in Southern California. Because the regular monthly show in Long Beach at the world famous Laugh Factory ...

A community needed a voice and a space in Pittsburgh, now one year later, the efforts of Project Silk are continuing to move forward. With a space Downtown for young men and transgender women of color, the HIV prevention initiative ...

You wanna hot bodyYou wanna BugattiYou wanna MaseratiYou better work bitch. Britney Spears, from the song “Work Bitch” Happy New Year and welcome to 2014. ‘Tis the season of resolutions, but sadly most resolutions are broken shorty after they are ...

As you may know, Key West is one of my favorite places to actually get away. It embodies all of my escape essentials: Sun, unbeatable wine and cocktail selections, and fabulous dining options. I have traveled to Key West a ...

Losing weight? Saving money? Developing better habits? These are all common New Year’s resolutions but one of the things I resolve to do each year is to explore the Pittsburgh food scene. Pittsburgh has a wealth of amazing restaurants; I ...

In 2012, former Carnegie Mellon University graduate Matt Bomer came out of the closet. The actor, best known for his role on the television show White Collar, and his turn as a male stripper in Magic Mike, has becomean advocate ...

In 2013, a slew of celebrities came out of the closet, and, for the first time, a male pro athlete came out of the closet whilestill playing on a team. Two weeks into 2013, long-rumored-to-be lesbian Jodie Foster (“Silence of ...

The holidays are a time of giving, and a lot of LGBT organizations have gotten into the spirit. The Burgh Bears, a non-profit social group for bears (burly men) and their admirers, was created to promote both social and recreational ...

On Thursday, November 7, Monroeville Mall opened a 12 screen Cinemark theater with state-of-the-art XD (Extreme Digital Cinema), joining its other theaters in Center Township, Beaver County, Frazer near Tarentum and Robinson (plus the former Rave along McKnight Road in ...

The holidays are on the horizon and everyone is filling the malls looking to purchase this year’s hottest seasonal gifts – from the latest high tech gadgets, to winter 2014’s fashion trends. But what if the X-Box One and new ...

Need some ideas on what to get your partner, a family member or some friends this holiday season?  Does the idea of fighting the crowds at your local mall scare you more than the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?  ...

Let’s face it, the traditional Holiday fruitcake gets a bad rep.  Say fruitcake, and the first thing you think of is an overly processed loaf.  This also brings words to mind like brick hardness, and gummy green and red chunks ...

As the weather gets colder and snow starts to swirl around the skyscrapers downtown, a number of events and artists’ markets are set to enhance the holiday atmosphere in the Golden Triangle this year. Curated to include many local artists ...

Growing up in the small rural, conservative town of Somerset, Pennsylvania, Brad Ankney was raised to believe that it was wrong to be gay.  He will tell you that he always knew that there was something different about him, but ...

In his new seventh floor office overlooking the city’s South Side, Bill Isler leans back to tell a story, one that illustrates all he has espoused in a four-decade career as educator, child advocate, and keeper of the legacy of ...

(A Sing along just for us girls.) On the first day of Christmas my lesbian lover gave to me: A pair of camo pants wrapped in loose leaf tea. On the second day of Christmas my lesbian lover gave to ...

At Halloween, people enjoy a good scare. It’s fear for fun. What’s unusual is not everyone is afraid of the same things. Human beings have a long list of things that frighten the bejeebers out of them. Some of them ...

Anthropologist Johnnetta Cole said, “You cannot fully understand your own life without knowing and thinking beyond your life, your own neighborhood, and even your own nation.” When you look at the LGBT community as a whole, perhaps the one true ...

“The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius” Oscar Wilde An apt quote for the Rage of the Stage (ROTS) Players and their upcoming production of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Now entering its thirteenth season, ROTS has ...

My cousin Graham and his partner, Francis, were deep in the planning stages for their wedding when the United States Supreme Court issued its June ruling legalizing federal benefits for couples in same-sex marriages. For them, the court’s decision was ...

The Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society (PLGFS) will present the 28th Annual Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, October 11-19. Featuring 10 days of high-quality entertainment, the festival is an annual celebration of LGBT writers, directors, actors and ...

Nyxon is a professional fetish model based in Pittsburgh. Starting out her career path in the beauty industry, she quickly became one of the hottest stars in the fetish modeling world. Her journey has taken her from film to pin-up ...

Sometimes real life is scarier than the movies for gays and lesbians, so it’s no surprise that many find solace and escape in horror films & thrillers. Classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street or Carrie resonate with the coming ...

When it’s quiet at the Rusty Dory Pub in Avalon, owner Joanne Teti says she hears some of the longtime residents of the building moving chairs, arranging silverware, closing doors or leaving pennies on the bar. “They’re good ghosts,” says ...

Fall has arrived and so has Pumpkin season. As one of the most popular crops in the United States, 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins are produced each year in the top pumpkin-producing states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, California, and Pennsylvania. ...

National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is turning twenty-five this year! This internationally observed civil awareness day has been helping to promote a safe world for the LGBT community as well as their allies since October 11, 1988. According to the ...

A wise woman once said, “Life isn’t all diamonds and rosé, but it should be.” That woman was Lisa Vanderpump from the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and she was 100% correct. Life can be diamonds and rosé, if you ...

“That’s so gay!” A comment heard in many schools that is meant to be derisive and insulting. Many of those who say it consider the phrase innocuous, not meant to harm. But to many LGBT youths and their allies, it ...

THE FESTIVAL OF FIRSTS BRINGS TO PITTSBURGH WORLD CLASS MUSIC, VISUAL & PERFORMANCE ART, AND ONE VERY LARGE DUCK. When a 40-foot-tall rubber duck takes a dip in the Allegheny River, it will be a first among firsts, in a ...

It’s never a bad idea to have someone with as large of a presence as John Fetterman on your side. The Mayor of Braddock — who has made nationwide headlines for his radical ideas about revitalizing the steel town — ...

Gay by God! This is the message that comes across the pulpit of Rev. Shanea D. Leonard, pastor of Judah Fellowshow Christian Church on the North Side. It’s the idea that people are born being exactly who God intended them ...

Going out on the weekends is a human pastime that will always be a way for adults to unwind after a long week, or even just a hard day. So much of this ritual can get quite expensive. Drinks, parking, ...

“Vogue” magazine recently referred to Pittsburgh as a “city with an emerging art scene which has superseded its industrial identity.” One of those emerging talents is Sam Thorp, a painter hailing from Brackenridge, Pa. “I’ve spent my life living on ...

Pilots, professors and those newly transplanted to the Steel City have been seeking out Pittsburgh Frontrunners since 1989. The club, one of 100, is an international organization for LGBT runners and walkers. The Pittsburgh club sees visitors to the city ...

Founded in 1972 with the simple act of a mother publicly supporting her gay son, PFLAG is the original ally organization. Made up of parents, families, and friends of LGBT people, PFLAG is committed to advancing equality through its mission ...

Dr. Michael Madden is a new grandfather, and just like any new grandfather, he wants to tell all his co-workers about his grandson. But if Madden, chief medical officer at Gateway Health Plan, wasn’t openly out at work, he wouldn’t ...

Once upon a time, Facebook was a different land. It was a place meant for college students to connect with out-of-town friends and fellow students in a less obnoxious arena than other places (looking at you Myspace). Facebook back then ...

The University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Diversity office fosters an inclusive environment for students, trainees, and faculty within the health professions schools through recruitment and retention in order to increase the number of well-trained professionals who reflect different cultures, ethnicities, ...

Imagine leaving your favorite bar or club in the wee hours of the morning only to be greeted by a police raid. Imagine being assaulted, arrested, or even molested by an officer just for being in a gay club. This ...

Like most good ideas, they start in diners or bars, with a group people looking to start something great. That is how the Pittsburgh Dykes on Bikes chapter was born. “The concept of DOB for Pittsburgh came out of a ...

The Rainbow Flag, Pride Flag, also known as the Freedom flag, flies at every Pride celebration, every Equality event, and at almost every LGBT event around the world. It is a symbol of diversity and unity. Though it is a ...

“But am I really welcome here?” may be the question often in minds when visiting a new faith community. LGBT persons who grew up practicing religious observance often discover a wide range of attitudes that may range from unconditionally welcoming ...

Pittsburgh Pride 2013 is just not going to be the same without our friend Art DeCoursey. Art was a huge supporter of Pittsburgh Pride and the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh. He attended as many events as he could and he ...

A young man from Texas with an eloquent voice and articulate thinking gave that to us. And it will be seen in “Second Class Citizens”, the documentary. The title is poignant in the irony: I am not, and you are ...

Leather and glitter and everything rock – this is what Adam Lambert is made of. He’s also a compassionate person who supports his fellow members in the LGBT community. Whether he’s inspiring others or just getting them out on the ...

SATURDAY, JUNE 15 6 P.M.–1:30 A.M. LIBERTY AVENUE, BETWEEN 9TH & 10TH STREET DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH. TICKETS $35 IN ADVANCE, $45 AT THE GATE PITTSBURGHPRIDE.ORG Featuring Adam Lambert Also performing DJ Digital Dave Pittsburgh native Dave Lander is a world-class DJ ...

“Will you marry me?” A question asked daily all over our country. Currently there are thirty-eight states that have banned same-sex marriage, either through legislation or constitutional amendments. The only states (as of this writing) where same-sex marriage is legal ...

One of the great benefits of my job is to know the ins and outs of my fair city and connect people with the best venues, happenings and hotspots in town. Pittsburgh is a city with deep history and roots, ...