It’s autumn, and death is in the air. Dried, brown leaves crunch underfoot as summer gardens succumb to the first frost. Suburban front yards are dotted with tombstones, while skeletons, zombies and other ghouls ring doorbells in pursuit of candy. ...
As gay men and women, we have to ask ourselves certain questions. How do we view our relationships? Are we struggling to model them after heterosexual unions? Are we forging our own path and redefining boundaries? From an objective standpoint, ...
Mitch Leib loves movies. As the Executive Director Reel Q, Pittsburgh’s International LGBT Film festival, Leib is proud to introduce you to a slew of new movies for the 29th Annual festival. Leib has been with the Lesbian and Gay ...
It has come to a point now where we can have pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING. From our coffee, to our waffles, to our curry, there are so many ways to enjoy the warm mixture of spices and pumpkin puree. Did you ...
I started writing almost twenty years ago – with a coming out story/memoir that I am currently in the process of finishing this fall. My writing stems from the same ideas that impact my teaching and coaching. Reminders about being ...
“I got challenged today.” When my 8 month pregnant sister told me this, I was automatically bothered. “For the Ice Bucket Challenge.” Ahh, a sigh of relief. This summer social media has been jam-packed with all sorts of challenges. Just ...
If you think about being Jewish in Pittsburgh you can’t help but to think about Squirrel Hill. Who hasn’t made that connection? After all – it was estimated that 33% of Pittsburgh’s Jewish population lived there at one point. With ...
Dear Steel Town Lesbian, I need your help. I recently moved to Pittsburgh from the west coast and I’ve been looking to meet women here, however, my efforts have been futile. Almost instantly after arriving and settling in, I googled ...
“Camp” is traditionally described in gay culture as failed seriousness or over the top sophisticated amusement by virtue of being art, artificial, extravagant, humorous, teasingly ingenuous and sentimental in a theatrical manner for the entertainment of others. *ThinkDame Edna. It ...
That burp you hear isn’t the belching of topselling Tupperware saleslady, Dixie Longate, but the unmistakable sealed-in-for-freshness burp of her famous plastic containers. You’re invited to “Dixie’s Tupperware Party,” playing at the CLO Cabaret in Theatre Square. Dixie packed up ...
Apple cider has been a personal favorite since I was just a young boy. The tang and tartness reminds me of biting into a crisp Granny Smith Apple and feeling the acid tingle my tongue like I had just eaten ...
Barcelona, on the Mediterranean Sea at the northern coast of Spain, resonates with excitement and adventure during every step of your visit. A truly cosmopolitan city, Barcelona has not erased its history, but rather embraced and enhanced it with the ...
Survey after survey shows the hesitation, awkward discussion and unaddressed issues that result from not having that conversation. Quite frankly, many consider it none of the doctor’s business. But even in the 21st century, the LGBT community still suffers from ...
Need to check calories on a meal you’re having at a chain restaurant? Want to watch movies, television or listen to music from your device? There are apps for that! TRANSQUAT What about an app to help members of the ...
After making the decision to transition from male to female in 2009, Allie Gray, of the South Hills, says she made a grim promise to herself – one that she no longer plans to keep. “I told myself a few ...
As 2014’s 15th Gayest City in America, according to the Advocate magazine, Pittsburgh’s climate for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community is warm and welcoming. With organizations like the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (GLCC), Persad, Gay For Good ...
Edward Ryan is an unassuming convivial man, a man at the forefront of the gay rights movement. Ryan, now living at a supportive long-term care facility in East Liberty, recalls the night he was arrested at the seminal evening that ...
Named for a Pittsburgh area social worker, a new project at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center aims to give LGBT people a place to find resources for personal hygiene products if they are financially not able to buy them. ...
There used to be a time when wisdom and experience were respected. Individuals went to their grandparents or elders for advice for important issues. Many cultures revere the older generations in their community as people of power and influence. In ...
The decision on May 20 by a federal judge to strike down Pennsylvania’s ban on same-sex marriage has changed the course for many LGBT couples across the state. For 19 couples who were the first to get married on June ...
Major Stephen Snyder-Hill serves his country proudly, but his country has not always served him. In September, 2011, then-Captain Hill was deployed to Iraq. He was fighting a war. Meanwhile in the United States, a group of Republican candidates were ...
Local musician C. J. Mitchell’s gay anthem “Permission 2 Love” is making a splash, literally and figuratively, all over Pittsburgh. Mitchell, 26, has been in music all of his life. He played drums when he was five. He was playing ...
Michael Cannon on “Camera: A History of Photography from Daguerreotype to Digital” by Todd Gustavson
“I’m currently in the process of brushing up on my photo history. In today’s digital world, it’s great to step back and look at how far photography has come. Camera: A History of Photography from Daguerrotype to Digital is a ...
On the morning of May 20th, I, along with many friends anxiously awaited the ruling from the U.S. District Court in regard to the ban on marriage equality. When news broke that the ban was struck down we rushed to ...
When Chelsa Wagner married her husband in 2008, her political detractors said she’d never win an office again. Her husband, Khari Mosley, is black, and she was serving as state representative for the 22nd district, which encompasses Pittsburgh’s South Side, ...
As you’re planning your wedding, you’ve probably heard heard the phrase “but it’s tradition!” like a hundred times. While some wedding traditions will never go away, we think it’s time to break some of these silly long-standing wedding traditions. Here ...
So, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has finally granted us the right to marry. What do we do next?! Planning a wedding can be a very stressful event, and one of the biggest wedding details many couples worry about is the ...
Dearly Beloved, We are gathered here to celebrate another step together towards full equality. History is in the making as same sex couples across our area join together in marriage. Holy matrimony! We are delighted to share stories with you ...
Chelsea Zahn has learned about herself and her gender presentation just by discussing and supporting the process her roommate has gone through. “She’s a really authentic person, which I can really appreciate and understand,” Zahn says. When Zahn, 22, of ...
It’s a relaxing summer day at the pool. The sun is shining, the drinks are cold, a campy top 40 pop song is playing on the radio and life is nearly perfect. That is, until later in the evening when ...
“Into the Wild” is about living your life without any attachments to our materialistic world. Just being free and as close with god, nature, and yourself as much as possible. The character Christopher McCandless abandoned all belongings and set off ...
It has been an exciting year for advancements in LGBT rights. The Supreme Court struck down portions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act in United States v. Windsor in June 2013, and with that, the floodgates seemed to have ...
Different cultures represent gendered restrooms differently, but the ubiquitous figures denoting men’s and women’s restrooms are, at least, problematic and at worst, dangerous for some gender nonconforming people. Incidents of transgendered people facing harassment in public places or disciplinary action ...
Europe is the world’s number one tourist destination and every year millions of gay people flood to our cities, beaches and countryside. London has some of the world’s best gay nightlife. Paris is one of the world’s most beautiful cities. ...
Robert “Lucky” Johns passed away peacefully on the morning of June 18th, 2014. He was born to Italian-American parents in Pittsburgh’s Northside in 1935, at which time his mother nicknamed him “Fortunato.” “I’ve been Lucky all my life,” he said. ...
Summer is synonymous with entertaining and for good reason. Warm summer days and long summer evenings make the perfect backdrop for gatherings with friends and family on the deck with some delicious cocktails. How do you take a simple picnic ...
Dear Friends: Welcome to the July issue of Equal Magazine. We kick off this month’s issue with an important cover story that affects every LGBT person living in Pennsylvania…discrimination in the orkplace. Yes, while history was just made last month ...
While Lazaro Arbos didn’t become the next “American Idol” during season 12, he did accomplish a dream: he inspired. The Naples, Florida resident who placed sixth was lauded by the stuttering community for his bravery. Richard Hudson, a work-at-home operations ...
The Pegasus Lounge on Liberty Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh has a long and storied history. According to Ancient Greek Mythology, the Pegasus was born from the blood spilled by Medusa, the most beautiful of the three sisters, who would live ...
Founded in May 2012, the Pittsburgh Queer History Project (PQHP) is an ongoing oral history and media preservation initiative, founded by Harrison Apple. Beginning with the excavation of an abandoned East Liberty after-hours club, the PQHP grew in scope to ...
Steve Grand burst onto the American music scene with his YouTube sensation, “All American Boy,” a country/western song about a gay man and his unrequited love for his best friend who is straight. The video went viral garnering 2.75 million ...
Quality ingredients = quality product. As a chef, I have several rules I live by. One is to take pride in your food. That rule however, is not exactly how you make it, but what you make it with. The ...
Are you a jock, otter, bear, cub, or wolf? No, it’s not the latest Buzzfeed survey on Facebook. But rather, these descriptive terms are often used by gay men to identify and label other gays within the wide community. Here ...
Ball culture, the house system, and the ballroom community are terms used to describe an underground LGBT subculture in the United States in which people “walk” or compete for trophies and prizes at events known as balls. Founded in NYC ...
According to legend, monks from the southern region of France brought the method for making sparkling wine north to the Champagne region. They learned that the combination of the chalky soil and climate produced a bright, bubbly wine that is ...
The Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh is thrilled to bring the sultry “Queen of Funk,” R&B Diva, and iconic music legend, Chaka Khan to Pittsburgh’s largest dance party on Saturday, June 14. The timeless singer/songwriter is bringing her full touring band ...
Brandi Glanville puts the “real” in the Real Housewives. Her honesty and frequent “word vomiting,” makes her seem like your best friend or worst enemy. We’ve all stalked our ex-lovers on Facebook or twitter, and Glanville is no exception as ...
According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS) of 2011, trans individuals experience more than double the national rate of unemployment and trans individuals of color experience up to four times the national unemployment rate. Forty-seven percent (47%) report encountering ...