MAGAZINE
Jennifer Hudson LIVE AT PRIDE IN THE STREET Let Your Colors Fly Free Sparkling Singapore Pulse Nightclub—One Year Later Being Transgender Is Not a Mental Disorder
Your Complete Guide to
Pittsburgh Pride 2017
LGBT Employment Rights | Being Healthysexual | Calendar of Events | Pink Pages
LOVE
IS
LOVE
Comcast Supports Pittsburgh Pride Comcast NBCUniversal is committed to an inclusive workplace. For the fourth consecutive year Comcast earned a 100 percent score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2016 Corporate Equality Index and was also named a Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality. Visit xfinity.com/LGBT for the very best in LGBT entertainment, news and information. Follow us @OUTComcast
ENGAGING COMMUNITIES. EMBRACING DIVERSITY.
Inclusive communities foster environments for stronger business, stronger families, stronger neighborhoods. EQT Foundation values the importance of celebrating all members of the community and helping to encourage more acceptance in corporate America.
Join us for the EQT Equality March during Pittsburgh Pride!
Women
Organizations Churches
Culture
Synagogues
Generations
Local
Race
Children
Communities
WE’RE ALL IN THIS
Seniors
TOGETHER.
Immigrants LGBT
Disabilities
Newcomers
Faith
Mosques
Youth Global
Schools
Families
Veterans
Men
The world is made up of many different people. But there’s one place that is always striving to foster a culture of collaboration, dignity and respect for everyone. UPMC Center for Engagement and Inclusion. Because together, we’re better.
The UPMC Center for Engagement and Inclusion is a proud supporter of Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Pride. BCD-SYS-10789_delta_foundation_b.indd 1
3/30/16 10:36 AM
Sprint is proud to support the LGBT community and Pittsburgh Pride. At Sprint, we believe diversity helps us excel and win. We embrace diversity and inclusion as a company and value our diverse customers and employees. As a longstanding supporter of the Human Rights Campaign, Sprint is proud to support diversity and inclusion of the LGBT community and Pittsburgh Pride.
sprint.com | 1 (800) SPRINT-1
take PRIDE in your flavor. NOT JUST ANY TEQUILA
Drink Responsibly. Hornitos® Tequila.
JANE LYNCH Sings The Great American Songbook*
*PLUS ONE GUATEMALAN LOVE SONG
FRIDAY, JULY 7 AT 8:00 P.M. HEINZ HALL
TV superstar Jane Lynch joins the Pittsburgh Symphony for a fun filled one-night-only performance singing classics from the American Songbook (plus one Guatemalan Love Song).
GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY! pittsburghsymphony.org/summer Heinz Hall Box Office • 412.392.4900
BRING YOUR GROUP AND SAVE! 412.392.4819 8
P i tts b u rg h P r i d e M ag a z i n e
Publisher Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh
Director of Marketing and Development Christine Bryan
Board Members Martin Healey W. Jonathan Holmes Charles W. Honse* Patrick J. Journet William R. Kaelin* Dr. Stacy Lane Charles C. Lukehart August “Buzz” C. Pusateri Jim Sheppard Dena Stanley Donnie R. Thinnes* Charles P. Tierney* Gary A. Van Horn, Jr.
Director of Community Engagement & Volunteers Krystle Knight Art Direction A to Z Communications For questions, comments, and advertising inquiries, please email info@deltafoundation.us Delta Foundation P.O. Box 100057 Pittsburgh, PA 15233
* Emeritus Board Members
The mission of the Delta Foundation is to be a vigilant catalyst for change that produces increased opportunities and a high quality of life for the LGBT community in Western Pennsylvania.
Opinions and claims made by advertisers are those of the advertisers ONLY. The Delta Foundation accepts no liability for claims made by advertisers. All rights reserved. © 2017 Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh.
Our pride is easy to see. 84lumber.com
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and 84 Lumber Company are happy to support Pittsburgh Pride today and every day.
nemacolin.com
AllforHealth.com
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf
Greetings: It is my pleasure to unite with the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh to welcome everyone to Pittsburgh Pride 2017. William Penn founded our Commonwealth on the principles of fairness and tolerance, and I believe we must continue to be a place that pays faithful tribute to those core values. Pennsylvania is committed to being an environment that supports greater diversity and inclusion. I applaud the Delta Foundation for continuing our founding father’s legacy by advocating for LGBT acceptance through education, social involvement, and outreach endeavors. This organization and its partners have touched the lives of many by providing resources, support, and encouragement throughout Western Pennsylvania. This year’s theme, “Rise Up,” encourages dialogue and fosters support amongst the community. For those in attendance, I am proud to recognize your determination to face and overcome adversity. I commend your commitment to breaking down barriers and celebrating individuality. Your example of conviction, compassion, and camaraderie will inspire others for years to come. As Governor, and on behalf of all the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I am honored to welcome everyone to this event. Please accept my best wishes for continued success.
You stand.You speak. You advance.
Thank you.
Tom Wolf Governor Proudly supports the Delta Foundation and Pittsburgh Pride 2017.
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
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County of Allegheny – Executive Office County Executive Rich Fitzgerald
City of Pittsburgh – Office of the Mayor Mayor William Peduto
Dear Friends:
Dear Friends:
Welcome to 2017 Pittsburgh Pride! As your County Executive, I am thrilled to welcome residents and visitors to our community as we celebrate and “Rise Up” in unity.
It is my pleasure to welcome you to Pittsburgh Pride 2017. I am grateful for Pittsburgh’s LGBTQIA+ community and the many contributions they have provided to our city. I have taken part in Pride since the days that the celebrations were held on Ellsworth Avenue in Shadyside. Since my first Pride rally to today, it is clear that we as a city have made great strides at ensuring that Pittsburgh is a city for all.
I believe in diversity and have worked diligently to make sure that our region is seen as a thriving, welcoming community. Regardless of what occurs outside of the county, we will continue to be inclusive, provide unlimited opportunities for people from all walks of life, and treat people with respect. Regardless of your race, gender, sexual orientation or identity, religion or any other characteristic that makes you unique, you have the right to be treated fairly and feel safe. We have a long history of protecting individual freedoms and we will continue to protect and defend our people and our progress by denouncing hate speech and hate crimes, harassment, and acts of violence and intimidation. Now, more than ever, we must come together as a community and build unity and respect across our differences. We must reach out to those most vulnerable to show love and support. We must stand up to messages of hate and acts of hostility. We must provide a sense of safety and belonging to everyone who calls this region home. We must “Rise Up.” We have much to work on, including advocating for state legislation that would protect those in the LGBTQ community from discrimination. We also have much to celebrate—and that includes you and this annual event. Whether you’re attending all or some of the Pride events, I hope that you experience the welcoming attitude for which our community is known—where diversity and inclusion are celebrated and supported. Be sure to stop by the Allegheny County Courthouse and see our rainbow lighting as we celebrate Pride Month with you.
With the current tumultuous political atmosphere in our country, it is important that we stand together in solidarity. The LGBTQIA+ community is facing many threats, and therefore, this year’s theme of “Rise Up” is certainly timely in terms of advocating for equality. We must all “Rise Up” to continue to fight for equality. I have done so by creating the LGBTQIA+ Advisory Council in order to create a platform for the LGBTQIA+ community’s voice to be heard. The City of Pittsburgh has taken many steps to make us a more welcoming city, but there is still a vast amount of work to be done. The LGBTQIA+ Advisory Council will provide me with recommendations in order to improve the way of living and to create an equal playing field for the community. Once again, thank you for participating in Pittsburgh Pride 2017, and I look forward to joining you in celebration of our diverse community. Sincerely,
William Peduto Mayor
Best wishes for a safe, fun, engaging and restorative Pride 2017.
Rich Fitzgerald Allegheny County Executive
D elta Foundation of P it t sb u rgh
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WE’VE GOT
S Y A D 365 A YEAR
SHOT BOYS
Every Tuesday & Friday Open 365 days a year from 2 PM to 2 AM! 965 LIBERTY AVENUE DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH 412-391-9990
Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh Gary A. Van Horn Jr., President
Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh Chris Bryan, Director of Marketing & Development
Dear Friends:
Hello Everyone!
Wow…is it already time for another Pittsburgh Pride? Where has the time gone, and what has happened since last year?
Today it’s been 100 days since the President has been in office. I think (and hope) that we can now all finally agree that this administration has begun to quietly, but persistently, erode the progress that’s been made for LGBT citizens over the past decade.
This time last year there was a lot of positive momentum in the LGBT community including many advancements under President Obama as well as people’s hearts and minds were changing. But something happened. First, the tragedy in Orlando and then the election of the 45th President of the United States. More than ever, we need our allies to stand with us and RISE UP. Allies are some of the most effective and powerful voices of the modern LGBT movement. Allies help people in the coming-out process; they also help others understand the importance of equality, fairness, acceptance and mutual respect. Following Pride 2016, a group of EQT employees went to their senior leadership and asked for the company to become further involved with Pride and to support the formation of an LGBTA employee resource group. While many companies talk about diversity and inclusion, the fact is that many companies have never done anything with or for the LGBT community. The EQT employees received 100% support. They reached out to us for advice, support, and best practices and EQT Pride was born. We were honored to be invited to keynote the event. More than 110 folks were in the audience, including CEO Steve Schlotterbeck. We challenged him, along with everyone in the room, to open their eyes and meet someone different, to work every day to create an environment where people could bring their whole self to work, and to remind them that the power is not only spreading this message in Pittsburgh, but spreading it in the rural communities in which they operate. Because of EQT’s support, they have seen a 300% increase in self-identified LGBT employees. Change is happening. We need to recognize it, embrace it, and move forward. There are many ways of reaching our goal of being included and being treated with dignity and respect. We all must do our part as it takes a village (to borrow that phrase), and now more than ever, the LGBT community needs to stand together as one. So let’s RISE UP and continue fighting!
Gary A. Van Horn Jr. President, Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh
The first strike occurred on the evening of February 22 when he rescinded the guidelines President Obama put into place for transgender students to attend school safely in a manner that does not conflict with their gender identity. In a matter of one hour, Delta Foundation board member Dena Stanley was holding a press conference on Liberty Avenue and calling for a rally at the City-County Building followed by a march. The sight of nearly 700 people on that beautiful Friday evening with their signs and flags led to it to be the largest trans march ever held in Pittsburgh. Then we heard that Federal agencies were rolling back efforts to collect data on the needs of LGBT Americans. Last month, Health and Human Services amended two surveys of the elderly to remove a question about sexual orientation. The Census Bureau, meanwhile, has scrapped plans to include questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in the 2020 Census. Outta sight, outta mind. So what is the plan? The great thing about the LGBT community is its diversity; it can also be a detriment. If we’re going to keep him and them from getting re-elected, it’s time to come together collectively as one community. We need to keep putting pressure on our elected officials to pass a state wide, non-discrimination bill. We need to continue to make sure that the trans community is seen and heard, especially trans women of color. We need to work together to ensure that everyone, regardless of their differences, are treated equally and with dignity and respect. The Delta Foundation is ready to RISE UP…are you ready to join us? Until we meet on Liberty Avenue,
Chris Bryan Director of Marketing and Development Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh D elta Foundation o f P it t sb u rgh
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At Huntington, we believe that the strongest communities are the ones in which every voice is heard. Because a diversity of perspective, experience and ideas just leads to better all-around outcomes for everyone. That’s why we’re proud to support the LGBT community and their allies. And that’s why we say to every customer and colleague who walks through our doors, Welcome.
® Member FDIC. and Huntington® are federally registered service marks of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. ® Huntington Welcome.™ is a service mark of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. © 2017 Huntington Bancshares Incorporated.
We couldn’t do this without you…thank you Partner Organizations & Sponsors 84 Lumber 941 Saloon/Tilden 5801 Video Lounge A to Z Communications AARP Pennsylvania ACLU of PA American Eagle Asti Pharmacy Center for Inclusion at UPMC Central Outreach Wellness Center Chevron Circle of Faith Comcast Universal Consumer Produce Coordinated Care Network
Cruze Bar Dignity & Respect Campaign Element Empire Beauty School EQT Erie Insurance FedEx First Commonwealth Bank Gilead Google Highmark Humane Animal Rescue iHeart Radio Images Iron City Brewing
Jim Beam Brands Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh Landmark Security Marckisotto Markets, Inc. Mylan Nemacolin Woodlands Resort Pamela’s Philips Pittsburgh Ballroom Community Pittsburgh Black Pride Pittsburgh City Council Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Pirates PPG PNC Financial Services
Project Silk Rise Up 4 Unity Rochester Health Mart Rugby Realty Southern Wine & Spirits Sprint There Video Lounge ThermoFisher Scientific Three Rivers Arts Festival Tony Savatt Distributing Trans YOUniting UPMC ViiV Healthcare Visit Pittsburgh Walmart
Special Thanks
Jody Dougherty Amie Downs Don Doyle Erika Ducoeur Marcie Eberhart Chris Eckles David Edgar Inspector Lisa Epps Chief Robert Farrow Honorable Rich Fitzgerald Lt. Patrick Fosnaught Jeff Freedman Mike Gable Honorable Dan Gilman Lauren Gohde Marty Griffin Julie Hall Stephanie Hannon Todd Harris Flecia Harvey Alan Hausman Eric Heinauer Jonathan Henry Wendall Hissrich Norm Hochendoner Cmd. Eric Holmes Dalen Hooks George Hughes Lori Hunt Stephen Jamieson Chief Darryl Jones
Abass Kamara Brian Katz Peter Katz Miranda Kent Kevin Kinross Gail Klingensmith Asst. Chief Anna Kudrav Cmd. Jason Lando Jennifer Liptak Christopher Lund Don MacLeod Maggie Magerko Jeff Martin Patrice Matamoros Ofc. Amy Mattia George McCain Kenny McDowell Al Meiers Ralph Morrow Sean Neubauer Scott Noxon Alieu Nyassi Sean Oates Omar Pack Neal Parham Patty Paytas Honorable Mayor William Peduto Ofc. Robert Plata Chief Matt Porter Dr. Chris Robinson
Chuck Rompala Ellen Rossi Phyllis Rupert Jimmy Sampson Marianne Savatt Erik Schmetzer Sgt. Brian Schmitt Michelle Schoenhardt Chief Scott Schubert Max Schwanger Asst. Chief Larry Scirotto DeWayne Segafredo Wade Shaner Lyndsey Sickler Kevin Simms-Smail Mark Simpson Derick Stalker Dee Stathis Ofc. Dan Stoddard Megan Sullivan Cmd. Ed Trapp Debra Van Horn Tina Vertes Larry Walsh Jeffrey Wankster Derek Weber Helga Ying Honorable Stephen Zappala Cmd. Cristyn Zett
Adam Ameel Owen Baker Jordon Ball Richard Bazzy Karen Belsterling Var Blackson Alan Boarts Heather & Jeff Bresch Linda Brown Ofc. Christie Bruno Lynne Bryan Rob Buswell Charles L. Caputo, Esq. Louis F. Caputo, Esq. Ben Carlise Honorable Robert P. Casey Candi Castleberry-Singleton Paul Castro John Chapman Lane Cigna Pam Cohen Cory Cope Guy Costa Bill Creen J. Grant Cupp Amber Custer Asst. Chief Tony Darkawski Eric Davis Ray DeMichiei
D elta Foundation of P it t sb u rgh
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Be YOU. Be PROUD. Be HUMANE.
humaneanimalrescue.org 412-345-7300
Contributors & Thank Yous BRIAN BROOME is employed in the service industry in the City of Pittsburgh. He is also a student at Chatham University. MIKE BUZZELLI is a stand-up comedian and published author. He is a theater and arts critic for ’Burgh Vivant, Pittsburgh’s online cultural talk magazine, and an active board member of the Pittsburgh New Works Festival, the Carnegie Arts Initiative and the Carnegie Screenwriters. His book, Below Average Genius, is a collection of essays culled from his weekly humor column in the Observer-Reporter.
MATT DEAN serves as an associate pastor of Pittsburgh Parish, which is made up of a number of United Methodist congregations in Pittsburgh. He is the secretary of the Pittsburgh Clergy Consortium and serves on the board of the Renaissance City Choir. NICOLE JONES is from a small town in West Virginia. She’s engaged to a woman and has two beautiful little girls who have stolen her heart. She plays ice hockey, loves to work out, and wants to get involved in the LGBT community in Pittsburgh.
CHRISSY COSTA is a stand-up comedian, actress and freelance writer. She studied sketch comedy at Chicago’s famed Second City. Her work has been featured in several local LGBT publications, and you may recognize her from her column, “Last Woman Standing.” She’s a fan of activism, big earrings and causing an awkward silence.
KELLY KINSEY is a homecook, private caterer, and social media stalker of all things food related. Kelly and her partner Heather are moms to two youngsters. Check out her foodie blog at ourhousecafepgh.com or follow her on Twitter or Instagram @Ourhousecafe.
J. GRANT CUPP, M.A. is an analyst at EQT Corporation and is also the founding member of its Pride Employee Resource Group (Pride ERG). Grant holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Communication Theory and Research from WVU. He enjoys traveling, assimilating into different cultures, and advocating for diversity and inclusion whenever the opportunity is provided.
DOUGLAS McINTYRE is a Carnegie Mellon University graduate now working in marketing for the Tepper School of Business. He serves on the board of the Renaissance City Choir, Western Pennsylvania’s only LGBTQIA chorus. In his spare time, he is proud that he has a friend group consisting exclusively of other queer-identified people.
MARIAH PASSERELLI is a labor and employment defense attorney at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. She represents employers in a wide variety of matters and routinely counsels companies on litigation avoidance and provides employee training on antidiscrimination/harassment and anti-bullying issues. Mariah was named in The Advocate magazine’s “40 Under 40 Most Influential Members of the LGBT Community” list and in 2014, was one of the youngest members admitted to the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County. TEGAN ROSENBAUM is a recognized business and technology leader that lives in the greater Pittsburgh community. She is a strong advocate for intersectionality, diversity, and inclusion, and is passionate about continually making the world a better place. RICK SICILIO is the owner of Classic Travel and Tours in Pittsburgh. He is an avid, worldwide traveler and has visited 66 countries to date. For more than 20 years, Rick and his staff have been assisting clients to embrace their wanderlust and travel the world.
Interested in writing for the 2018 Pittsburgh Pride Magazine? Email info@DeltaFoundation.us D elta Foundation of P it t sb u rgh
19
JUN
3
Calendar of
EVENTS MAY 20
6th Annual Southern Ladies Party
2 p.m. | Ellsworth Avenue
Riverhounds 2nd Annual Night Out
JUN
JUN
3
29
JUNE 2 (THRU JUNE 11)
Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival 3riversartsfest.org JUNE 3
2nd Annual Ball on the Bridge
7 p.m. | Highmark Stadium groupmatics.events/event/ Firstnight0
7 p.m.–Midnight | Ft. Duquesne Blvd. (between Warhol & Rachel Carson Bridges)
1st Annual Big Wig Ball
JUNE 3 (& JUNE 4)
Hosted by Dreams of Hope 7 p.m.–2 a.m. | Pittsburgh Opera dreamsofhope.org MAY 25
Pittsburgh Underwear Bike Ride
Renaissance City Choir Pride Concert: Freedom! 4 p.m. | East Liberty Presbyterian Church Courtyard rccpittsburgh.com JUNE 4
Ready. Set. Pride!
8:30–11:30 p.m. Lawrenceville
5 p.m. | Ellsworth Avenue pittsburghpride.org
MAY 27
JUNE 5
LGBTQ+ Youth Prom 6–10 p.m. | Warhol Museum warhol.org MAY 28
Big Gay Picnic
Mr. Pittsburgh Pride Drag King & Ms. Pride Femme Fatale Pittsburgh 7 p.m. | Cruze Bar
5–10 p.m. | Liberty Avenue pittsburghpride.org
Pittsburgh Pride Pub Crawl
8 p.m.–2 a.m. pittsburghpride.org/tickets JUNE 10
PrideFest
Noon–5 p.m. | Liberty Avenue (between 6th & 10th Streets) pittsburghpride.org
Pride in the Street with Jennifer Hudson 7 p.m. | Liberty Avenue pittsburghpride.org/tickets JUNE 11
Rally for Our Rights Noon | PPG Paints Arena pittsburghpride.org
EQT Equality March 12:30 p.m. pittsburghpride.org
PrideFest
Noon | North Park Lodge pittsburghpride.org/tickets
Download Our FREE App Today! 20 P i tts b u rg h P r i d e M ag a z i n e
JUNE 9
MJ LIVE! Michael Jackson Tribune Show
1–7 p.m. | Liberty Avenue (between 6th & 10th Streets) pittsburghpride.org
Golden Girls Live2017 2 p.m. & 4 p.m. Arcade Comedy Theater
JUNE 16 (THRU JUNE 18)
Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival Various locations pittsburghjazzlive.com
JUNE 17 (THRU JUNE 18)
Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival & Parade Columbus, OH columbuspride.org JUNE 24
Cleveland Pride Parade Rally & Festival
11 a.m. | Voinovich Park, Cleveland, OH clevelandpride.org
Erie PrideFest
2–4 p.m. | Perry Square, Erie nwpapride.org
8th Annual Purple Rain Movie Party
7 p.m. | The Hollywood Theater
JUL
30 DEC
1
OCT
JUL
2
JUNE 26
TransPride Regional Showcase 6–9 p.m. | Cruze Bar JUNE 27
Diana Krall
8 p.m. | Benedum Center trustarts.org JUNE 29 (THRU JULY 2)
Anthrocon anthrocon.org JUNE 30
Dirty Paw A Night of Furry Fetish & Fantasy 8 p.m. | Cruze Bar JULY 2
Free Tailgate & Pirates Pride Day PNC Park Tailgate: 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Game: 1:30 p.m. pittsburghpride.org
JULY 2 (THRU JULY 16)
Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Various locations pvgp.org
Screening of “Sordid Wedding” Presented by Reel Q Harris Theater reelq.com
15
AUG
12
JULY 7
Jane Lynch
8 p.m. | Heinz Hall pittsburghsymphony.org/ summer JULY 8
Fetish 101
8 p.m. | Cruze Bar cruze.com JULY 8 (THRU JULY 9)
Italian StrEAT Festival
Penn Avenue (between 6th & 9th Streets) pdcdc.org JULY 26
3rd Annual Health Fair in the Square Presented by Pittsburgh Black Pride 6 p.m. | Market Square pittsburghblackpride.com JULY 28
Taste the Rainbow Happy Hour
Hosted by Pittsburgh Black Pride 5 p.m. | Images JULY 28 (THRU AUGUST 6)
Mamma Mia! Benedum Center trustarts.org
JULY 30
Pittsburgh Black Pride 22nd Annual BBQ Noon | Schenley Park pittsburghblackpride.com AUGUST 12
Trans Community Picnic 2–7 p.m. | North Park
AUGUST 18 (THRU AUGUST 21)
Bloomfield Little Italy Days littleitalydays.com
SEPTEMBER 24 (THRU SEPTEMBER 30)
TransPride Week
Various locations transpridepittsburgh.org SEPTEMBER 27 (THRU SEPTEMBER 30)
Thrival Innovation & Music Festival thrivalfestival.com
OCTOBER 13 (THRU OCTOBER 21)
Reel Q—Pittsburgh LGBT Film Festival Harris Theater reelq.com OCTOBER 15
Circle of Faith
2–3:30 p.m. | Schenley Plaza facebook.com/ CircleOfFaithPittsburgh OCTOBER 21 (THRU JANUARY 7)
Undressed: A History of Fashion in Underwear
Frick Art & Historical Center thefrickundressed.org NOVEMBER 29
World AIDS Day Commemoration Service Heinz Chapel
DECEMBER 1
World AIDS Day
OCTOBER (DATE TBA)
Nightmare on Hellsworth Shadyside
D elta Foundation of P it t sb u rgh
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WE’RE PITTSBURGH &
5 01
OPEN MON – SAT, 4:00 PM – 2:00 AM , SUN, 2:00 PM – 2:00 AM HAPPY HOUR FROM 6:00 – 8:00 PM
8
PRIDE WEEK AT
VIDEO LOUNGE AND CAFÉ
PRIDE WEEK ACTIVITIES SUNDAY, JUNE 4th
The Ladies Who Drag Brunch— PRIDE! Edition Ready, Set, PRIDE!— Ellsworth Ave Street Event w/5k Race, Corn Hole Tournament, Food Vendor/Activities, and Full Stage Show! TUESDAY, JUNE 6th
5801 PRIDE! Trivia Contest WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7th
Skyy PRIDE! Poker Tournament THURSDAY, JUNE 8th
PRIDE! Patio Party w/VJ FRIDAY, JUNE 9th
PRIDE! Happy Hour Party & Bar Crawl w/VJ SATURDAY, JUNE 10th
PRIDE! After Concert Dance Party w/VJ SUNDAY, JUNE 11th
PRIDE! Sunday Funday Party
PHONE :
412.661.5600
WEB :
WWW.5801.US 5801 ELLSWORTH AVE
Devin Living with HIV since 2010
UNDETECTABLE + CONFIDENT = MY NEW GOAL
An undetectable viral load is a good start. Feeling more confident about your HIV treatment decisions is also key to the equation. Together, they add up
©2016 ViiV Healthcare group of companies. All rights reserved. Printed in USA. 756023R0 August 2016
[+]
to an important new goal.
Talk to your doctor and set your new HIV goal. NewHIVGoal.com
CENTRAL OUTREACH WE LLNESS CENTER Dr. Stacy Lane, D.O.
SPEC IA L IZING IN
CULTURALLY COMPETENT
MEDICAL CARE FOR THE
LGBT COMMUNITY
Largest Provider of PrEP in Pennsylvania | Transgender Care | Free STI/HIV Testing All insurance plans accepted. No insurance, no problem!
CentralOutreach.com PITTSBURGH Timber Court Building 127 Anderson St., Ste. 101 Pittsburgh, PA 15232-5803 (412) 515-0000
WASHINGTON Monday 11 AM to 7 PM Tuesday-Friday 9 AM to 5 PM Walk-ins Welcome
95 Leonard Ave, Ste. 203 Washington, PA 15301-3399 (724) 249-2517
Wednesday & Thursday 9 AM to 5 PM and by appointment
Being
Healthysexual
™
SEX IS IMPORTANT TO YOU. SO IS YOUR HEALTH. That’s what it means to be Healthysexual. Being Healthysexual is all about taking charge of your sexual health. It’s about getting informed, communicating, and choosing the right protection so you can be yourself. Whatever you’re into.
It Starts with Taking Action You want to be healthy when it comes to sex, but you’re not sure where to start. Good news—you’re already here. The information here is meant to help you better understand different aspects of your sexual health so you can feel confident. Let’s dive in.
Know All Your Prevention Options There are a lot of ways to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Knowing all of your prevention options and using the ones right for you will help you have healthier sex. This list is a good start. But there are more prevention options than can be discussed here. That’s why you should talk to your doctor. They can help you explore all your options and make choices to help your sexual health.
CONDOMS AND LUBE Condoms and lube are a duo that works best when used together. Condoms can help prevent HIV transmission and reduce the risk of contracting other STIs. But to do this, they need to be used consistently and correctly. Lube helps reduce the friction that can cause condoms to break or tear. Water-based or silicon-based lubes are best because oil-based lubes can cause latex to weaken and break. So try to avoid anything like petroleum jelly, mineral oil, massage oil, and body lotions.
BARRIERS AND PROTECTION There are also ways to improve the safety of most, if not all, sexual activity that takes place between women. The mechanics of many safer sex acts between women are the same as those for many other types of couples and include: • Using barriers, such as dental dams, saran wrap, or slit open condoms, for oral-vaginal and oral-anal contact. • Using gloves when inserting fingers into the vagina or rectum. • Washing hands well, including under the fingernails before having sex—even if gloves are going to be used. • Cleaning sex toys before use • Putting condoms on insertable sex toys and changing the condom for each partner. Be sure to change condoms when when moving a toy from the vagina to the rectum or vice versa.
EVALUATING YOUR SEXUAL NETWORK Your sexual network is how you’re connected to people sexually. It includes everyone you’ve ever had sex with plus all the people they’ve ever had sex with. More sexual partners and more unprotected sex can mean increasing the chances of encountering an STI, including HIV. But there are adjustments you can make to your sexual network to reduce your risk of contracting something. You can reduce the number of people you have sex with, you can agree to be monogamous with your partner (that means you only sleep with each other), or you can be abstinent (not have sex at all). Remember, it’s your sexual network—you can decide how many or how few people are in it.
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PrEP PrEP stands for “Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.” The Pre in PrEP means you can combine prescription medications with safer sex practices before you come in contact with HIV to help reduce your risk of contracting HIV. PrEP doesn’t protect against other STIs though, so you should still use condoms. And since PrEP isn’t 100% effective, it’s important to combine it with other healthier sex practices. It’s good that you’re learning about all the different types of prevention options out there, but you should know that PrEP isn’t for everyone. It’s meant for people who might have a greater risk of contracting HIV. How can you figure out if PrEP is a good prevention option for you? The best way is to talk to a doctor.
PEP
If the person you are planning to have sex with discloses that they are living with HIV, asking if they’re taking HIV treatment and if they’ve reached undetectable are important topics to discuss. You two can also talk about how to protect each other further by using the other prevention options. Talk to a doctor too. They can help you figure out the best ways you and your partner can protect each other.
VACCINATIONS You can actually get vaccinated against Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B. You can also get vaccinated against HPV until you’re 26 years old. The CDC recommends that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men who are 26 or younger get these three vaccinations. For those over 26, vaccinations for Hep A and B are recommended. You can talk to your doctor about these shots, and they can give you more information.
You need to start PEP medicines within 72 hours, but the sooner you can start the better. Talk to your doctor right away if you think you might have been exposed. You can also get PEP medicines at your local hospital’s emergency room.
HPV can also be traced to abnormal cell changes that occur in the cervix years before cervical cancer develops. In most cases it can be prevented through early detection and treatment of abnormal cell changes that occur in the cervix years before cervical cancer develops. In most cases it can be prevented with the Pap test, however tests for HPV are now available that can be used with the Pap test beginning at age 30 and when the Pap test alone has found slightly abnormal cell changes.
TREATMENT AS PREVENTION
STI’S AFFECT WOMEN TOO
While there’s no cure for HIV yet, being on treatment can help protect your partner(s). If you’re living with HIV, are on treatment, and have reached undetectable, you’re helping to prevent transmitting HIV to others. Being undetectable lowers the chances you’ll pass HIV to someone else through sex by more than 90%.
Sleeping with a man is not the only risk factor for sexually transmitted diseases. A number of STDs can also be transmitted from woman to woman. A higher number of female partners have been associated with increased risk of bacterial vaginosis, herpes, and HPV in various studies. There is evidence that lesbian sex can transmit trichomoniasis and hepatitis.
PEP stands for “Post-Exposure Prophylaxis.” PEP is another tool that can help prevent HIV infection. The Post in PEP means you take prescription medications after you’ve been exposed to HIV.
(For anyone who doesn’t know what “undetectable” means—it’s when there’s so little virus in someone’s body that it can’t be measured by a test.) Using condoms and lube is still important though. Condoms and lube will help protect yourself from other STIs, as well as protect your partners.
The risk of STI transmission between women is compounded by the fact that many lesbians and bisexual women consider sex between women to be a low-risk activity and so do not practice safer sex. continued >>
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TALK WITH A DOCTOR
• Who do you prefer to have sex with?
Healthy sex may happen in the bedroom (or the kitchen, or the living room, or the…ok, you get it) but it can start at the doctor’s office. Your sexual health is an important aspect of your overall wellbeing, and your doctor is there to keep every part of you healthy.
• What kind of sex do you usually have: Oral, vaginal, and/or anal? Do you use condoms? How often? Do you ever have sex while using drugs or drinking alcohol?
You and your doctor will start by having a conversation about sex. (That’s right—S-E-X.) The best way for your doctor to provide you with personalized care is to learn more about your sexual history. Your doctor will probably ask questions like how many people you’ve had sex with. Or questions about your partner’s status—like if you’ve ever had sex with someone who doesn’t know their HIV status or someone who lives with HIV. They might also ask if you’ve ever had an STI like syphilis, gonorrhea, or chlamydia. They could also ask how often you use condoms or if you ever have sex after drinking alcohol or using drugs. These are personal questions but don’t be afraid to open up. Your doctor isn’t trying to pry or be nosy. Your answers can help you and your doctor discuss all of your options when it comes to your sexual health. It can also be difficult for any woman to discuss sexual health issues with her doctor. Lesbians may also have other barriers to dealing with the mainstream medical system. Even if they do use traditional health care, they may feel uncomfortable disclosing their sexuality to doctors if they fear they will be judged. Lack of ability to discuss sexual health, however, may impact other areas of a woman’s life. When you shut the door on talking about something as essential as sexuality, you also lose the opportunity to talk about many other health issues. You may have other things that you want to discuss with your doctor. You can make a list if it will help you remember everything you want to talk about. But here are some suggestions that your doctor should be asking you when comes to your sexual health:
• What do you know about your current STI status: Have you been tested in the past? Do you know your results? Have you ever been treated for any STIs? • Do you have any unusual symptoms: Do you have any bumps or rashes? Any burning or itching? Unusual discharge or pain? Maybe you just have some general concerns or questions? All of these things help paint a picture for your doctor so they can understand who you are. This helps them make the healthiest recommendations for you. You might not feel comfortable talking about this stuff at first. Your doctor might feel a little awkward too. That’s normal. But know that these conversations are routine. And being open about your sexual health can put your doctor at ease too.
TESTING IS IMPORTANT. SO IS RETESTING. Knowing your status is an important step in taking charge of your sexual health. Once you know where you stand, you’ll know how to move forward and be the healthiest you can be. Everyone should get tested for HIV at least once in their lifetime. But if you have multiple partners or don’t know the status of your partners, the CDC recommends getting tested every 3 to 6 months. So what should you get tested for? This is where talking to your doctor or the professional at your local clinic helps. They’ll be able to tell you exactly what tests you should get. The tests might vary depending on how you identify, who you have sex with, or how many partners you’ve had. Depending on all these factors your tests could include:
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• HIV • Syphilis • Hepatitis B and C • Chlamydia • Gonorrhea • Trichomoniasis • Cervical cancer (every 3 years) • Herpes
POINT STATE PARK | CULTURAL DISTRICT | GATEWAY CENTER
Not everything is tested in the same way. Some tests require a swab (rubbing a cotton swab on the affected area), some tests use your urine (i.e., you’ll have to pee in a cup), some tests examine your blood (either blood drawn from your arm or a finger prick), and some tests are just a visual examination. Cervical cancer is tested by examining cells from your cervix, which is done through a Pap test. If the reason you want to get tested is because of recent unprotected sex, let your doctor know. Each STI has a different growth period. That means it takes different amounts of time for STIs to show up in your body. For example, it takes about 3 to 12 weeks after exposure for most people to have enough detectable antibodies in their body to get an accurate result on a common type of HIV test. Some tests work faster than others. Your doctor can tell you which one is best to take. They can also let you know if you need to come back in a few months to confirm your initial results.
TALK WITH YOUR PARTNER(S) Talking about sexual health with your partner ahead of time is important. It shows that you respect one another because you’re willing to brave a little awkwardness for the sake of each other’s health. If you’re not sure exactly what to talk about, here are some suggestions and information you might want to share with your partner: • Testing: Have you been tested? Has your partner been tested? Was it recently? What were the results? continued >>
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• STI status: Do either of you have an STI (including HIV)? If so, are you currently getting treatment for it?
HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and Hepatitis A, B, and C can all be passed through body fluids. These include:
• Relationship status: Are you seeing/having sex with other people? Are you each other’s only partners?
• Prevention options: What prevention options have you agreed to use? Are you both on the same page? There is no right or wrong answer to these questions! It’s all about communicating and getting on the same page with your partner. You may be surprised at how open they are to talking about sexual health. There are different ways you can get the ball rolling. Here are a few icebreakers to get you started: “I saw an ad about getting tested for HIV and other STIs. I was thinking about getting tested. How about we go together?” “There were people getting tested for HIV in a mobile testing facility outside the bar last night, and it made me realize we’ve never talked about this stuff. I got tested last [week/month/whenever] and my results were negative. Have you been tested since your last partner?” “Before we have sex I want to make sure we’re on the same page. I want to use condoms.” “Being healthy when it comes to sex is really important to me. Not using condoms is a deal breaker. Are you OK with that?” The CDC has more icebreakers for talking about everything from testing to your status, to discussing prevention options, and more.
KNOW HOW SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS SPREAD How Body Fluids Work Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are passed in different ways. Some are spread through contact with body fluids and some only need skin-to-skin contact.
• Pre-cum • Cum • Vaginal fluids • Rectal fluids • Breast milk • Blood
Herpes, syphilis, and HPV are spread through skin-to-skin contact. It’s important to know that syphilis, gonorrhea, and herpes make it easier to contract HIV. Chlamydia may also increase your risk.
HOW SEXUAL ACTIVITIES PLAY A PART Different activities can increase your chance of contracting STIs. It all depends on how likely it is that body fluids will be passed from person to person. Anal sex carries the most risk followed by (in order) vaginal sex, oral sex, fingering and using sex toys. The activities that have no risk include non-sexual massage, sexting/phone sex, masturbation (while avoiding your partner’s body fluids), and dry humping. You should also know that saliva can’t transmit HIV. So casual kissing has no risk either. As a quick refresher: the fluids that transmit HIV are blood, pre-cum, cum, vaginal fluids, rectal fluids, and breast milk.
HOW YOUR SEXUAL NETWORK COMES INTO PLAY Your sexual network can also have an influence on the chance of spreading STIs. Your sexual network is how you’re connected to people sexually. It includes everyone you’ve ever had sex with plus all of their previous partners. Because more partners can increase the chance of encountering STIs, it’s all the more important to find the right prevention methods for yourself and stick with them. Portions of this article were reprinted with permission from Gilead. continued >>
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Looking for a culturally competent doctor? Here is a good list to start: Central Outreach Wellness Center PITTSBURGH Timber Court Building 127 Anderson St. #101 Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-515-0000 WASHINGTON 95 Leonard Ave., St. 203 Washington, PA 15301 724-249-2517
HIV Prevention Program University of Pittsburgh 510 Keystone Building 5320 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-383-1313
Metro Community Health Center 1789 S. Braddock Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15218 412-247-2318
Pittsburgh AIDS Center for Treatment Clinic (PACT) Falk Medical Clinic 3601 Fifth Avenue, 7th Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-647-7228 or 877-788-7228
Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force 5913 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15206 412-345-7456
Positive Health Clinic Federal North Medical Building 1307 Federal Street Pittsburgh, PA 15232 412-359-3360 or 866-433-0358 D elta Foundation o f P it t sb u rgh PRIDE_ProgramAds_Final.indd 1
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What is TRUVADA for PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis)? TRUVADA is a prescription medicine that can be used for PrEP to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection when used together with safer sex practices. This use is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV-1 through sex. This includes HIV-negative men who have sex with men and who are at high risk of getting infected with HIV-1 through sex, and male-female sex partners when one partner has HIV-1 infection and the other does not. Ask your healthcare provider if you have questions about how to prevent getting HIV-1. Always practice safer sex and use condoms to lower the chance of sexual contact with body fluids. Never reuse or share needles or other items that have body fluids on them.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA for PrEP? Before taking TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: u You must be HIV-negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1 infection. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-negative. u Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP or at any time while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: u You must continue using safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. u You must stay HIV-negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. u To further help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: • Know your HIV-1 status and the HIV-1 status of your partners. • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months or when your healthcare provider tells you. • Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV-1 to infect you. • Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior. • Have fewer sex partners. • Do not miss any doses of TRUVADA. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection.
• If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. u If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. TRUVADA can cause serious side effects: u Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, nausea, vomiting, stomach-area pain, cold or blue hands and feet, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or fast or abnormal heartbeats. u Serious liver problems. Your liver may become large and tender, and you may develop fat in your liver. Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, and/or stomach-area pain. u You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking TRUVADA for a long time. In some cases, these serious conditions have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions. u Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you also have HBV and take TRUVADA, your hepatitis may become worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider. If your healthcare provider tells you to stop taking TRUVADA, they will need to watch you closely for several months to monitor your health. TRUVADA is not approved for the treatment of HBV.
Who should not take TRUVADA for PrEP? Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. If you are HIV-1 positive, you need to take other medicines with TRUVADA to treat HIV-1. TRUVADA by itself is not a complete treatment for HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP if you also take lamivudine (Epivir-HBV) or adefovir (HEPSERA).
What are the other possible side effects of TRUVADA for PrEP? Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include: u Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA for PrEP.
Please see Important Facts about TRUVADA for PrEP including important warnings on the following pages.
Have you heard about
TRUVADA for PrEP ? TM
The once-daily prescription medicine that can help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 when used with safer sex practices. • TRUVADA for PrEP is only for adults who are at high risk of getting HIV through sex. • You must be HIV-negative before you start taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Ask your doctor about your risk of getting HIV-1 infection and if TRUVADA for PrEP may be right for you. u Bone problems, including bone pain or bones getting soft or thin, may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones. u Changes in body fat, which can happen in people taking TRUVADA or medicines like TRUVADA. Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are stomacharea (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking TRUVADA for PrEP? u All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection. u If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TRUVADA can harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking TRUVADA for PrEP, talk to your healthcare provider to decide if you should keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Pregnancy Registry: A pregnancy registry collects information about your health and the health of your baby. There is a pregnancy registry
visit start.truvada.com
for women who take medicines to prevent HIV-1 during pregnancy. For more information about the registry and how it works, talk to your healthcare provider. u If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. The medicines in TRUVADA can pass to your baby in breast milk. If you become HIV-1 positive, HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk. u All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. TRUVADA may interact with other medicines. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. u If you take certain other medicines with TRUVADA for PrEP, your healthcare provider may need to check you more often or change your dose. These medicines include ledipasvir with sofosbuvir (HARVONI). You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
IMPORTANT FACTS (tru-VAH-dah)
This is only a brief summary of important information about taking TRUVADA for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. This does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.
MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP Before starting TRUVADA for PrEP to help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: • You must be HIV-1 negative. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1 infection. Do not take TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative. • Many HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include flu-like symptoms, tiredness, fever, joint or muscle aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, night sweats, and/or enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Tell your healthcare provider if you have had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting TRUVADA for PrEP. While taking TRUVADA for PrEP to help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection: • You must continue using safer sex practices. Just taking TRUVADA for PrEP may not keep you from getting HIV-1. • You must stay HIV-1 negative to keep taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • Tell your healthcare provider if you have a flu-like illness while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. • If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away. • If you do become HIV-1 positive, you need more medicine than TRUVADA alone to treat HIV-1. If you have HIV-1 and take only TRUVADA, your HIV-1 may become harder to treat over time.
• See the “How to Further Reduce Your Risk” section for more information. TRUVADA may cause serious side effects, including: • Buildup of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, nausea, vomiting, stomach-area pain, cold or blue hands and feet, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or fast or abnormal heartbeats. • Severe liver problems, which in some cases can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, and/or stomach-area pain. • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you have HBV and take TRUVADA, your hepatitis may become worse if you stop taking TRUVADA. Do not stop taking TRUVADA without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months. You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking TRUVADA for a long time.
ABOUT TRUVADA FOR PrEP (PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS) TRUVADA is a prescription medicine used with safer sex practices for PrEP to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection in adults at high risk: • HIV-1 negative men who have sex with men and who are at high risk of getting infected with HIV-1 through sex. • Male-female sex partners when one partner has HIV-1 infection and the other does not.
To help determine your risk, talk openly with your doctor about your sexual health. Do NOT take TRUVADA for PrEP if you: • Already have HIV-1 infection or if you do not know your HIV-1 status. • Take lamivudine (Epivir-HBV) or adefovir (HEPSERA).
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF TRUVADA FOR PrEP TRUVADA can cause serious side effects, including: • Those in the “Most Important Information About TRUVADA for PrEP" section. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. • Bone problems. • Changes in body fat.
Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP include stomach-area (abdomen) pain, headache, and decreased weight. These are not all the possible side effects of TRUVADA. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking TRUVADA for PrEP. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with TRUVADA for PrEP.
BEFORE TAKING TRUVADA FOR PrEP Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. • Have any other medical conditions. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you become HIV-1 positive because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with TRUVADA for PrEP.
HOW TO TAKE TRUVADA FOR PrEP • Take 1 tablet once a day, every day, not just when you think you have been exposed to HIV-1. • Do not miss any doses. Missing doses may increase your risk of getting HIV-1 infection.
• You must practice safer sex by using condoms and you must stay HIV-1 negative.
HOW TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK • Know your HIV-1 status and the HIV-1 status of your partners. • Get tested for HIV-1 at least every 3 months or when your healthcare provider tells you. • Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Other infections make it easier for HIV-1 to infect you.
• Get information and support to help reduce risky sexual behavior. • Have fewer sex partners. • Do not share needles or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them.
GET MORE INFORMATION • This is only a brief summary of important information about TRUVADA for PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more, including how to prevent HIV-1 infection.
• Go to start.truvada.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit start.truvada.com for program information.
TRUVADA, the TRUVADA Logo, TRUVADA FOR PREP, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and HEPSERA are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Version date: April 2016 © 2017 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. TVDC0105 04/17
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Comes to the Burgh CHRISTINE BRYAN
ACTRESS. SINGER. SPOKESPERSON. AUTHOR. SINCE HER appearance on season three of American Idol in 2004, Jennifer Hudson has won astonishing awards with another 33 nominations including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy Award. Born on September 12, 1981, in Chicago, Hudson cites Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Patti LaBelle as her overall biggest influences and inspiration. At the age of 7, she got her start in performing by singing with the church choir and doing community theater. In January 2002, Hudson signed her first recording contract with Righteous Records, a Chicago-based independent record label. She was released from her five-year contract with Righteous Records so that she could appear on the third season of American Idol in 2004. When Hudson auditioned for Idol in Atlanta, she commented that she had been singing on Disney Cruise Lines, leading contestant judge Randy Jackson to say, “We’re expecting more than a cruise
ship performance from you.” Hudson went on to receive the highest number of votes in the “Top 9” after her performance of Elton John’s “Circle of Life,” but two weeks later was eliminated during the “Top 7” show after performing Barry Manilow’s “Weekend in New England.” In May 2010, the Los Angeles Times claimed Hudson to be the third greatest Idol contestant in the history of the show, placing her behind season one winner Kelly Clarkson and season four winner Carrie Underwood. In November 2005, Hudson was cast in the role of Effie White for the film adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls, which also starred Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, and Eddie Murphy. The film gave her worldwide acclaim and she became the first American Idol contestant to win an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to appear in such films as Sex and the City, The Secret Life of Bees, and Black Nativity. She has made numerous television appearances, including guest roles on Smash, Empire, and Inside Amy Schumer. In 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the role of Shug Avery in the revival of The Color Purple. Expanding her talents in the arts, Hudson added author to her list of accomplishments with the release in January 2012 of her New York continued >>
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Mylan, better health for a better world. At Mylan, we’re committed to helping people live their dreams by providing access to high quality medicine for the world’s 7 billion people, one person at a time. From our humble roots in nearby West Virginia to our global center in the Greater Pittsburgh area, we’re proud to celebrate what makes us all unique and walk beside you through life’s journey.
#riseUP
@MylanNews @MylanCareers
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Times best-selling memoir, “I Got This: How I Changed My Ways, Found Myself and Lost Everything that Weighed Me Down.” In 2009, following her family’s tragedy, Jennifer and her sister Julia founded The Julian D. King Gift Foundation, as a catalyst for change in children’s health, education and welfare. The Foundation exists to provide stability, support and positive experiences for children of all backgrounds so that they will become productive, confident and happy adults. As a singer, Hudson has released three studio albums. Her debut album “Jennifer Hudson,” released in 2008, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA, with sales exceeding one million copies worldwide. The record was nominated for four Grammy Awards, winning the 2009 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Her second album “I Remember Me,” released in 2011, also debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. Her third album “JHUD” peaked in the top ten and featured the Grammy-nominated track “It’s Your World.” She also was the principal singer on The Color Purple musical album, which earned her the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Her latest single “Remember Me” was released on March 2017 as the lead single from her upcoming fourth album. Hudson has made headlines with many high-profile performances, including President Obama’s “Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement” event held at the White House, Super Bowl XLIII, the Grammy Awards, the Academy Awards, on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and singing the National Anthem at the Democratic National Convention. She appeared on the telethon “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief,” performing The Beatles’ “Let it Be.” She also recorded the song “One Shining Moment” for the 2010 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament. The day after the death of Whitney Houston, Hudson paid tribute to her by singing Houston’s iconic “I Will Always Love You” during the 54th Grammy Awards. In 2013, she performed “Same Love” with Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert and later that year, was awarded with the 2,512th star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2016, Hudson was announced as a coach on the 2017 series of The Voice UK, starring alongside judges will.i.am, Tom Jones, and Gavin Rossdale.
Hudson is engaged to professional wrestler and Harvard Law graduate David Otunga. They have one child, a boy named David Daniel Otunga, Jr.
See Jennifer Hudson at Pride in the Street on Saturday, June 10. For ticket info, visit pittsburghpride.org/tickets or call 888-71-TICKETS.
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Take Pride in Who You Sleep With. Be True to You. We proudly partner with The Trevor Project. Save 15% off your stay and we’ll make a $10 donation (per night) with rate code: TRPR 620 William Penn Place | Pittsburgh, PA 15219 | 412.471.1170 | monaco-pittsburgh.com | #MonacoPGH
Thank you, President Obama
THANK YOU, PRESIDENT OBAMA. WITHOUT A DOUBT, NO president in U.S. history has advocated and pushed legislation to help the LGBT and ally community more than you. As a result of your administration’s actions, more U.S. adults self-identify as LGBT than ever in history. Young children and adults are less likely to hide their sexuality and are now more comfortable to be their true selves. To summarize your many achievements is no easy task, but these are the ones I identify as the most monumental for the LGBT and ally community. Your willingness to sign The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act more than 11 years after they were savagely beaten speaks volumes as to how much you care about the safety of the LGBT community. This act protects our community when, historically there were no consequences. I am grateful that you expanded the 1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. The law gives the Justice Department the power to investigate crimes committed or motivated based on these attributes. I am now more confident to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public without the underlying fear of being attacked due to my display of affection. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is no more. The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” statute prohibited qualified gay and lesbian citizens from serving openly in the armed forces. The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Act of 2010 was initiated with support from your administration. As a result, this discriminatory law was repealed and is no longer policy as of September 20, 2011. Thanks to you, our LGBT military brothers and sisters are now able to serve our country openly, without fear of being discharged due to whom they love. The progressive executive order protecting LGBT workers from job discrimination that you signed on July 21, 2014, was a testament to your dedication to the professional success of our community. This law prohibits federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT employees and prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in federal employment. The order
J. GRANT CUPP
was a progressive step at the federal level to show support for the LGBT community in the work place. Many leaders in legislation and corporate America have followed from your example. Your actions reinforced the notion that discrimination against employees based on their sexuality or gender identify has no place in employment.
Thanks to you, our LGBT military brothers and sisters are now able to serve our country openly, without fear of being discharged due to whom they love. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality on June 26, 2015. Resulting from decades of activism and advocacy for equality, and thanks to you and Vice President Biden’s vocal support, the nation’s highest court found that the U.S. Constitution requires states to license and recognize marriages between two people of the same sex. At 11 a.m. on this day, you spoke to the world in support of the SCOTUS decision. Watching this speech alone in my apartment remains the most memorable and emotional moment of my life. Seeing the headline “SCOTUS Rules in Favor of Same-Sex Marriage” as you began your speech, I remember falling to my knees sobbing with disbelief and happiness. By the end of your speech, I had somehow gathered every rainbow flag I could find and began to dance around my apartment in celebration. I had never felt more liberated in my life. I finally felt equal; I felt normal. The leader of the free world supported me. Following the announcement, in celebration of this monumental victory for the LGBT community, your administration chose to light the White House in symbolic rainbow colors. You and your administration publicly spoke out against conversion therapy in April 2015. A few months following your vocal opposition against this barbaric treatment, the Substance Abuse and Mental continued >> D elta Foundation o f P it t sb u rgh
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Health Services Administration published a report calling for an end to “conversion therapy” for minors. The fight still continues to protect our LGBT children from this destructive treatment. Cities across the country followed your example, including the city which I live, Pittsburgh. With the support of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, the City Council unanimously voted in 2016 to ban therapy that attempts to change sexual orientation or how people identify their gender. You designated the first-ever national monument dedication to the LGBT community on June 24, 2016—the area around the Stonewall Inn in New York City—the site of the 1969 police raid which led to resistance and the first march for gay and lesbian rights in July 1969. The site that is often credited for being the location for the beginning of the LGBT rights movement. This was a monumental step in recognition of our community and will provide a continued source of hope and inspiration. Undoubtedly associated with your actions during your time in the White House, more adults in the United States are self-identifying
4 2 P i tts b u rg h P r i d e M ag a z i n e
We are stronger together, and we must come together as one community to do our part and continue your legacy. as LGBT than ever. The self-identifying percentage increased from 3.5% in 2012 to 4.1% in 2016. A recent Gallup Poll showed an increase of approximately 1.75 million and implies that over 10 million U.S. adults self-identify as LGBT today. I am forever grateful for your actions. I’ve never felt more safe or more proud to walk through the streets as a member of the LGBT community. As we continue to move into the uncertainty of a new presidential administration, I hope that the LGBT community remembers the progress made by the Obama Administration. I hope that we continue to advocate for equality. You have taught me that we shall not be deterred. We are stronger together, and we must come together as one community to do our part and continue your legacy. Thank you, President Obama.
The Andy Warhol Museum receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency and The Heinz Endowments. Further support is provided by the Allegheny Regional Asset District.
Andy Warhol, Silver Clouds,1966, ©The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc., photo ©Abby Warhola
117 Sandusky St., Pittsburgh, PA 15212• 412.237.8300 • warhol.com
Pulse Nightclub One Year Later ON SUNDAY, JUNE 12 AT 2:02 A.M. LONE GUNMAN Omar Mateen opened fire inside Pulse nightclub in Orlando. He killed 49 patrons and injured 53 others in one of the deadliest shooting sprees in U.S. history. Mateen was shot and killed by police after a three-hour standoff. Following the massacre, the city of Orlando quickly helped organize the non-profit OneOrlando Fund to handle the millions of dollars being donated to help the victims. That fund has so far doled out $29.5 million and was set to distribute another $1.3 million before shutting down at the end of the March. In March, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an $8.5 million anti-terrorism grant to help people affected by the Pulse nightclub massacre. The money will provide mental-health counseling to victims, witnesses and first responders and will help reimburse the costs of the United Assistance Center, the one-stop help center set up at Camping World Stadium immediately after the shooting. The grant was from the DOJ’s Anti-terrorism Emergency Assistance Program and crime victim’s office. One year after the massacre at Pulse nightclub, a series of events have been planned for Monday, June 12 to commemorate those who lost their lives, which local governments plan to dedicate as “Orlando United Day.”
CHRISTINE BRYAN
Described as “A Day of Love and Kindness,” the daylong schedule of remembrances is the result of a collaboration between Orlando, Orange County and Pulse. “Our community will never forget the tragedy of Pulse or the grief of those who lost loved ones,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in a video posted to at OrlandoUnitedDay.com. “From heartbroken family and friends to survivors putting shattered lives back together, our entire community stands with you.” A slate of events, beginning at 10 a.m. on June 12 and continuing until midnight, will be hosted by local governments and Pulse, the gay club at 1912 S. Orange Ave. that has sat empty as an informal memorial since the shooting. In Pittsburgh, the Delta Foundation has invited Brandon Parson to Pride to sing “Forty-Nine Times,” a song he wrote following the tragedy. The city and county are also encouraging people, both locally and across the world, to perform acts of kindness on June 12 “to continue the unity that followed the tragedy” at Pulse. Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who has helped guide the city’s June 12 plans with the input of Pulse survivors and the LGBT community, said the day’s themes will center on love, kindness and unity. continued >>
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“We don’t want to focus on an act of terror; we want to focus on how we all came together,” she said. “That’s really what made it bearable for these families—the love and support from this community.”
Stanley Almodovar III, 23, a pharmacy technician whose kind sassiness put people at ease.
Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26, who wanted to be a party planner, went to the club with her best friend, Amanda Alvear, also killed. Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22, a UPS worker who was always the life of the party. Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22, recently came out to his family; died with his boyfriend, Christopher Leinonen.
Amanda Alvear, 25, at the club with her best friend, Mercedez Marisol Flores, also killed.
Paul Terrell Henry, 41, a Chicago native, had two children, earned a master’s degree in business and played piano and organ despite never taking lessons.
Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, 26, had just returned from Niagara Falls with partner Simon Adrian Carrillo-Fernandez, who also died.
Frank Hernandez, 27, who loved fine fashion and worked at a Calvin Klein store, was at Pulse with his boyfriend, who survived.
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33, was passionate about saving lives and worked at OneBlood, a blood-donation center.
Miguel Angel Honorato, 30, father of three who managed four restaurants and a catering business.
Antonio Davon Brown, 29, an Army Reserve captain who served in Kuwait.
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40, a salesman and makeup artist at Gucci who was proud of his Latino heritage.
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29, a financial-aid officer at Keiser University, co-chair of a Jaycees clothing drive for the homeless.
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19, called his mother in Arizona as the gunman opened fire.
Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28, a nurse and National Guard member from Puerto Rico whose boyfriend was injured in the shooting.
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30, an accountant who texted his mother while he was held hostage.
Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25, a beloved supervisor for a hospitality services company. Luis Daniel Conde, 39, was at Pulse with Juan P. Rivera Velazquez. Cory James Connell, 21, called the “superhero” of his family, worked at a supermarket and attended college. Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25, an ambitious, driven director of a Michigan marketing firm. Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32, known as Dee Dee, was working at the nightclub. Simon Adrian Carrillo-Fernandez, 31, a McDonald’s manager who loved to travel, died with his partner, Oscar Aracena-Montero. Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25, an apartment leasing agent who took care of his mother and dated dancer Xavier Rosado. 46 P i tts b u rg h P r i d e M ag a z i n e
Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25, started dancing at age 10, moved to Orlando from Puerto Rico to dance and choreograph professionally. Christopher “Drew ” Leinonen, 32, was at the club with his “soul mate,” Juan Ramon Guerrero, also killed. Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21, an outgoing young man who’d recently moved from Cuba and was working to master English. Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49, loved to dance so much that she would go to clubs with her son, Isaiah Henderson, who survived. Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25, was an only child and “the light and the life of all the family gatherings,” his cousin said. Kimberly Morris, 37, a bouncer at the nightclub who recently moved to Orlando. continued >>
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Akyra Monet Murray, 18, graduated third in her high-school class and was a 1,000-point scorer for her basketball team. Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20, an outgoing Starbucks barista. Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25, of Puerto Rico, was in Orlando for a Selena Gomez concert. Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36, married his husband last June 26, the day the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32, a construction worker who loved to dance. Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35, a doting uncle who died with his partner, Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon.
Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37, owner of D’Magazine Salon and Spa who moved from Puerto Rico and was a hair stylist and makeup artist. Luis S. Vielma, 22, loved his job at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37, frequented Latin Night at Pulse with his longtime partner, Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, who also died. Jerald Arthur Wright, 31, worked at Walt Disney World, most recently in merchandising on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. Reprinted from the Seattle Times.
Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25, visiting from Brooklyn, N.Y., studied social work and had a heart for helping the elderly. Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27, who was from Puerto Rico, had purchased his first home not even two months prior. Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24, a banker who had just been promoted at work. Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35, elegant dancer and loving father to a little boy, dated victim Leroy Fernandez. Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24, a mother of two who was out with her husband, and friend Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, who also died. Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34, an energetic man who worked as a cruise promoter. Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33, a charismatic lead singer who performed with his band at a nightclub before going to Pulse. Martin Benitez Torres, 33, one of dozens of victims originally from Puerto Rico, was working to become a pharmacy technician. Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24, worked on the Telemundo talent show “La Voz Kids.” Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50, was a visual merchandiser for a clothing store who also was known for Puerto Rican Jibaro folk dancing. D elta Foundation o f P it t sb u rgh
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Are We Failing Our Youth? NICOLE JONES
IN THE LATE HOURS OF NOV. 8, 2016, IT IS BELIEVED BETWEEN two to eight transgender youths committed suicide. Although the exact numbers are unconfirmed, both Trans Lifeline and The Trevor Project saw a surge of phone calls. Unfortunately they were unable to answer all of them. The majority of the calls were from LGBT youth in response to our current president’s win. Perhaps the adult LGBT community should be taken to task. Are we failing the LGBT youth community? When I was 21 and in college, I remember asking what we could do for LGBT youth in meetings of the college LGBT group. An awkward mood would always fill the room. I felt I was asking a taboo question that always seemed to lead to these frustrating and repetitive answers: “We can’t because we’re over the age of 18,” “We tried that once and it didn’t work out,” and, my personal favorite, “I went through it without help from the LGBT adult community.”
Here’s the truth you’re probably not going to like: It’s not your age that’s the problem—it’s your fear. “WE CAN’T BECAUSE WE’RE OVER THE AGE OF 18.” Why does your age have anything to do with your ability to help, educate, and support the LGBT youth? Here’s the truth you’re probably not going to like: It’s not your age that’s the problem—it’s your fear. You’re scared that if any of us approach a school or after-school
program saying we’d like to start a support program for LGBT youth that we’re going to be seen as wanting to prey or “turn” those poor innocent, heterosexual children. And you’re not wrong because that’s how many will view it. “WE TRIED THAT ONCE AND IT DIDN’T WORK OUT.” I can’t imagine where we would be if all the LGBT people before us just tried fighting for our basic human rights, failed and gave up. If it were so easy to do these things for our community we wouldn’t still have laws in many states that give us no protection from losing our jobs, being kicked out of apartments, and basically just existing. (See North Carolina attempting to ban gay marriage despite the Supreme Court ruling and the many anti-transgender bathroom laws.)
You are making it sound as though suffering alone as a young LGBT person is some type of rite of passage. This isn’t Sparta. There’s no rite of passage that if you “survive” you get to be one of us. “I WENT THROUGH IT WITHOUT HELP FROM THE LGBT ADULT COMMUNITY.” Well good for you. Was it easy? Was it enjoyable to be the “gay kid” and feel left out of a lot of things within the youth community? And that’s even if you’re out to anyone. When I get this response it makes me incredibly angry. You are making it sound as though suffering alone as a young LGBT person is some type of rite of passage. This isn’t Sparta. There’s no rite of passage that if you “survive” you get to be one of us. There is, however, the truth that by not being willing to help the LGBT youth community, some will not survive. LGBT youth die all the time by suicide and some by the hands of others. Yes, we have organizations like The Trevor Project, which are there for LGBT youth to reach out to, but why should most of these children hide in the closets of their homes quietly crying into a phone to a stranger who can only give them reassuring quotes and hope they make it through the night? That’s not how it works. We continued >> D elta Foundation of P it t sb u rgh
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are the adults. They are the children. We should be reaching out to them! In almost every school throughout the country there are programs for Christians, people of color, and those dealing with mental health struggles, but the only LGBT groups I see are those started by the very youth whom we should be helping. The harsh reality is that we do not do enough. If they survive the rough isolation of being LGBT, especially in a small town, when they do finally turn eighteen and start participating with their community, they become overwhelmed almost immediately. I leave you with a quote from my favorite gay fictional character, Albus Dumbledore: “We must choose between what is right and what is easy.” I’d like to see more LGBT youth-focused groups be
…the only LGBT groups I see are those started by the very youth whom we should be helping. The harsh reality is that we do not do enough. more proactive and reach out to schools and after-school programs to help start support groups—a place where LGBT youth can come together and get factual information and their questions answered. If we wait to support them when they feel the world is crashing down around them, it’s too late. We must do more.
MOZART’s PuCCini’S
TOSCA
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
THE LONG WALk
OctOber 7, 10, 13, 15, 2017 Benedum CenteR
NOvember 4, 7, 10, 12, 2017 Benedum CenteR
JANuAry 20, 23, 26, 28, 2018 Capa theateR, downtown
dOUGLAs J. cUOMO
JEREMy HOWARd bEck
DOnizeTTi’S
AsHEs & sNOW
JAkE HEGGIE’s
MOBY-DiCK
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
FebruAry 17, 20, 23, 25, 2018 pittsBuRgh opeRa headquaRteRs
mArch 17, 20, 23, 25, 2018 Benedum CenteR
April 21, 24, 27, 29, 2018 Benedum CenteR
2017-18 SeASOn 50 P i tts b u rg h P r i d e M ag a z i n e
pITTsbURGHOpERA.ORG
PICNIC AT NORTH PAR K LODG E
HOT DOGS HAMBURGERS
and complimentary
BEER
Memorial Day Weekend
SUNDAY, MAY 28 NOON - 6:30PM
tickets
$27 IN ADVANCE $30 AT THE GATE
18 TO ATTEND; 21 TO DRINK PROPER ID REQUIRED
For tickets visit pittsburghpride.org/tickets or call 412-322-2800 x2 North Park Lodge, Pearce Mill Road Allison Park, PA 15101
READY. SET.
PRIDE!
Sunday, June 4 | 6 PM 5800 block of Ellsworth Avenue, Shadyside
Bring your rainbow flags and your dancing shoes and join us for a night of fun and entertainment as we celebrate the kick-off of Pittsburgh Pride 2017. Free & all ages are welcome! More Info @ pittsburghpride.org
Featuring Brian Justin Crum from America's Got Talent America quickly learned who Brian Austin Crum was when he competed on America's Got Talent last year and stunning the judges with his rendition of Queen's "Somebody to Love." He continued to advance with performances of Radiohead's "Creep," Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight," Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," and Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror," which left him placing fourth in the competition. Since AGT, Crum has continued to perform live, travelling across the United States to perform at various events, including those supporting the LGBT community.
MJ LIVE
Friday, June 9 | 5 PM Liberty Avenue (between 7th & 10th Street) Downtown Pittsburgh More Info @ pittsburghpride.org New for Pittsburgh Pride 2017 is this free after-work event that will take place outside on the stage on Liberty Avenue. We'll have entertainment all night long including MJ LIVE! the world-famous Michael Jackson Tribute show directly from the Stratosphere in Las Vegas. Relive the energy, excitement, spectacle and pure joy of this legendary superstar and his music. Witness the awesome sound, lighting and effects. Feel the energy from the MJ LIVE band and mega talented MJ LIVE dancers. Sing along to some of the greatest hits of all time.
PUB CRAWL
Friday, June 9 | 8 PM - 2 AM The Pub Crawl is a chauffeured tour of Pittsburgh's coolest LGBT-friendly clubs, bars, and restaurants. Pick a starting spot and you can hop on or off the bus at your leisure. Visit a few places or visit them all...it's up to you! Be sure to take advantage of the special offers in the coupon book that you get with your ticket purchase! Must be 21 or over.
TICKETS
Tickets $20 in advance More Info @ pittsburghpride.org
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JENNIFER HUDSON @ PRIDE IN THE STREET Liberty Avenue Saturday, June 10 Tickets @ pittsburghpride.org/tickets or 888-71-TICKETS From
American Idol to American icon.
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Things You Didn’t Know about Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson was born in Chicago and considers President Obama a friend. As a teenager, she worked at Burger King to earn money for school. With 74 nominations and 41 wins, she is the first American Idol to win both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe award. To test the waters for “American Idol,” she took a job on a Disney Cruise ship for a year. She auditioned for “American Idol” in Atlanta two days later with nearly 11,000 people.
Jennifer Hudson on her LGBT Fans and Equality: Jennifer Hudson counts her LGBT fans as one of the main reasons for her success. “I've always admired and respected the gay community for their courage, independence, confidence, and spirit.” Her video for the upbeat single “I Still Love You” off her third album sent a powerful message about her support for marriage equality as it followed the journey of a father's last-minute decision to attend his gay son's wedding. "It's about love and everyone should have love and have the right to love who they want to love," Hudson said. "So I thought it would be powerful to take a concept like trying to find your equality in love no matter who you love." The video ends positively with everyone at the end of the clip, dancing, singing and having what looks to be the best time ever at the wedding reception, which just so happens to be Hudson’s favorite scene.
In addition to spreading a positive message through her music, Hudson decided to make the video about LGBT equality as a way to give back to her fans. This past March, Hudson performed an amazing rendition of the ballad “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” at the London nightclub G-A-Y, which has hosted live shows by some of the biggest names in music, including Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias, Kelly Clarkson, One Direction and Madonna. “I grew up surrounded and supported by the gay community and I just wanted to make sure I show them the same support and this is my way of doing it," she said.
“No one should be discriminated against because of who they are or whom they love.”
"I love seeing people come together, so I thought it was a very real, beautiful inspiring moment," she said. "And I think the video is just beautifully shot."
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In 2007, the mayor of Chicago deemed March 6 Jennifer Hudson Day. Jennifer appeared on the March 2007 cover of Vogue as only the third African-American celebrity and the first African-American singer. After six months of auditions, Jennifer Hudson beat out over 700 actresses (including Fantasia Barrino) for the role of Effie White in Dreamgirls.
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She is one of just 16 actors to win an Oscar for their movie debuts. She cites Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Patti LaBelle as her overall biggest influences and inspiration. She’s become known as the Aretha Franklin of this generation due to her ability to hold deep ranges for long periods of time.
RISE UP FOR OUR RIGHTS RALLY & EQT EQUALITY MARCH Sunday, June 11 PPG Paints Arena
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in NYC, a series of violent demonstrations, led by the trans community, took place. Today, the Stonewall Riots are widely considered to be the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBT rights. Join us for two events as we remember those who paved the way, recognize how far we've come, and rally together as we continue our quest for true equality for all.
FOR OUR RIGHTS
EQUALITY
Noon
12:30 PM
RALLY Let's reconnect with the roots of our struggle and elevate the LGBT community, advocate for our causes, and rally to show our strength. Everyone is welcome!
MARCH
Join us as we march through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh in solidarity using our voices to ensure that every members of our communityâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;including those who are the most marginalizedâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;are acknowledged, included and treated with dignity and respect.
More Info @ pittsburghpride.org
NEW
MARCH
ROUTE
The EQT Equality March begins at PPG Paints Arena, proceeds down to 6th Avenue, turns left onto Grant Street, then right onto Fifth Avenue, to Liberty Avenue.
PARTICIPANTS
as of April 28, 2017
84 Lumber 10,000 Caftans Accenture ACLU of Pennsylvania Allegheny County Bar Association– LGBT Rights Committee Allegheny County Department of Human Services American Cancer Society Arcade Comedy Theater Art in Motion Pittsburgh’s Troupe Faraatha Burgh Bears Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Carnegie Mellon Pride Center for Inquiry & Sunday Assembly Pittsburgh Chevron Chipotle Mexican Grill Comcast Community College of Allegheny County Community House Pittsburgh Consumer Health Coalition East Liberty Presbyterian Church EQT FedEx Ground First United Methodist Church Full Spectrum Community Outreach Center Gay & Lesbian Community Center Greater Pittsburgh Pagan Pride Day Hello Bully
Highmark HIV Treatment & Prevention Program Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community Human Rights Campaign Human Relations Commission of Pittsburgh J’Burgh and Bet Tikvah Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Junior Chamber of Commerce Players K&L Gates Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh Kiss 96.1 FM KPMG Metamorphosis Organic Salon, Spa & Wellness Studio Metropolitan Community Church of Pittsburgh Metro Community Health Center Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP Mr. & Miss Laurel Highlands Persad Center Pittsburgh LGBTQIA Hockey Pittsburgh Furries Pittsburgh Prime Timers PFLAG Greensburg PFLAG Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team Pittsburgh Pride Colorguard Pittsburgh Pride Entertainer/The Silver Twirler David W. Peter
Pittsburgh Transgender Planned Parentfhood of Western PA Plow & Hearth PNC PPG Proud Haven Renaissance City Choir Robert Morris University--SAFE Scarehouse Sixth Presbyterian Church Sprint Starbucks Steel City Roller Derby Steel City Softball League Steel City Stonewall Democrats Steel City Volleyball League ThermoFisher Scientific The Church of the Redeemer, Squirrel Hill The Junior Chamber of Commerce Players The Milk Shake Factory The Rebel Legion & 501st Legion The Table Three Rivers Leather Club/Pittsburgh Leather Pride Tobacco Free Allegheny UPMC Vegan Pittsburgh Walmart
PRIDEFEST
Saturday, June 10 | Noon-5 PM Sunday, June 11 | 1-7 PM
PrideFest is a two-day free festival that showcases entertainment, attractions, and vendors in an atmosphere that brings together our allies and celebrates the LGBT community.
HIGHLIGHTS Pride Radio Dance Party
Zip-Line down Liberty Avenue!
Pride Radio is America's first gay radio station and they're coming to Pittsburgh to play the best songs all day long just for you!
Experience the ultimate rush as you zip line 300-feet down Liberty Avenue. Purchase tickets at pittsburghpride.org/tickets
Could you live in a Tiny House?
Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Activity Area A popular stop for the young and the young at heart! This area is filled with large inflatables as well as a crafting area.
Visit the 84 Lumber exhibit and see the cottage-style tiny house Shonsie! For more info, visit 84tinyliving.com
Furry friends are welcome at PrideFest!
Be sure to stop by the Humane Animal Rescue VIP (Very Important Pet) Area in the parking lot on Liberty Avenue!
mane Hu Animal
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VIP
Very Important Pet
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Be a part of giant Pride photo mosaic
Stop by the Sprint booth and learn how you can get a free photo of you at Pride plus have the chance to have it be a part of a live photo mosaic!
Stop by the Mylan Wellness Village and join us as we keep Pittsburgh's LGBT community healthy. Get a wellness check at the Central Outreach Wellness tent, check out Gilead's Healthy Sex booth, and get your biometrics checked at the Cigna Health Improvement trailer.
CENTRAL OUTREACH WELLNES S CENTER
SATURDAY, JUNE 10
MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS
Melissa Crispo’s voice is like listening to Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks all wrapped up into one. Her songs are a diary of her soul & her passionate lyrics why her fan-base stretches all over the U.S. Check her out on iTunes, Pandora or Amazon or at melissacrispo.com
Danny & Jimmy, also known as the Canales Bros., are a Latin urban duo from Arlington, Va., whose music is well-known for bringing good vibes and incredible energy. Past performances include the 2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival, 2014 Pentagon Cancer Awareness Festival, and Fiesta DC. canalesbros.com
J and the 9s are a hard hitting, glam punk rock experience from Brooklyn that breed together rock and roll, punk, lyrical spontaneity, glam visuals, a rock flute, and a very interactive stage show. reverbnation.com/jandthe9s
Hailing from Nashville, the Darkest Hearts are a driven hard rock band whose sound showcases organic and earthy blues/punk and hard rock overtones. thedarkesthearts.eu
Manny Phesto is an American hip-hop artist of Puerto Rican descent. He's been featured on the bill at Soundset Music Festival (the world's largest all Hip-Hop festival) and toured throughout the islands of Hawaii on the Intra-Island Music Tour. mannyphesto.com
The Foxfire’s name came from a folklore term for bio-luminescence. Their sound combines the ethereal, raw nature of post-punk, indie pop, and folk. Their sound became known as “Seagaze” which is inspired by the band’s love of the beach and the ocean. thefoxfires.com
Wild Planes is a pop/rock band from New York City that blends elements of pop, rock funk, and R&B. Known as a fun band with an unmatched energy and a big personality, Wild Planes creates timeless music that everybody can enjoy. wildplanesband.com
The Turbos are a high-energy, alt-rock, quartet from Columbus. The name "The Turbos" is derived from the influence that the Columbus Rock scene had on them. They recently released their first EP "alternator." theturbos.com
Both days of PrideFest will also include local dance showcases and performances from the region's drag queen and king community, including the winners of Miss Gay Pittsburgh Pride, Miss Gay Pittsburgh Teen Pride, Mr. Pittsburgh Pride Drag King and Miss Pride Femme Fatale.
SUNDAY, JUNE 11
MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS
York, Pa. resident and former "American Idol" Season 10 contestant Brandon Parsons was a performer at Howl at the Moon in Baltimore when the Pulse Nightclub shooting happened in Orlando. It touched him so deeply that in two days he wrote and recorded "Forty-Nine Times." Dedicated to each of the 49 victims, the video now has nearly 200,000 views on You Tube. We're thrilled to have Brandon join us to perform his amazing tribute song as we mark the one-year anniversary of the tragedy.
Reyna is a band formed by sisters Victoriah “Vic” Banuelos and Hannah Gabriela “Gabby” Banuelos, previously known as Milwaukee band Vic and Gab. With a new name and a new synth-pop sound, Reyna is one of five acts featured in the 2016 edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Wisconsin Bands to Watch. They’ve performed at Milwaukee Pride twice and their new synth-pop sound is called “Spill Your Colors.” reynatheband.com
Diagnosed with a rare eye disease at 16, Danie Ocean has seemingly not allowed life’s challenges to stop her from doing what she loves. She has exploded onto the Philadelphia & NYC r&b scene with a voice that sounds like a mix of Dionne Ferris and India Arie. Danie has performed at many Prides across the U.S. and is a proud, gay, married African American woman. reverbnation.com/danieocean
Pittsburgh based Dinosoul is a dark pop indie rock band who released their first EP Dimension in November 2016. Dinosoul has worked to solidify a cohesive sound, incorporating each member into the creative process. dinosoul.bandcamp.com
Just B. Polo is a rising hip-hop emcee from who has performed on the Beatport Stage at the Vans Warped Tour, Summerfest, and supporting slots on multiple Chris Webby tour dates. His fast-paced lyrical swagger combines sticky hooks with a dynamic rap structure. marcobellomo.net
Asher Brown is a transgender singer/songwriter from Iowa City back with a new name, a new sound, and a new lease on life. Asher uses his unique fingerstyle guitar playing and newly found rich and gentle voice to write about the personal and political experiences of living as an out trans person. asherbrownmusic.com
Myles Jéh presents a nostalgic R&B/Hip-Hop sound made to entertain, provoke thought, and connect with others. Hailing from Massachusetts, Myles has experienced the highs and lows of life and can relate to a wide spectrum of audiences. His music can make you dance, make you think, or even make you take action. mylesjeh.com
Trapped in Static This alternative rock/indie band uses their life experiences as inspiration for their lyrics while they connect with the listener through rock-and- roll infused messages of overcoming obstacles with a tinge of sorrow-filled hope. trappedinstatic.com
Wyland is an up-and-coming quartet who has appeared alongside Mumford & Sons, Alabama Shakes, and the Vaccines, to name a few. The bad blends atmospheric rock and a modern pop sensibility with traditional strings and piano. wearewyland.com
PRIDEFEST
Vigil and Thieves This Kansas City indie alternative quartet has honed in on dynamic and lyrically-driven song structures that have been compared to live poetry. Their debut album, [defective] book one, received high praise and the band received first place in the Judges' Choice category in the 2016 Human Rights Campaign Battle of the Bands. They have performed at both Kansas City Pride and St. Louis Pride. vigilandthieves.com
Taija New is an ambitious hip hop artist who has released two singles, Al Capone and Newbian King, both of which were named ”Up Next” by Hot 93.7 in Hartford, Connecticut. Newbian King was selected by Pandora, which led to her very own radio channel on the site, Taija New Radio. Last fall, she released the single "Glitter," which is dedicated to the Pulse Nightclub victims and survivors. taijanew.com
Rachel Marie has been called a cunning wordsmith and precociously sophisticated. Her music has the social awareness of folk with a moderate dose of snark. The Bethlehem, Pa. native has made regular appearances at Musikfest and at the acclaimed folk venue Godfrey Daniels where she has shared the stage with Antje Duvekot and the Kennedys. rachelmarie.com
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Crystal McLeod aka Crystall Babii is one of the hottest up-and-coming R&B artists. Half Barbadian and half Trinidadian, Crystall counts Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Usher, Jay Z, Eminem and Snoop Dog among her major influences which led to her rapping and singing. crystallbabii.com
Boston-based hip hop duo Dark Matter is rapper Mad S. and vocalist Destiny Claymore, who identifies as bisexual. Their music has been called haunting and real as they dive into subjects many are afraid to talk about. Some songs depict their own personal journey through life while others offer ways to overcome and gather as one for a better world. claymoremads.com
Singer/songwriter Dar Stellabotta is a female LBGT artist hailing from Southern Maryland. Dar possesses an original sound and style and writes her own songs inspired by true life events. Nowadays, you can find Dar performing at music festivals around the U.S. hdarstellabotta.com
Trans female Nikki Exotica was a professional singer performing electro-dance pop shows when she had a vision of creating America first pop trans group. Secret Girls is a talented group of diverse women who have won over the hearts of music lovers from all walks of life. Performing at a variety of venues and making countless public appearances all the while recording new songs, this talented group has earned the admiration and affection of critics and fans alike. secretgirlsworld.com
Neo funk band MojoFlo is as known for their captivating stage performance as their infectious rhythms and catchy lyrics. They were named “Best Band” in 2016 by both Columbus Monthly and (614) Magazine for their dynamic live shows featuring vivacious vocalist Amber Knicole. From aerial performances and Soul Train lines to hula hoop choreography and near-cringe-inducing leaps off the drum riser in 6-inch heels, this lady has a knack for leaving audiences enthralled. mojoflomusic.com
For the latest PrideFest schedule, visit pittsburghpride.org or the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh Facebook page.
PRIDEFEST
VENDORS 84 Lumber ACLU of Pennsylvania Adagio Health adultmart Allegheny County Bar Association – LGBT Rights Committee Allegheny County Department of Human Services American Cancer Society American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Asti Pharmacy Bayer US Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty Bridges Home Health and Hospice Burgh Bears Camp Bow Wow Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Caustelot Creamery Center for Inquiry Pittsburgh & Sunday Assembly Pittsburgh Central Outreach Wellness Center Cindy's Munchies City of Pittsburgh Careers Classic Travel & Tours Coldwell Banker Comcast Comcast Universal Community College of Allegheny County Coordinated Care Network Dignity Pittsburgh East Liberty Presbyterian Church Einstein Bros. Bagels EQT Family Grill FANtastic Food First Commonwealth Bank Friendly's Catering Gay & Lesbian Community Center Gilead
as of April 28, 2017
Golden Gate Foods Harris Grill Hott Dawgz Hello Bully Highmark HIV Treatment and Prevention Program Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Kazour’s Gourmet Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh Lange Financial Group LasikPlus Legacy Remodeling Lutherans for Full Inclusion Maddezsweetz McDonald’s Metropolitan Community Church of Pittsburgh Metro PCS Metro Community Health Center Morning Glory Inn Mylan Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa PAAR Peace Corps Persad Center Pittsburgh CLO Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations Pittsburgh Prime Timers Pgh Crepes Pho Van Restaurant PFLAG Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Marriott City Center Pittsburgh Public Theater Planned Parenthood of Western PA PNC Point Park University Positive Health Clinic Proud Haven Renaissance City Choir Rochester Health Mart
Stage AE--PromoWest North Shore Shepherd Wellness Community South Side BBQ Company Sprint Steel City Stonewall Democrats Surmesur Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue The Church of the Redeemer, Squirrel Hill The Power of & T-Mobile Treehug Trading Co. TRIM Pittsburgh UPMC ViiV Healthcare Walmart Walnut Capital Management Wicked Life Clothing
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Let your Rainbow Flag Fly Free: A history & tribute to Gilbert Baker (1951-2017) “A TRUE FLAG CANNOT BE DESIGNED—IT HAS TO BE TORN from the soul of the people.” — Unknown In 1970, a self-described “geeky kid from Kansas” named Gilbert Baker came to San Francisco as an Army draftee. San Francisco has often been compared to Oz, but Baker didn’t want to click his heels and go back to Kansas. After an honorable discharge he stayed in San Francisco, free to pursue his dreams of being an artist. He learned to sew, making all the fabulous ’70s clothes that he wanted but couldn’t buy. In 1974, Baker’s life changed forever when he met Harvey Milk, who showed him “how action could create change.” Three years after they met, Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors—making him the first openly gay person to hold a high public office in a major American city. Milk, once known fondly as the Mayor of Castro Street, had campaigned on a positive message of hope for young gay people, saying, “The only thing they have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give them hope.” After winning the election, Milk challenged Gilbert Baker to come up with a symbol of pride for the gay community—a positive alternative to the pink triangle. The pink triangle, once imposed by Nazis to identify and persecute homosexuals, had been reclaimed in the ’70s as a bold symbol of remembrance and action against persecution.
CHRISTINE BRYAN
Inspired, Baker began working on a flag. He dyed the fabrics himself and, with the help of volunteers, stitched together eight strips of brilliant color into a huge banner that spoke volumes: Hot pink stood for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise blue for art, indigo for harmony and violet for spirit. He remembered vividly the moment when his new flag was first raised, “It all goes back to the first moment of the first flag back in 1978 for me. Raising it up and seeing it there blowing in the wind for everyone to see. It completely astounded me that people just got it, in an instant like a bolt of lightning—that this was their flag. It belonged to all of us. It was the most thrilling moment of my life. Because I knew right then that this was the most important thing I would ever do—that my whole life was going to be about the Rainbow Flag.” A few of his handmade Rainbow Flags were flown in the 1978 “Gay Freedom Day” Parade in San Francisco (now called San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade). Soon, Baker approached the Paramount Flag Company to mass produce the flags. Alas, fuchsia flag fabric was not readily available, but Paramount began selling a sevenstriped version (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet). According to one source, those flags were surplus stock that had originally been made for the International Order of Rainbow for Girls, a Masonic organization for young women, but the Rainbow Flag was already recognized throughout San Francisco as a symbol of gay pride. On the morning of Nov. 27, 1978, San Francisco received shocking news: Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk had been assassinated at City Hall. Grief and rage galvanized San Franciscans—especially LGBT activists. continued >>
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The Gay Freedom Day Committee (now called San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee) quickly decided that the Rainbow Flag should be flown from the light poles along both sides of Market Street for the 1979 Gay Freedom Day Parade. They split the colors onto two flags, flying each of the three-striped flags on alternate sides of the street. They eliminated the indigo stripe to make an even six colors, and flag production began. That six-stripe Rainbow Flag was soon proudly flown outside many San Francisco homes and businesses. Indeed, wherever a symbol of pride and hope was needed, the rainbow appeared: on keychains, coffee mugs, T-shirts, bumper stickers—you name it. In 1988, John Stout of West Hollywood, California, sued his landlords for the right to display a Rainbow Flag on the balcony of his apartment. He won, as have many others since who have defended their right to display the Rainbow Flag. Baker said, “The flag is an action—it’s more than just the cloth and the stripes. When a person puts the Rainbow Flag on his car or his house, they’re not just flying a flag. They’re taking action.” Baker went on to design flags for other events, including state visits to San Francisco by the President of Italy, the President of France, the Premier of China, the President of the Philippines, the President of Venezuela, and the King of Spain. He designed flags for the 1984 Democratic National Convention, the 1985 Super Bowl, San Francisco Symphony Black and White Balls, and stage and street decorations for the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parades from 1979 through 1993. In 1994, Baker created the history making, mile-long Rainbow Flag for Stonewall 25 in New York to mark the 25th anniversary of the gay civil rights movement. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized the mile-long Stonewall 25 Rainbow Flag as the world’s largest flag. Recalling one of the defining moments in his career, Baker said, “The moment I knew that the flag was beyond my own personal experience—that it wasn’t just something I was making but was something that was happening—was the 1993 March on Washington. From my home in San Francisco I watched the March on C-SPAN and saw hundreds of thousands of people carrying and waving Rainbow Flags on a scale I’d never imagined.”
Today, hot pink is no longer a non-standard color in flag fabric production. In 2003 Baker was able to create the world’s longest Rainbow Flag—restored to its original eight colors—to celebrate the flag’s silver anniversary. The Rainbow25 Sea-to-Sea Flag, which was 1.25 miles long, was unfurled in Key West, Florida, on June 15 and became the subject of “Rainbow Pride,” a feature-length documentary bought by PBS National. continued >>
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Baker’s work and related historical artifacts are represented in several major museum and archival collections. The GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco owns one of the sewing machines Baker used to produce the original rainbow flags in 1978, along with one of the limited-edition recreations of the eight-stripe design he produced to mark the 25th anniversary of the flag. In 2015, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City acquired examples of the rainbow flag for its design collection, where curators ranked it as an internationally recognized symbol similar in importance to the Creative Commons logo and the recycling symbol.
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CELEBRATES PRIDE Equality Inclusion Commitment
Baker has contributed essays, articles, interviews and photographs about the flag to LGBT and mainstream publications. He gave speeches and lectures about the flag and LGBT history in cities large and small around the world. Baker’s unexpected death in March came as a surprise to all. His close friend, activist Cleve Jones, said, “My dearest friend in the world is gone. Gilbert Baker gave the world the Rainbow Flag; he gave me 40 years of love and friendship.”
The University of Pittsburgh is committed to fostering diversity and celebrating differences, educating the community on the benefits of diversity, promoting equality, eliminating discrimination, and advancing equal access to all opportunities on all of its campuses.
Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who wrote the screenplay for “Milk,” the biopic of the politician, tweeted, “Rainbows weep. Our world is far less colorful without you, my love. Gilbert Baker gave us the rainbow flag to unite us. Unite again.”
Learn more at diversity.pitt.edu.
Indeed, the Rainbow Flag reminds us that ours is a diverse community—composed of people with a variety of individual tastes of which we should all be proud.
Portions of this article were reprinted from San Francisco Travel Association.
The Delta Foundation will honor the life of Gilbert Baker with a 20' x 30' eight-color Rainbow Flag in the EQT Equality March taking place on Sunday, June 11 at 12:30 p.m.
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A TRIP TO HILLS DEPARTMENT STORE IN WARREN, OHIO, came around only twice a year. Once, when it was time to go back to school and once again when it was time to replace my pair of shoes. Walking into the store just before the school season started was what I imagine children whose parents had money must have felt like when they were taken to the circus. Or, maybe to one of those small fairs that popped up in random parking lots—those fairs that were there one day and gone the next and featured a few lit-up spinny rides operated by men with tattoos and criminal backgrounds—miniature amusement parks that lit up the night with sight and sound and filled the air with warm pretzel, sugar-baked smells. The ones my family was never able to go to. Money issues. So, my brother, sister and I only ever saw them in passing out the window of our bone-shaking, rust-bucket of a Buick on our way to pick my father up from the night shift.
We drove past them so fast that I only had a second to look out the window before the calliope music would change, sounding alive and inviting as you drove up, but as you kept going, it would warp into a mocking macabre and the lights would recede like someone slowly taking away your birthday cake. The laughter would trail off. I could only catch a glimpse of children running around free of adult supervision with one fist filled with red paper tickets trailing the ground, the other wrapped around the stems of soft-pinkclouds of cotton candy. The whole place was lit up like the inside of a pinball machine with booth after booth of rigged games offering the promise of giant stuffed animals that few would ever win. I felt cheated every single time we drove past with my nose pressed against the window of the back seat watching until I could see and hear no more. And when it was gone, I would flop back down on the seat, fold my arms, and stick out my bottom lip. And, in those moments, my mother would look back at me in the rearview mirror and remind me that it was almost the time of year to go back to Hills. I didn’t know it back then, but my mother was a straight-up conwoman at the now-extinct department store practice of deferment known as “lay-away,” a system where one would basically placate the “lay-away lady” by sliding her just a jingle of money at a time for your clothes with a promise to pay the full amount and then reneging on the whole deal at the last minute when the items you wanted went on sale on the main floor. It’s a lost art, hustling the “lay-away lady.” But, a woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do and my mother somehow slowly chipped away at the “lay-away lady’s” sanity until she got those prices whittled down to damn near negative numbers. It’s hard work bamboozling the “lay-away lady.” But, for us—my brother, sister and me—the trip to Hills was all about fun. It was about the chance to sit on one of the reject carousel horses in front of the store that ate nickels as payment for vibrating us into oblivion for three minutes at a time. The only rides we could afford. continued >>
It was about the chance to sit on one of the reject carousel horses in front of the store that ate nickels as payment for vibrating us into oblivion for three minutes at a time. D elta Foundation of P it t sb u rgh
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The art of running a shell game on the “lay-away lady” at the rear of the store takes concentration, and the last thing my mother needed was three annoying children underfoot when she was trying to work her hustle. She needed all her wits about her and commanded the scene carnival-barker style with all the linguistic fluidity of an auctioneer so she couldn’t have her children braying nearby potentially wrecking the whole scam. So, she would give us each two whole concession-stand dollars to stay out of her way. The concession stand was in the small entry room facing the parking lot at the front of the store where the shopping carts were piled up. This antechamber of Hills Department Store smelled like the emotions of a child. Pre-adolescent bacchanalia. It was dizzying. It was a roasted peanut, soft pretzel factory wrapped inside a chocolate-covered everything. It was the aroma of popcorn-coldred-Slushee-hot dog jamboree with dusty corners and waxy yellow buildup on the floors at a time when two dollars could buy you the world. Right next to the shimmering silver of the shopping carts emblazoned with the red and white Hills logo was everything
the children whose parents had money enjoyed at their pop-up parking lot fairs, and that made it all taste so much better. It wasn’t just a snack bar; it was the mountaintop. The crabby, old, white concession lady with the powder blue eye shadow and a face like a catcher’s mitt was a Goddess of Giving, and I handed her my two dollars reverentially, head bowed, and accepted her synthetic foodthings with a gratitude only matched by those who have received a donated kidney. I sat down on the diner countertop barstools that faced out to the parking lot and placed my hot peanuts to the left of me, my hot dog to the right and my cold Slushee in the middle and worked them like an assembly line. Handful of peanuts. Bite of hot dog. Heaping red plastic spoonful of red Slushee. Brain freeze. Repeat. Inside Hills Department Store was my first barstool and, when I was finished, sticky hands and all, it was time to wander the aisles while my mother grifted the lay-away lady. continued >>
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The automatic doors may as well have been two gallantly dressed footmen bowing to allow me cross the threshold of Hills Department Store. The glass slid apart and I stepped into a Wonderland that smelled like new things. New leather and new perfume. I was under the Big Top inside every color of the rainbow, having left the smell of food behind to breathe in the pure and potent smell of Capitalism. Oz. Narnia. Xanadu. Hills.
He said it with short stops between each word in order to give each one time to bore its way into my consciousness. “You. Is. A. BOY.” And these were the words playing repeatedly in my head as I crossed from the jewelry department to sundries and finally into that place I really wanted to be wading through with its river of legs pushing shopping carts into the women’s department—Women and Girls. The store smelled different here.
There, in the Ladies section of Hills Department Store, was the taste, touch, feel, and scent of freedom from the accountability and banausic restraints of boyhood, and I would have lived there if I could. My mission was to lay my sticky fingers on every item on the sales floor and caress it with a child’s lust. Wantonly. And I wanted everything. Directly in front of me was the jewelry department. The path to the left took me to toy land. And, if I wanted a long journey, the lawn and garden department beckoned way over there with its smell of fertilizer and shiny rubber. The dulcet tones of innocuous Muzak were interrupted by the crackle of the PA system. A flustered-sounding lady announces that she requires managerial assistance back in lay-away. My mother is running her game on schedule, but it’s still going to be a while. The whole of Hills Department Store was magical, and it is the first place on this Earth where I felt lucky to be alive. The three wholly different directions in which my brother, sister and I would scatter expressly defined our personalities. Brother, to his dugout of ball bats and helmets. Sister, to her land of dollies and make-believe. I would creep stealthily toward the women’s clothing section. I would do so knowing somewhere down deep that it was wrong. And, it wasn’t exactly like I wanted to wear girls’ clothes. It was just that girls’ clothes were so much more interesting. But, I knew down deep that it was wrong. I had been told several times by both my parents, and I knew especially that my father didn’t like it. My parents didn’t like a great deal of my behaviors, and my father had gripped me by the shoulders on several occasions to tell me plainly and in stern, pointed language while looking directly into my eyes: “Brian. You. Is. A. BOY.”
They undoubtedly spray perfume on ladies’ clothes before they put them on the rack. This must be some sort of marketing tool because the Ladies’ department smelled of lilacs and vanilla. In stark contrast to the dismal browns and grays of the Men’s department, there was vibrancy, color, and life. There were floral patterns and stripes and ribbons and bows. Even the mannequins were posed in friendly, inviting ways, and, unlike the mannequins of the Men’s section, had heads and faces. Fully made-up faces were posed with arms outstretched in frozen arabesque. They were beautiful dancers petrified in a state of shellacked grace staring off into the distance. Not one judgement. They wore wigs and shiny beads, downy feathers, and purple tulle. Someone took great care to put their shoes on, and the sharp metal spines and Christmas tree bases holding them up were barely noticeable. The music was more resonant here and I was being asked if I “knew the way to San Jose” by a smooth and soulful lady’s voice. I ran my fingers along the clothes hangers, taking in the feel of every fabric imaginable from rough wool to tenuously delicate silk. This place was a giant replica of my mother’s closet where I would hide some days before baseball practice hoping I would not be found and dropped headfirst into another bi-weekly cataclysm of uncoordinated embarrassment. Here were racks and racks of clothing hanging majestically in the style that Ms. Diahann Carroll wore on that show where she was a nurse who was constantly surrounded by white people. There, in the Ladies section of Hills Department Store, was the taste, touch, feel, continued >>
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and scent of freedom from the accountability and banausic restraints of boyhood, and I would have lived there if I could. Undernourished white people tend to have hollowness around the eyes that makes the color of those eyes stand out. Greens become emerald and browns become hazel. It’s shocking, really. And the boy I saw lurking near me in the Women’s section of Hills Department Store had that hollowed-out look. He was about my age, eight or nine. His hair was dirty and hung limply around his too-thin face in greasy locks. His rat teeth were bucked and yellow and his cheekbones were sunken. White trash in dirty clothes. I had seen this before. White people don’t wear poverty nobly and he was the personification of that fact. Skinny as chicken bones, and I could tell, even from this distance, that he smelled of rotten eggs. But, his eyes were spectacular. Maybe it was the spirit of youth that made his eyes fight to be noticed underneath all that poor, but they shined in a way that I, until that moment, could never have dreamed possible. Blue. Azure, cerulean and powder blue all at the same time. They were sunken into his skull like someone had tried and failed to bury them, and they dazzled against skin that was far too pale to have been healthy. The outsides of his eyes were smudged with dark circles as if someone had wiped their muddy boots on them and his lashes were meters long and thick as paintbrushes. When his eyes met mine, I knew we were going to be enemies. He was rolling the fabric of a shirt slowly between his dirty-fingernailed hands and intermittently holding it against his body. It was the most beautiful shirt that I had ever seen. It looked soft, but not too soft, and had detailed piping on the cuffs of the sleeves. It was just a T-shirt. But, what a T-shirt it was. I scanned the bin where he’d picked it up for another one, but there was none to be found. He had the only one in his grubby little fingers and, at that moment, I weighed up and assessed everything I’d ever asked my parents for in my life. On balance, it didn’t seem to me like I’d ever asked them for much. I calculated my grades in school up until that point and it seemed to me that I had done pretty well, all things considered. And, as a child who hadn’t asked for much in this life, I knew that I deserved that shirt. I couldn’t understand why this trash was holding my shirt. There are moments that lie as markers in one’s life. Your parents document your first steps and your first words and your first time
pooping in the potty and, if my mother were standing by my side at that moment instead of swindling the lay-away lady, she would have documented this moment in time as Baby’s First Covet. My mouth had gone dry and my hands went clammy so I wiped them on my jeans. My mother missed Baby’s First Saunter when I casually strolled up to this Oliver Twist who had the audacity to be fondling my togs and stood right beside him as though I were just casually passing through. He eyed me with suspicion and fear. Terror, really. He dropped the shirt only halfway back into the bin but kept a hand on it and tried to look nonchalant like he wasn’t standing right in front of the world and everybody perusing girl’s clothes like the sissy he was. And he was an unctuous sissy, soppingly feminine.
So, there the two of us were. Two growing, red-blooded American boys standing in the Ladies’ department, each with one hand on a shirt that God himself had forbade us to wear. His wrists were thin and brittle as tinder, and his clothes hung on him. I could tell he was too poor to afford that shirt, so I just reached out and started aggressively handling it myself, gripping it in my fist. So, there the two of us were. Two growing, red-blooded American boys standing in the Ladies’ department, each with one hand on a shirt that God himself had forbade us to wear. I ran the fabric through my fingers, tugging the shirt closer and closer to me and farther and farther away from him. The fabric met my every expectation. The finest synthetic. After I got a feel for that shirt, I looked him straight into his firework-blue eyes and let him know with my best impression of the boys who bullied me every day that I had come to claim what was mine. But, before I could wretch it from his filthy hands… “Joe!!” The boy’s name was apparently Joe. A boy several years older than him was barking at him from the end of the aisle. A boy who had tattoos and a criminal background. A boy who looked like he ran the Tilt-O-Whirl at a pop-up fair. I could tell he was the previous owner continued >>
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of Joe’s clothes. He regarded me briefly but malevolently with the same piercing blue eyes harder around the edges than his brother’s. His hair was short on top and long in the back. He wasn’t happy with where he’d found Joe, and I could feel that they’d been in this exact place before. I could tell that, like me, Joe had been given “lessons” on how to be a man. Joe had been roughhoused, wet willied, and pants-ed, like me. I could tell that Joe had racked up hours in his mother’s closet avoiding baseball practices and had suffered the humiliations of Tonka trucks at Christmas sitting under the tree instead of the disembodied Barbie torso with hair you could really style. I could tell that Joe’s brother was just about at the end of his rope with Joe, and I didn’t blame him. Joe was an embarrassment. Joe was a sissy. Joe disgusted me. I wanted to fight Joe with all the strength in my body. His brother’s voice caused him to startle like a rabbit and in an act that I was sure had been repeated over and over in his home. He dropped my shirt like a baseball back into the bin and ran toward his brother, who cuffed him and dragged him away. My shirt laid spread out before me waiting to adorn the back of its rightful owner. I held it against my body as I walked it quickly to the back of the store. Back to lay-away. I’d arrived just in time. My mother had the lay-away lady’s eyes spinning in their sockets with confusion and surrender. She’d double-talked and triple-talked her until that woman didn’t know whether she was coming or going. My mother had gotten all of her laid away items down to sale prices, and she was busily removing items from their hangers smiling slyly and pleased with her shucking and jiving skills when I approached breathless. I handed the shirt up to her. I knew well enough not to tell her where I’d found it. The racing stripes and the piping were “boyish” enough to “pass.” I knew that now was the perfect time to strike as she was so pleased with herself for bilking the store out of money and high on her savings. I held up my prize triumphantly and my mother gave me a quizzical and annoyed look. She frowned. “Boy, if you don’t put that pink-ass shirt back where you found it—” That “pink-ass shirt” was more of a carnation color, really. It was pink all over and the piping down the sleeves and around the neck and cuffs was a deep red—the color of dried blood. I thought I could fool her. But, the pink betrayed me. Color had again betrayed me.
“Boy, if you don’t put that pink-ass shirt back where you found it—” She looked at me with a mixture of disdain and surprise at my boldness. She looked at me like she’d never met me before, like she was seeing me for the first time. She looked at me as though, with the presentation of this shirt, I had gotten beyond her reach and that no scolding or punishment for my strange behavior was ever going to work again. It was as if I’d plunged one of those clothes hangers directly into her heart, and I swear I saw tears bubble up and occlude her eyes. Her voice shook a little. “Brian, that is a girl’s shirt.” “But nobody can tell. You can’t tell. It looks like it could be a boy’s shirt. Just look at it. Please, can I have it? Please. I won’t ask for anything ever again. Please can I have it?”
She took a deep breath before exhaling slowly and I knew it was over when she snatched the shirt from my hands. I froze in shame knowing that the dream was over. And from that day to this one, no one has ever looked at me like my mother did that day. It was pity mixed with worry for what was to come. It was the piping pink manifestation of all she had ever suspected. It was every ball and Tonka truck they’d handed me for Christmas going dusty and unused in the corners around our house. Writ large and crystal clear she understood my tendency to sneak into my sister’s room to play with her disembodied Barbie torso. And it made evident to her why I tended to notice the colors of people’s eyes instead of the strength of their throwing arms, forever enamored with all things “pretty.” She looked at me with a pity and concern that no one will ever show me again in this lifetime. My mother hugged herself around the shoulders and tilted her head back as far as it would go. She took a deep breath before exhaling slowly and I knew it was over when she snatched the shirt from my hands. I froze in shame knowing that the dream was over. My head lowered on its own, ready for her to throw my shirt disgustedly at the already confused lay-away lady and snap at her to put this continued >>
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pink-ass shirt back where it came from. I knew that when we got home I would pay just like I paid on the baseball diamonds and basketball courts of the world. My mother would layaway my shame, making the payments last for years and years. But, she just put it in the cart. She exhaled slowly and just let something go. I can only guess at what it was. She just let it go in that breath and threw the shirt in the cart where it glowed bright, showing up the dull blue jeans and black T-shirts, gray slacks and boy clothes. She took a deep breath and bought me a girl’s shirt, rising up against so much that she thought she’d stood for. She bought it and I wore it. When I wore it out of the house, she said nothing. She told me to have a good day and I can only imagine what must have been going on in her head. I wore it only a few times to school until the world told me to stop. The teasing became too much. But, when I wore
it out of the house, I remember my mother really looking at me. Recognizing me. Knowing me. But, the teasing became too much and I have not worn pink since. Hills Department Store is gone. But, I remember wandering the aisles of the poor kid’s carnival looking for myself. I even remember Joe and I feel bad for taking his shirt from him. I wish I could find him and apologize for hating him so much. I wish I could send my apologies for stealing his blouse up into the night air and have it reach him through the skyscrapers of the big city he undoubtedly moved to. Wherever he is, he’ll sit straight up in bed, waking his husband who will ask him, “What’s the matter?” “Nothing,” he’ll say, smiling for a reason he doesn’t understand. “I just thought I felt something move.”
Pride 昂首闊步 Orgullo गौरव Bród 자부심 เกย์ไพรด Υπερηφάνεια Duma �ய Pride गौरव Hrdost أﻟﻔﺨﺮPride プライド גאווהOrgullo மர ியாைத 昂首闊步 Orgoglio गौरव Pride גאווהDuma Υπερηφάνεια เกย์ไพรด �ய Orgulho 자부심 Hrdost Pride أﻟﻔﺨﺮプライド Pride is about celebrating who you are and who you love. But millions around the world don’t have the ability to take part. Join the virtual march at google.com/prideforeveryone. #prideforeveryone D elta Foundation of P it t sb u rgh
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Let your colors fly free An interview with Brandon Parsons MICHAEL BUZZELLI
IN THE WAKE OF THE TRAGIC ANNIVERSARY OF THE Orlando Pulse Nightclub massacre, singer-songwriter Brandon Parsons wants to remind us “We must never hide.” The former American Idol contestant paid tribute to the victims of the Orlando tragedy with his original song, “Forty-Nine Times,” which he will sing at Pittsburgh Pride, one year after the deadly shootings took place. On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured dozens of others in one of Orlando’s hottest gay nightclubs, Pulse. Parsons was shocked and outraged as details slowly emerged. Like so many others, he watched the news unfold Sunday morning. Parsons said, “There was a pit in my stomach. It was like my whole world fell. It took my breath away.” Depressed from the catastrophic events, Parsons said, “I didn’t want to do anything for two to three days.” After a period of mourning, he realized he couldn’t just sit around; he had to do something. So he penned “Forty-Nine Times,” encapsulating his feelings about the appalling events. The chorus repeats, “And in the blink of an eye our hearts slowly died as we felt our Pulse 49 times.” The song is an anthem for Pride with beautiful and bold lyrics. Parsons sings, “Stand strong and always fight. Break free and always love. Never lose sight of who we are. We will never break. We will
never die. We are made for more than just tonight. Takes more than just a gun. More than you to tear us down. So let your colors fly free. We are forever strong.” Parsons, who is originally from York, Pennsylvania, began his music career at a young age. He started in the church choir and eventually became a worship leader. He played weddings and coffee houses singing Christian music. Uncomfortable with his church’s views on homosexuality, Parsons left. Now, he resides in Baltimore, Maryland, where he performs at the lively piano bar/nightclub, Howl at the Moon, every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. The singer-songwriter said, “I wrote ‘Forty-Nine Times’ for therapeutic reasons. Just to get the words out. I thought maybe it would get a few hits online.” The song skyrocketed on YouTube with nearly 200,000 hits, and more than a million hits on other websites. Parsons added, “I thought I could reach a few people and let them know how I felt. I never expected it to be half as big.” When Parsons comes to Pittsburgh to sing, it won’t be his first visit. He said, “I have been to Pittsburgh a few times. It was a while ago. I briefly lived in Indiana, Pennsylvania, with a good friend of mine while she was going to college. I remember I rode the Incline and I went to the gay bar, Pegasus.” He added, “Pittsburgh is a beautiful city.” continued >>
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Parsons offered advice for LGBT youth who are struggling with their sexual identity. “Always be yourself. Never be afraid of who you are, and be comfortable in your own skin. Coming out of the closet is a scary thing. Be brave.” The composer had similar advice for budding musicians: “Listen to the criticism. Don’t give up. Stick with it. And be yourself. Once I was myself, things really opened up for me.”
3/20/17
Parsons is enjoying his success, and he was quick to realize it came Health once he Rochester let his colors fly free. Mart - Pittsburgh Pride Ad
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See Brandon Parson perform on the following dates: Friday, June 9 at Howl at the Moon Saturday, June 10 at Pride in the Street Sunday, June 11 at PrideFest
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Meet DENA STANLEY:
Ballroom Baker DOUGLAS McINTYRE
LAST YEAR, AS PART OF PITTSBURGH PRIDE, THE FIRST Ball on the Bridge took place on the Andy Warhol Bridge. It was a night celebrating the underground ballroom culture, and Dena Stanley was among the leaders helping to make that event happen. A self-proclaimed “pioneer of the ballroom scene in Pittsburgh,” Stanley carried with her many years as a community leader of ballroom in Atlanta and was ready to bring that wisdom back when she returned to Pittsburgh a year and a half ago. One of the main reasons she returned to Pittsburgh was to serve as a role model for the trans community, particularly people of color, and joining the board of directors for the Delta Foundation is giving her an opportunity to do just that. It’s a role that has excited and humbled her as she provides a critical source of support for those in the trans community and a source of education for those outside of it. “Being able to plan the largest trans rally in Pittsburgh last February and then to tell my story in front of more than 700 people was an unbelievable experience for me.” Stanley’s business—Maddezsweetz (read: Mad Dee’s Sweets)—is a growing bakery that she started about three years ago in Atlanta where “the majority of trans women are business owners.” She had been working for several businesses as a pastry chef, including the highly successful Highland Bakery started by Stacey Eames. Stanley said, “Stacey has made an amazing name for herself in Atlanta. I really look up to her; she’s phenomenal.” Eames inspired a core
value for Maddezsweetz: Many of the menu items are gluten free, vegan, diabetes-friendly or otherwise suitable for food sensitivities. Eames has Celiac disease, so she encouraged Stanley to experiment with gluten-free recipes. “People don’t really like to get into gluten-free baking because it’s so tedious,” Stanley said. But as a pescatarian herself, Stanley understands the need to accommodate a variety of diets. These accommodations, however, don’t mean she isn’t making delicious desserts. One of Maddezsweetz best sellers is the soul food cupcake: A cornbread muffin stuffed with baked macaroni and cheese, coated in a maple glaze, covered in sweet potato frosting and topped with fried chicken. “I’m a fat girl, honey,” Stanley joked. “And that cupcake has quickly become one of my signature products.” She experiments with ideas and tests them on friends and family. “When a person falls to their knees, you know you’ve got you one.” Next up, she wants to expand on the soul food line with cupcakes inspired by Thanksgiving (think cornbread stuffing muffin with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes, topped with turkey or ham) and breakfast (maple cupcake filled with eggs and cheese and topped with a waffle and candied bacon). Her cupcakes are quickly becoming a Pittsburgh phenomenon. In March, Stanley sold them at the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show and she was recently recognized by The Incline as one of the 16 people elevating Pittsburgh’s dining scene. continued >>
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Stanley is bringing her amazing and creative cupcakes to Pride this year, where she will be selling them at PrideFest. She’ll also be providing information and merchandise for Trans YOUniting, her organization focused on motivating gender minorities to be engaged in political action. Through Trans YOUniting, Stanley provides resources to the trans people of color community in Pittsburgh, whether building leadership skills or developing etiquette for job interviews. “Just helping my sisters whenever and however they need it,” she said. The simple need for support is something Stanley is intimately familiar with. While Highland Bakery was an eager employer for the LGBT community in Atlanta, another bakery Stanley had worked for while transitioning subjected her to “a hostile work environment.” They treated her poorly, refused to recognize her correct pronouns, and eventually fired her. She sued and settled out of court. During this difficult time, Stanley was able to build significant support from within Atlanta’s ballroom community. Ball culture, the house system, and the ballroom community are terms used to describe the underground LGBT subculture in the United States in which people “walk” or compete for trophies and prizes. “The idea for Ball on the Bridge was to help bridge the gap between so many communities…from black and white to gay and straight,” said Stanley. The community is a haven for the Latinx and African American communities, especially those struggling to get by. “Sometimes they would be off the streets just for that one night so we made sure we had local resource organizations on hand to provide information to folks.” The Delta Foundation worked with County Executive Rich Fitzgerald to secure the Andy Warhol Bridge for the event. “It made perfect sense considering he was an icon in the LGBT community.” Stanley was first introduced to ballroom in Cleveland as a teenager, watching vogue competitions. In Pittsburgh, she serves as the mother for the House of Mizrahi, a well-known ballroom community represented across the globe. Other active houses in Pittsburgh include Balenciaga, Ebony, Elite, and Revlon.
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Last year’s event was so successful that Stanley, along with other leaders in the ballroom community, are coming together once again for the second Ball on the Bridge to “showcase talent from the ballroom scene,” she said. The theme for the ball is Candy Crush and participants will walk runway, drag realness, vogue performance and other categories. When Stanley competes, she walks femme queen realness and competes in face—“where you’re judged on your face.” She still finds herself in awe that she has had the opportunity to build the ballroom scene in Pittsburgh. “It’s amazing for that to happen here in this city,” she said. “I did the balls in my living room at my house. And now it’s out and open and in downtown Pittsburgh. It’s amazing.” We think you’re pretty amazing too, Dena!
Ball on the Bridge will take place on Saturday, June 3 on Ft. Duquesne Boulevard, between the Rachel Carson and Andy Warhol bridges. Visit the Maddezsweetz booth at PrideFest on Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11. Like the TransYOUniting page on Facebook.
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LAUGHS FOR ALL MICHAEL BUZZELLI
WHILE STAND-UP COMEDY IS STILL PREDOMINANTLY MALE, improv and sketch comedy is more inclusive. Since its inception, the Arcade Comedy Theater has welcomed diverse voices. There is Frankly Scarlett, an improv/sketch group composed of all women (Abby Fudor, Liz Labacz and Robin Hitchcock), and LGBTQ*Bert, an improv troupe with a growing number of team players, including Connor McCanlus, John Feightner, Kayleigh Blanchette Kingsbury, Frank McDade, Michael Quigley, Ashley McKinney and many more.
enough white straight male voices in my life, thank you.” He added, “As an LGBT performer, Arcade has always been a safe place for me.”
During Pittsburgh Pride, the Arcade always has LGBT programming, improv, sketch and stand-up comedy, including a staged reading of “The Golden Girls,” wherein Blanche, Dorothy, Rose and Sophia are played by four gay actors: Billy Mason, Jason Shavers, Connor McCanlus and Brian Edward, respectively.
McCanlus, who produces many of the shows during Pride weekend said, “In our current political climate, representation is crucial. So is a sense of humor. If I don’t laugh about what’s going on in our country, I’ll cry. So comedy is my coping mechanism. I can’t change the world, but I can make you laugh about it. There is so much anger, and that energy needs to go somewhere. Laughter is cathartic. Pride at Arcade is about celebrating Pittsburgh’s queer comedians. Queer individuals, all marginalized people, have something to say. Pride is about marginalized people getting a platform to voice their opinions and share their perspectives.”
Improviser and actor McCanlus said, “Comedy in general is still dominated by white heteronormative cis-gendered men. I have
In 2013, LGBT performers and their ally performers have marched in the march. Actor and comedian Missy Moreno said, “Our dear continued >>
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BUST A MOVE
MICHAEL BUZZELLI
ARCADE COMEDY THEATER IS TAKING A STROLL DOWN Liberty Avenue. The theater is not just moving down the block, from 811 Liberty Avenue to 943 Liberty; it’s expanding from its modest space into a custom-built, three-floor, two-theater, state-of-the art performance venue. The Arcade Comedy Theater opened its doors in February, 2013. It was the first space in the Pittsburgh Cultural District dedicated to comedy: stand-up, sketch and improv. The theater, which continues to win Pittsburgh Magazine’s “Best of the Burgh” award, and City Paper’s “Best of Pittsburgh” award, gained national attention when Katie Couric featured the comedy venue in a short documentary about Pittsburgh for Yahoo! News. Iconic Pittsburgh celebrity Rick Sebak also highlighted the venue in his WQED documentary, “Another Trip Downtown.” The Arcade Comedy Theater is run by four of its five founding members: creative directors, Michael Rubino, Abby Fudor, Kirsty Nolen and Jeff “Jethro” Nolen.
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friend Jared Pascoe of ‘Gay for Good’ invited and encouraged the Arcade to join with their group in the parade. His kind invitation set the example and loving tone of Pride. Every year the number of Arcade participants grows! It’s one of the best events of our community. Since improvisational comedy is inherently about support and inclusion, it is our honor and pleasure to extend that same nurturing love to the Pittsburgh LGBT community.” Moreno said, “We work hard to ensure that artists who identify as LGBT are represented on our stage, especially during Pride weekend. As we keep growing, we want to keep doing all we can to be a safe, fun and supportive atmosphere for ALL people of Pittsburgh, artists and audiences alike.” She added, “One year, we had a T-shirt slogan that read, ‘Laughs for All!’”
Fudor said, “The past four years have been non-stop. But enthusiastic support from our community and the impact we’ve made on people’s lives showed us how necessary it was to expand into something more permanent.” The new facility will have two stages on two different floors of the building. Rubino said, “The plan is to have shows running on both stages every weekend.” The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has been aiding the endeavor. Fudor said, “The Trust has always been extremely supportive and excited to have a theater offering affordable, accessible shows that bring people downtown every single weekend, and classes that bring people downtown during weekends.” The Arcade Comedy Theater has an extensive education program. The program consists of multiple classes in improv, musical improv, sketch and stand-up comedy four nights a week. Arcade’s new space is anticipated to open later this summer. The 811 Liberty Avenue space will remain active until the opening.
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LGBT Employment Rights MARIAH L. PASSARELLI, ESQ.
in a New Era
AS A LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT ATTORNEY (NOT TO MENTION an all-around legal nerd), one of my first thoughts on election night was “I wonder what this result will mean for employment law?” No kidding. However, to understand the answer to this question, you must first appreciate the precarious foundation on which LGBT employment law has heretofore been based. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the source of the vast majority of employment non-discrimination and harassment protections, protecting employees from (among other things) discrimination on the basis of their gender. However, this law (and the Pennsylvania state law equivalent, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act) does not include sexual orientation or gender identity in its definition of protections. Recognizing this shortcoming, a piece of legislation called the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was first proposed in 1994 (and has been brought before every single Congress since, with the exception of the 109th Congress). In its original form, ENDA called for employment discrimination and harassment protections for employees based on their sexual orientation. In 2007, protection against such workplace mistreatment on the basis of gender identity was added. Unfortunately, ENDA has never passed. Having apparently grown tired of waiting for ENDA to become law, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—the federal administrative body responsible for administering Title VII and for adjudicating discrimination claims before they reach federal court—issued a guidance memorandum in 2012. The 2012 EEOC guidance stated, formally, that the EEOC (and by extension, the federal courts) would now consider sexual orientation and gender identity claims as being covered by Title VII. In the years after this guidance memorandum, the EEOC began accepting such claims from employee-claimants and aggressively litigating claims of sexual orientation and gender identity harassment and discrimination on behalf of aggrieved employees.
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Slow progress continued in 2014, when President Obama issued a pair of companion Executive Orders, which definitively outlawed employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity within the civilian federal workforce. It required private companies doing business with the federal government to affirm their commitment not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (i.e., to abide by the same antidiscrimination and harassment laws that would otherwise apply to the federal government). Workplace rules (like whether a gender non-conforming employee can be made to use a particular bathroom at work, or whether an individual can be terminated from their employment based upon their sexual orientation) are, in large part, shaped by this EEOC framework. In other words, in the absence of the 2012 EEOC guidance, LGBT employees would have no federal protections against discrimination and harassment in the workplace because there is no federal law specifically protecting them. Importantly, without ENDA, in the event that the EEOC guidance is ever rescinded, employees would lose the ability to file federal lawsuits regarding employment discrimination and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity discrimination/ harassment. continued >>
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I wonder what this result will mean for employment law
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On January 30, 2017, President Trump announced that he would leave President Obama’s Executive Order in place and the LGBT community breathed a premature sigh of relief. However, on March 28, 2017, President Trump rescinded the portion of President Obama’s 2014 Executive Order which applied to federal contractors. The practical implication of these actions combined is that the only group of employees left with a specifically articulated protection from employment discrimination and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity are civilians working for the federal government. Everyone else (people that work for federal contractors and people that work for private employers)—for the time being—remain able to file EEOC charges and lawsuits based on sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination/harassment, but are not specifically protected against such conduct. Only time will tell if this move marks the first step down a slippery slope of repealing already limited federal LGBT workplace protections. Perhaps to combat this volatile federal landscape, states have begun enacting their own LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination and harassment laws. As of this writing, 20 states prohibit employment discrimination in both the public and private sector on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity; two states prohibit employment discrimination in both the public and private sector on the basis of only sexual orientation; six states prohibit employment discrimination against public employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity; and five states prohibit employment discrimination against public employees based on only sexual orientation. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania prohibits employment discrimination against public (i.e., state) employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, but private employees do not have any such state-level protections. This patchwork of legal protections is further complicated by local laws. For instance, Section 651.04 of the City of Pittsburgh’s Municipal Code protects both public and private employees against employment discrimination and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Similar city and municipal codes have been passed by Allegheny County, Erie County, the City and County of Philadelphia and 35 other cities, townships, and boroughs in Pennsylvania. As such, whether an individual employee is protected from employment discrimination and harassment may
Whether an individual employee is protected from employment discrimination and harassment may literally depend upon their zip code literally depend upon their zip code—the proverbial “haves” and “have nots” separated by city limits, a county line or the borders of their state. With much of the focus in the recent LGBT movement on marriage equality, it has been easy to lose focus on the fact that, for much of America, although you can now legally marry your same-sex partner, your employer can lawfully terminate you for doing so. For the foreseeable future, it appears that state and local legislatures will be at the forefront of employment protections in the LGBT community while employees and employers alike wait to see what the new administration does on the federal level. Without passage of ENDA or a comparable federal statute, what the EEOC guidance giveth, the Department of Justice can taketh away. For employers with worksites located in states and/or municipalities with LGBT anti-discrimination/harassment laws in place (such as those operating in Allegheny County and/or the City of Pittsburgh), it is more important than ever—given the confusing framework of laws described above—to ensure that your company’s employee handbook has equal employment policy and reporting provisions drafted in accordance with the law and that all employees (but particularly managers) are properly trained in harassment/ discrimination avoidance and diversity inclusion. Perhaps it is never truer than it is in the context of litigation, but, as the old saying goes: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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r e Summ CHRISSY COSTA
’ n i Lov
PICTURE IT: PITTSBURGH, 2016. THREE FRIENDS SET OUT TO have the best summer of their lives, while remaining single. They called it “Single Summer” and it was going to be glorious. But shortly after summer began those three friends failed because—did I mention they were lesbians? I’m one of them, and this is our story: (All names were changed to protect the identity of those herein, except for mine.)
It was late spring of 2016 when Mag, Claire and I all found ourselves newly single. Aside from some occasional lingering heartache we were all welcoming our new relationship statuses. Ok, so I wasn’t technically recently single like the others. I had been single for quite a while but I was dealing with a relationship that I created in my mind and it wasn’t working out, and everyone knows that’s more devastating than reality. Fake relationships lead to some of the longest breakups. So I was all for climbing aboard that Single Summer ship. We gathered in my backyard at a place we called “the parlor,” poured wine and toasted to a summer filled with laughter and debauchery; devoid of feelings, emotions and attachments. Single Summer had begun.
The demise of Mag: Mag fell off the wagon rather quickly. She had dinner with her friend Shelly one night shortly after we made our pact, and they ended up making out on her couch. She sent a group text the next morning and told us all about it. We nicknamed her friend Couch Shelly, and
teased Mag like a bunch of fourth graders, but she assured us she was still single and ready to mingle for the summer. It wasn’t long before we noticed Mag’s communication was becoming more infrequent and her responses shorter than usual. She had been spending a great deal of time with Couch Shelly. At that point, Claire and I looked at one another and said, “She’s a goner.” I could no longer feel the pulse of her single-girl heart. Mag was no longer with us.
The contemplation of Claire: Claire was the most complex member of our group. Single summer was her idea and after orchestrating it and constructing a spinthe-bottle table for the parlor, she sort of bailed on the idea of acting single. Deep down she wanted to but realized she hadn’t been truly single in decades. So she took time for herself without the possibility of connecting with anyone beyond friendship. She feared not only losing herself, but getting close to someone else too quickly. Claire also feared oxytocin, most commonly known as the love hormone that’s released after sex—sex with women in particular. I like to refer to it as the moment a girl’s crazy leaks out. Tomayto, tomahto. Either way, Claire wasn’t ready for all of that. So she acted as if Single Summer was my idea and she planted a garden instead.
And then there was one: I didn’t mind playing spin the bottle alone. Ok, another lie. I was the last woman standing and the only one who committed to the plan. That’s huge for a Sagittarius. I tried not only to meet someone, but also to meet many not-so-special someone’s. I’m not afraid of oxytocin. I’m more afraid of getting into a relationship and becoming that couple who posts on one another’s Facebook pages what could be sent privately in a text (You know who you are). I had a love-hate relationship with relationships—much like my feelings toward iPhones. I keep trying to leave them, but they make the best emojis. And they tell me when to wake up. So, disappointed in my posse, I grew closer to my Netflix account, or as my therapist calls it, “gave up.” As I await summer 2017 with all its possibilities, I can’t help but reflect upon the lessons that each of us gained this past year. continued >>
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY >>
To trust again: While Mag may have been the first to jump ship, she did so with bravery as she wasn’t accustomed to soft landings. She’s still very much in love with Couch Shelly. They’ve become a family. And I’ll never stop calling her by her nickname.
To trust oneself: Claire seemed to be the flighty one, not even knowing the rules of her own game before backing out, but she listened to the voice within and planted more than just flowers last year. Claire proved to herself that she didn’t need anyone (*finger snap). She’s now ready for her next adventure.
To trust no one?: I jest. I’ll be honest, I enjoy my alone time and my make-believe relationships, but underneath that all lies a desire for something very real. It’s just taken a long time and a lot of self-love to get there. We get by with a little help from our friends. But I’m still open if Julianne Moore calls.
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PITTSBURGH PRIDE CCAC offers:
• affordable tuition • a supportive learning environment • the convenience of day, evening, weekend and online courses • a choice of more than 150 programs across six diverse career paths Arts & Humanities Business Education, Social & Behavioral Sciences & Human Services
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20/20 The Studio Museum in Harlem and Carnegie Museum of Art 40 artists. 2 museums. 1 American story. Exhibition opens July 22 at CMOA cmoa.org
This exhibition is organized by Carnegie Museum of Art in partnership with The Studio Museum in Harlem Lyle Ashton Harris, Miss America, 1987â&#x20AC;&#x201C;88, The Studio Museum in Harlem, Anonymous gift.
Being Transgender Is Not a Mental Disorder TEGAN ROSENBAUM
IN ORDER TO HAVE ACCESS TO NECESSARY, OFTEN life-saving care options, transgender people whose bodies are incongruent with their gender identity, must accept the label of having severe mental distress (Gender Dysphoria) or worse yet, a mental disorder (Gender Identity Disorder—older terminology, but still used). This reinforces the delusive belief that just being a transgender person inherently means that the person must have a mental issue. As a professional, accomplished woman that happens to be transgender, I was shocked when upon seeking needed medical care, I was initially assessed as having a Gender Identity Disorder (GID), and later reassessed with Gender Dysphoria—both references from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Knowing that the healthcare treatment I required was physically focused, I challenged the conclusion of several doctors. I quickly learned that accepting a diagnosis of having a mental disorder and securing multiple, costly mental health recommendations was the only medical means of unlocking access to critical care. Once care was technically accessible, though monetarily very prohibitive, available physical treatments were exactly what I needed to regain basic health, but the mechanism to get there was and is all wrong. Unfortunately there are several harmful factors that continue to fuel the mischaracterization of transgender people as inherently having a mental disorder:
1. “Gender” is assigned based on external physicality, at or before birth. A quick, visual check while having a pregnancy ultrasound or upon birth, and then a life-altering binary sex/gender blended declaration from a physician is made: Boy or girl? Penis or not? That’s it—just a visual check. From that casual birth proclamation, children are immediately prescribed a narrow girl or boy gender binary path of cultural appropriateness. This sets the filter through which society continually passes judgment from childhood through adulthood, and prescribed gender roles and expectations pervade everything from allowed activities, permitted behaviors, expressed emotions, preferences, appearance, and even legal rights. continued >>
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For some, where the birth declaration and the personal gender identity match, predefined gender judgment paths may even provide some sense of comfort. However, for transgender people whose gender identity does not match the blended assignment of sex and gender declared at birth, this is the foundation for a long and arduous three-way struggle between self, society, and the medical community.
2. Anything contrary to a person’s assigned gender, must be a mental issue. “Nature loves diversity; society hates it,” said Dr. Milton Diamond, Professor Emeritus of anatomy and reproductive biology at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. Broad and continual natural variation has resulted in evolutionary advancement over millions of years, but conformity and simplification offer societies the illusion of greater comfort and stability. Relative to gender, this translates into overly simplified and immediately assigned categories of male or female (blended sex/gender), but any variation or complexity beyond those simple definitions, often incites fear and sometimes violence. After all, the assigned sex/gender at birth was likely made by a medical professional with society-granted powers of authority and purported medical experience. This assumption of authority and expertise implies a false sense of accuracy. So what is easier to accept: that a highly trained medical professional’s external physical examination of a newly born baby and resulting gender declaration is potentially inaccurate or that a baby’s gender is yet unknown at birth and that it will likely take several years to fully recognize that individual’s gender and detect potential incongruence? The former option is clearly the simplest explanation. Therefore, concluding that natural variation is a mental disorder is society’s means of dismissing variation and reinforcing gender role conformance. Additionally, the argument that being a transgender person inherently results in mental dysphoria, is also incorrect. Dysphoria is not created from simply being transgender rather society creates dysphoria through years of denial of transgender existence, fear, violence, stigmatization and marginalization. Prolonged exposure to these conditions is toxic and dangerous for anyone. Transgender
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children, just like all children, aren’t born with preconceptions as to societal rules and judgments regarding gender expression or roles. Rather, children are born with a sense of personal identity, but the binary societal gender rules have to be taught, enforced, and learned. For transgender children, as the disconnect grows between personal gender identity and imposed societal gender rules, internal conflicts proliferate and are manifested externally: society reacts to those manifestations with fear and judgment and the circumstances escalate over time.
3. Basic medical terminology used to describe a transgender person is at best judgmental, and at worse abusive. Inaccurate and polarizing terminology such as disorder, deviation, abnormality or defect, all further community stigmatization, fuel societal discomfort and fears, and often accumulate into discrimination, ostracization, and even violence. A simple shift to using the term variation, as in “sex variation” or “gender variation,” is medically more accurate and has a completely different connotation, void of negative judgment. Also, at a really basic level, consider the definition of the prefix “trans” itself. The definition of trans is “beyond,” so transgender is essentially “beyond-gender.” But of course that is not true for all. Many transgender people have a very strong gender identity. Their identity just doesn’t always fit neatly into the rigid, traditional male/female binary. Gender must evolve like everything else. Why is this evolution threatening? The concept of an oversimplified categorization evolving past initial societal resistance is not shocking, nor uncommon. Consider that the greatest scientific minds in the world once described the earth as flat. Later it was recognized as round, then recognized again as an oblate ellipsoid (bulging at the center), and later it evolved yet again, as we know now even the oblate ellipsoid categorization is less than accurate, as the earth’s center mass is not evenly dispersed.
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Since being transgender is not a mental issue, why can’t a transgender person simply be determined to have a physical issue (as appropriate to the individual)? Consider any number of non-life threatening physical birth variations (unfortunately referred to as “birth defects”). According to the CDC, birth defects affect 1 in every 33 U.S. births and can be structural, functional or both, and most often occur in early pregnancy. Detection often occurs early (e.g., cleft lip or palate) but can also be discovered much later in life (e.g., heart or hearing defects). For these physical conditions, upon discovery modern medical science recognizes the condition, and doctor’s quickly collaborate with guardians (in the case of minors) and/or the individual to define healthy accommodations or correction paths. Prescribed care and associated health insurance coverage often spans a broad range inclusive of surgical options, medication treatments, and counseling. A birth variation condition is therefore relatively accepted by society and optional care processes are fairly simple—detect/recognize, understand options, optionally treat, and support as necessary.
So how are birth variations different than a transgender person detecting that their body doesn’t align with their gender? Physical/structural issues and variation are readily accepted within the 3 percent of the U.S. population that is born with physical birth variations, but a physical issue of “wrong parts” is somehow not accepted by society or large groups within the medical community as being possible. Yet the process and need is the same. The individual (or their guardian) first recognizes the physical issue, understands options, makes appropriate and timely decisions as to how to proceed, and then based on the decided path, accompanying support is sought. At a high-level, there is little practical difference.
Why not just consider being transgender as a basic natural variation with no diagnosis required for care? A “no diagnosis” approach has large negative implications for transgender people with physical variation. Medical care and coverage is generally activated as preventative or as the result of a specific diagnosis. Although requiring that a transgender person be categorized as having a mental disorder is inaccurate and pejorative, at a basic level it does unlock some level of access to medically necessary care (assuming all pre-qualifications are met). Without a basic medical diagnosis, hormones, surgical corrections, and rudimentary support needs are all potentially out of reach. Coupled with society-induced dysphoria, a lack of access to medical options is life threatening.
Making the world a safer and healthier place. Society needs to recognize that biological, physical, and gender variation are absolutely a natural part of the human condition and that labeling variation as a disorder only furthers division and fuels fears. Being transgender is not a mental disorder, but denying people their identity and the care they need in a timely manner, can result in creating extreme distress. An important first step is to enable a physical variation diagnosis for transgender people needing physical care and treatment, rather than forcing a mental disorder label prior to allowing access to necessary care. This reduces potential medical miscategorization and negative connotations associated with being labeled as a disorder. Lastly, communities need to acknowledge that collectively, our current rigid binary gender system is actually creating and exacerbating gender dysphoria. The long-term cost (to society, families and individuals) of marginalizing and stigmatizing transgender people is immeasurably higher, than recognizing normal physical variation, eschewing gender judgments and enabling full access to care as appropriate to individual needs.
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THE RUBY OF THE ORIENT RICK SICILIO
AT THE SOUTHERN TIP OF THE MALAYSIAN PENINSULA is a jewel called the Republic of Singapore. Nicknamed â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Red Dot,â&#x20AC;? Singapore is a city-state separated from Malaysia by a causeway measuring only 250 square miles. Within its compact borders, Singapore offers a whole world of experiences to its visitors from its artisan cuisine to its dazzling array of architecture styles.
warm and wet climate that has no defined seasons, only a tropical atmosphere. When darkness falls, the city turns up the lights and illuminates the silhouette of the skyline with its towering skyscrapers standing guard over the classic traditional buildings. Since this country is a blend of many cultures, religions, and languages, the people of Singapore are very welcoming and accepting of others.
Singapore is a treasure-trove of delights for every discerning traveler. Walk down the brightly colored busy streets that hold the delectable aromas of street food. Become enveloped in the
Singapore is known for its cleanliness, low crime rate and unusual laws. For example, there are fines and/or prison sentences if you happen to get caught breaking the following laws: continued >> D elta Foundation o f P it t sb u rgh
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• Singing in public (three months in prison). • Connecting to another person’s wi-fi ($10,000 fine). • Feeding the pigeons ($500 fine). • Failure to flush a public toilet ($150 fine). • Smoking in public ($100–750 fine). • Walking around your house naked ($1,000 fine). • Littering ($300 or public service). • Selling chewing gum ($100,000 fine). • Spitting in public ($1,000 fine).
National Kitchen by Violet Oon
Fortunately, the Singapore government is aware that many of these laws are outdated.
Wild Rocket at Mount Emily
Singapore has an exciting, yet small gay night life that includes clubs, restaurants and other establishments available for your enjoyment. Just don’t sing in public.
Embellish your palate at the Wild Rocket with a dinner of brioche bread with green onions, soft shell chili crab and Iberico pork char stew with shanghai kao cai and quinoa, and end the dinner with black sesame puree and vanilla ice cream. wildrocket.com.sg
Points of Interest MUSEUMS:
The best way to get a feel for the culture of Singapore is to museum hop! The National Gallery of Singapore (nationalgallery.sg) features 8,000 artworks spanning 10 galleries. The Singapore Art Museum (singaporeartmuseum.sg), affectionately known as “SAM,” houses one of the world’s largest collections of contemporary Southeast Asian artwork in a 19th-century mission school, which will thrill architecture lovers. The Perankan Museum (peranakanmuseum.org.sg) is the place to go for a crash course in Perankan heritage and culture. The term “perankan” means “locally born” in Malay, and refers to the descendants of foreign traders who married local women centuries ago. This museum houses the finest collection of Perankan artifacts such as jewelry, furniture and textiles.
GASTRONOMY: One this is for certain: Singaporeans love their food. Whether from hawker centers, food trucks, or luxury restaurants, it is all a unique blend of the cultural diversity that is Singapore. International chefs such as Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsey and Mario Batalli all have restaurants in Singapore, and sometimes taking to the streets, you can find a diamond in the rough.
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This restaurant offers its customer the best in Perankan cuisine. Choices could range from otak crostini (spiced coconut creamfish quenelle served on a buttered crostini) to ketsuri pie (citrus curd on a buttery shortbread crust topped with papaya and limau ketsuri compote, served with clotted cream). Last but not least, you could try the hae be hiam (spicy dried shrimp floss finger sandwich) with kueh pie tee (julienne of bamboo shoot and turnip poached in prawn bisque serviced in a deep fried “top hat” cup topped with a prawn). violetoon.com
At the open-air food complexes or hawker centers, you can find a melting pot of Chinese, Malay, and Indian cultures. One of Singapore’s most popular street foods, char kway teow can be found at the hawker centers. This dish is made up of flat rice noodles stirred with dark soya sauce, blood cockles, bean sprouts and Chinese sausage slices, topped with crispy cubes of deep-fried lard.
ELEGANT EXCEPTIONAL ARCHITECTURE: A visit to Singapore would not be complete without a visit to these fascinating architectural creations: • The Armenian Church of St. Gregory The Illuminator was built in 1835 and is the oldest church in Singapore. • St. Andrew’s Cathedral reaches to the heavens with its imposing tower and spire which encountered two lightning strikes in 1852. • The Central Fire Station was built with distinctive red and white brick, and it is Singapore’s oldest existing fire station. • The Sri Mariamman Temple (Little India), one of Singapore’s oldest Hindu temples, is dedicated to the goddess and destroyer of evil, Kali. The front tower (Rajagopuram) was added in the 1980s with colorful and intricate statues and detailing. continued >>
Bars/Clubs
The Singapore gay bar and nightclub scene has evolved rapidly over the last few years. Most gay venues are located on or close to Neil Road in Chinatown, and after the sun goes down you’ll find a number of gay-friendly venues, from chill-out bistros to banging nightclubs. Singapore also hosts regular gay parties, but again, these come and go, so the best way of staying up-to-date is to ask around. Tantric Bar / May Wong’s Cafe / Backstage Bar
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• Sultan Mosque is a focal point for Singapore’s Malay residents. It sits in what was once the heart of Malay royal land. • The Arts House was built in 1827 and was used as Singapore’s first Parliament House, but now is a multi-disciplinary arts venue. • The Henderson Waves presents a challenge with a 10-kilometer trail through exotic natural settings.
One of Singapore’s longest-running and most popular gay bars, Backstage Bar has both indoor and outdoor areas. This cozy bar turns into a party venue where you dance to some upbeat tunes. This three-in-one venue is a quite an institution in Singapore’s gay nightlife scene and is easy walking distance from Outram Park in Chinatown, a stone’s throw away from the looming skyscrapers of the CBD. This place started off as just the “Backstage Bar,” but its newer Tantric Bar seems to be the most popular choice nowadays, with hip dance music and potent cocktails keeping the diverse crowd happy until throwing out time (when most of the guys stumble across the street to carry on the party at Taboo Club—) Taboo Club
• The Singapore Flyer is no ordinary observation wheel. It takes you 165 meters above the ground (as high as 42 stories) on a 30-minute journey in one of the 28 glass capsules as you enjoy Singapore’s stunning scenery.
While other gay clubs come and go in Singapore, Taboo Club is one of a handful that has stood the test of time and still thrives today. Things only really get going here after midnight, when the boys roll up tipsy after a night of bar hopping.
• Marina Bay Sands is an architectural masterpiece. Three 55-story towers are the foundation for a literal park in the sky–200 meters in the sky!
DYMK—“Does Your Mother Know?”
• The Botanical Gardens features sculptures of sculptures, a swan lake, tropical trees and the National Orchid Garden, which has been named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to more than 60,000 plants.
DYMK is located in a lovingly restored old shop-house with a focus more on relaxed tunes and creative cocktails mixed by friendly bartenders. Stop in the daytime to relax or at night when things heat up. Music is generally mainstream hits.
• Gardens by the Bay has breathtaking and unique horticultural arrangements. Visit an actual forest in the clouds (up to 50 meters high) which houses the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. continued >>
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Rick Sicilio and his team at Classic Travel and Tours are ready to customize your connection to the world Destination Weddings • Honeymoons Sight-seeing Adventures • Cruises All-Inclusive Resorts • Island Excursions Performance Tours • Family Vacations ...and more If you can dream it, we can customize it! Contact us: 724-733-8747 info@TRIPSandCRUISES.com 795 Pine Valley Drive, Suite 16 Pittsburgh, PA 15239
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Hotels
Marina Bay Sands Located along the Marina Bay waterfront, Marina Bay Sands features three cascading hotel towers topped by an extraordinary sky park, “floating” crystal pavilions, a lotus-inspired museum, retail stores featuring cutting-edge labels from international luxury brands, trendy restaurants from celebrity chefs and endless entertainment at the theatres, the hottest night clubs, and a Las Vegas-style casino. Swim on top of the world in the world’s largest rooftop infinity pool, gazing down on the glittering city-skyline from 57 levels above as the lines between fantasy and reality blur—just amazing! marinabaysands.com Conrad Centennial Singapore The Conrad Hotel is located within the business and shopping districts of Marina Bay, minutes from Marina Sands which is a part of the Millenia Singapore development, and houses a lifestyle shopping mall with direct access to more than 1,000 shops and over 300 dining options around the area. conradhotels3.hotel.com
The Lion City
Singapore’s national icon is the mythical Merlion—a creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. The body represents Singapore’s beginning as a fishing village and the lions head stands for Singapore’s original name: Singapura, or Lion City. At Merlion Park, the statue of the Merlion stands facing east for prosperity, spouting water from its mouth, and has greeted passersby for years. Once known as a stop-over for long flights, Singapore has crafted itself into an international jewel that glistens with the enticing blend of old and new, modern and classic. Now is the time to visit Singapore—the ruby of the Orient.
For travel recommendations: email RSicilio@TRIPSandCRUISES.com visit TRIPSandCRUISES.com call 800-411-8747 D elta Foundation of P it t sb u rgh
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Ye With Little Time, I Give You Peace of Mind. KELLY KINSEY
YOU ARE BUSY RIGHT? I GET THAT. AS A BUSY LADY WITH a full time job, two children under the age of five, a wife, and a parttime obsessive food thing (blogging, catering, reviewing, designing, writing, Instagraming, etc.), I’m no stranger to maximizing time and minimizing effort. Although meal planning, grocery shopping, food prep, and concocting new recipes for the week is my good time Saturday night kinda fun, I realize for most of you, it’s possibly torture.
With both, you place your order by Monday at midnight and Pittsburgh orders will be delivered the following Sunday.
If you find yourself not having enough energy to figure out what to eat, let alone make it, then I have the solution for you. No prep. No fuss. No problem.
A weekly supply consists of five frozen meals with approximately 2-4 portions in each. Sample dishes include:
Meal kit delivery services are reinventing the dinner ritual in a very good way. Working couples, singles, and busy families who care about eating fresh, home-cooked meals are flocking to the concept of a freshly prepped meal-in-a-box, and the market is lighting up with a flurry of new offerings It’s a trend that began in 2012, then took off. From Blue Apron to Plated to Home Fresh, these services are now a $400 million market that’s projected to increase tenfold in the next five years, according to Technomic, a research and consulting firm for the food industry. Today there are more than 100 meal delivery services in the U.S., and new ones are springing up all the time. Two Pittsburgh-based companies have jumped on the meal kit delivery service bandwagon: CHIP AND KALE (chipandkale.com) is a non-subscription plantbased meal delivery company. New menus are posted every Tuesday and you can choose from Vegan, Family Friendly, or Gluten-Free meals. STEEL CITY MEALS (steelcitymeals.com) is also a nonsubscription delivery company.
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Meals are delivered to your door, frozen, with each component of the from-scratch meal, locally sourced, handcrafted, prepped, portioned and individually packaged. All your participation requires is a fridge to thaw it out, an oven or a stove top, and about 15 minutes of your time.
From Chip and Kale: Cashew Tofu, Hawaiian Pizza, Pasta Putenesca, and Sweet Potato Enchiladas From Steel City Meals: Beef Stroganoff, Cashew Chicken, and Crab Cakes Bada Boom, Bada Bam. You’re welcome.
Pink Pages Accomodations Arbors Bed & Breakfast 745 Maginn Street Pittsburgh, PA 15214 412-231-4643 arborsbnb.com Courtyard by Marriot 945 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-434-5551 marriott.com Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh 620 William Penn Place Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-471-1170 monaco-pittsburgh.com
Omni William Penn Hotel 530 William Penn Place Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-281-7100 omnihotels.com Parador Inn 939 Western Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15233 412-231-4800 theparadorinn.com Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel 107 Sixth Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-562-1200 marriot.com The Priory Hotel 614 Pressley Street Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-231-3338 thepriory.com
Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh 1000 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-281-3700 westinpittsburgh.com Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown 600 Commonwealth Place Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-391-4600 wyndham.com
Advocacy Organizations AARP aarp.org/pride AIDS Free Pittsburgh 650 Smithfield Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-586-6706 aidsfreepittsburgh.org
Allegheny County Commission on Human Relations 1st Floor, County Office Building Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-350-6945
City of Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations 908 City County Bldg. 414 Grant St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-255-2600 Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh 911 Galveston Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15233 412-322-2800 deltafoundation.us
American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU) 313 Atwood Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-681-7736 aclupa.org/chapters/ greaterpittsburgh/ Citizen Police Review Board 816 5th Ave., Suite 400 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-765-8023 city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cprb
Dignity & Respect Campaign 239 4th Avenue Suite 1201 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 1-888-222-8211 dignityandrespectcampaign.com
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Pink Pages Equality Pennsylvania 717-319-5210 equalitypa.org Garden of Peace Project gardenofpeaceproject.org Gertrude Stein Political Club of Pittsburgh gertrudesteinclub.org Keystone Progress keystoneprogress.org Steel City Stonewall Democrats stonewalldemocrats.org/ steel-city Tobacco Free Allegheny 1501 Reedsdale, St., #400 Pittsburgh, PA 15233 1-800-QUIT-NOW tobaccofreeallegheny.org
Attorneys/CPAs Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney One Oxford Centre 301 Grant Street, #20 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-562-8800 bipc.com Elliot & Davis, P.C. 425 First Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-434-4911 elliot-davis.com Ernst & Young One PPG Place, Suite 2100 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-644-7800 ey.com
Gill Law Offices 233 Merchant Street, Ste. 110 Ambridge, PA 15003 412-613-7544 jodigill@yahoo.com K&L Gates 210 Sixth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-355-6500 klgates.com KPMG 500 Grant Street #3400 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-391-9710 kpmg.com The Law Offices of Kathleen D. Schneider 1227 S. Braddock Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15218 412-371-1900 kds.law@verizon.net
Attractions The Andy Warhol Museum 117 Sandusky Street Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-237-8300 warhol.org
Bricolage Production Company 937 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-471-0999 bricolagepgh.org
Artists Upstairs P.O. Box 22133 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-443-8132 artup.org
Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh 4400 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-622-3131 carnegiemuseums.org
August Wilson Center 980 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-258-2700 augustwilsoncenter.org
City Theatre 1300 Bingham Street Pittsburgh, PA 15203 412-431-CITY citytheatrecompany.org Golden Triangle Bike 600 First Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-600-0675 goldentrianglebike.com
Proud to Power PITTSBURGH PRIDE
1-888-718-4253 showclix.com/ticketing
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Palace Theater 21 West Otterman Street Greensburg, PA 15601 724-836-8000 thepalacetheatre.org
Pittsburgh Public Theatre 621 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-316-1600 ppt.org
Renaissance City Choirs 116 S. Highland Street Pittsburgh, PA 15206 412-362-9484 rccpittsburgh.org
Three Rivers Arts Festival 803 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-471-6070 3riversartsfest.org
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust 803 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-471-6070 pgharts.org
Pittsburgh Opera 2425 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-281-0912 pittsburghopera.org
Rivers Casino 777 Casino Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-231-7777 theriverscasino.com
Bars
Pittsburgh Festival Opera 286 Main Street Pittsburgh, PA 15201 412-326-9687 pittsburghfestivalopera.org
Pittsburgh Pirates PNC Park 115 Federal Street Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-321-BUCS pittsburghpirates.com
South Side Works 2730 Sidney Street Pittsburgh, PA 15203 412-481-1880 southsideworks.com
Pittsburgh Lesbian & Gay Film Festival P.O. Box 81237 Pittsburgh, PA 15217 412-422-6776 pilgff.org
Pittsburgh Symphony 600 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-392-4872 pittsburghsymphony.org
Cattivo 146 44th Street Pittsburgh, PA 15201 412-687-2157 cattivo.biz
941/Saloon 941 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-281-5229 5801 Video Lounge & Cafe 5801 Ellsworth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15232 412-661-5600 5801videolounge.com
Stage AE 400 North Shore Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-229-5483 promowestlive.com
Brewer’s Hotel/Bar 3315 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15201 412-681-7991
Blue Moon On Butler St. 5115 Butler Street Pittsburgh, PA 15201 412-781-1119 thenewbluemoon.com
Club 231 231 Pittsburgh Street Uniontown, PA 15401 724-430-1477 Club Pittsburgh 1139 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-471-6790 clubpittsburgh.com
Be you.
Sexual orientation and gender identity matter in health care.
EXPLORATION IS OUR SPECIALTY.
412-248-0550
Primary Care for the True You
Explore Pittsburgh by bike this summer with
GOLDEN TRIANGLE BIKE. goldentrianglebike.com • 412-600-0675 • 600 First Ave
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Pink Pages Cruze Bar 1600 Smalman Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-471-1400 cruzebar.com
P-Town 4740 Baum Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-621-0111 ptownpgh.com
The Link 91 Wendel Road Herminie, PA 15637 724-446-7717 thelinkniteclub.com
Element 5744 Ellsworth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15232 412-362-7746 elementpgh.com
Real Luck Café 1519 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-471-7832
Vice Versa 336 High Street Morgantown, WV 304-292-2010 viceversaclub.com
Images 965 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-391-9990 imagespittsburgh.com
Tilden 941 Liberty Avenue, 2nd Fl. Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-281-5222 tildenclub.com There Ultra Lounge 931 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-642-4435
M&J’s Lounge 124 Mercer Street Butler, PA 16001 724-996-7879
Bet Tikvah “House of Hope” Rodef Shalom 4905 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-256-8317/ 412-621-6566 bettikvah.org
Churches Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church 416 W. North Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-322-4261 alleghenyuu.org
Bower Hill Community Church 70 Moffett Street Pittsburgh, PA 15243 412-561-4114 bowerhillchurch.org Calvary Episcopal Church 315 Shady Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15206 412-661-0120 calvarypgh.org
Calvary United Methodist Church 971 Beech Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15233 412-231-2007 calvarypgh.com Community House Presbyterian Church 120 Parkhurst Street Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-321-3900 communityhousepittsburgh.org Community of Reconciliation Church 100 North Bellefield Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-682-2751 communityofreconciliation.org Dignity Pittsburgh dignitypgh.org
FESTIVAL OPERA
Intimate Opera Theater
Life is better when #youareyou
Attend the Tale!
40th Season June 15–June 23 Handel, Strauss, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Leonard Cohen A Gathering of Sons, a social justice jazz opera. All sung in English. Save 15% with code: PRIDE2017 Robert Frankenberry
Anna Singer
Festival season features operas, musicals, family fare, and more! Through July 23
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pittsburghfestivalopera.org Festival Box Office: 412-326-9687
usa.philips.com
East Liberty Presbyterian Church 116 South Highland Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15206 412-441-3800 cathedralofhope.org
First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh 605 Morewood Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-621-8008 first-unitarian-pgh.org
Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community 2700 Jane Street Pittsburgh, PA 15203 412-481-4010 hotmetalbridge.com
One Church 937 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-261-1692 onechurchpittsburgh @yahoo.com
East Suburban Unitarian Church 4326 Sardis Road Murrysville, PA 15668 724-327-5872 esuuc.org
First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh 5401 Centre Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15232 412-681-4222 firstumcpittsburgh.org
JUDAH Fellowship Christian Church 120 Parkhurst Street Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-522-3032 judahfellowship. wordpress.com
Pittsburgh Peace Church c/o East Liberty Presbyterian Church 116 S. Highland Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15206 facebook.com/ pittsburghpeace
Episcopal Church of the Redeemer 5700 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217 412-422-7100 redeemerpittsburgh.org
Golden Triangle Church of Religious Science 109 Pine Street 2nd Floor West Carnegie, PA 15106 412-749-0788 gtcrs.org
Luna Rising/Pittsburgh Pagan Community lunarisingpgh.com
Rainbow Buddhists of Pittsburgh Three Rivers Drama Center 201 S. Craig Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213 zenbowpgh.blogspot.com
Metropolitan Community Church 4836 Ellsworth Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-683-2994 mccpittsburgh.com
Religious Society of Friends 4836 Ellsworth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-683-2669 quaker.org/pghpamm Rodef Shalom Congregation 4905 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-621-6566 rodefshalom.org St. Andrew Lutheran Church 304 Morewood Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-682-3342 st-andrew-church.org St. Andrew Lutheran Church 987 Beaver Grade Road Moon Twp., PA 15108 412-264-4551 standrewmoontwp.com
Proudly supporting the LGBTQ community in Western Pennsylvania as part of our commitment to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.
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Pink Pages St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church 600 Pitt Street Pittsburgh, PA 15221 412-243-6100 ststephenspittsburgh.org
Temple Sinai 5505 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217 412-421-9715 templesinaipgh.org
Sixth Presbyterian Church 1688 Murray Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217 412-421-2752 sixthchurch.org
Unitarian Universalist Church of the North Hills 2359 W. Ingomar Road Pittsburgh, PA 15237 412-366-0244 uucnh.org
South Avenue United Methodist Church 733 South Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15221 412-371-7421 southavenueumc.org
Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills 1240 Washington Road Pittsburgh, PA 15228 412-561-6277 sunnyhill.org
Swissvale United Methodist Church 7415 Irvine Street Pittsburgh, PA 15218 swissvaleumc.org
Waverly United Presbyterian Church 5900 South Braddock Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15221 412-242-0643 waverlychurch.org Zen Center of Pittsburgh 124 Willow Ridge Road Sewickley, PA 15143 412-741-1262 Deepspringzen.org
Economic Development Allegheny Conference on Community Development 11 Stanwix Street, 17th Fl. Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-281-1890 alleghenyconference.org
Pittsburgh Foundation 5 PPG Place, Ste. #250 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-391-5122 pittsburghfoundation.org Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh 200 Ross Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-255-6600 / ura.org Vibrant Pittsburgh 425 Sixth Ave., Suite 2880 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-281-8600 vibrantpittsburgh.com Visit Pittsburgh 120 Fifth Avenue, #2800 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-281-7711 visitpittsburgh.com
Education Art Institute of Pittsburgh 420 Blvd. of the Allies Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-263-6600 Carnegie Mellon University 5000 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-268-2905 cmu.edu CCAC 808 Ridge Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-237-2511 ccac.org Empire Beauty Schools Multiple locations 412-367-1765 empire.edu
MIGHTY. BEAUTIFUL.
WELCOMING.
Walmart is a proud sponsor of Pittsburgh Pride Like Pittsburgh Pride we believe in connecting all persons with opportunities to achieve their dreams. For our communities, living better means greater access to opportunity for all. Together we can make a difference.
blog.walmart.com
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Point Park University 201 Wood Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-391-4100 PPU.edu University of Pittsburgh 130 Desoto St., #A526 Pittsburgh, PA 15261 412-624-4141 pitt.edu
Financial Institutions BNY Mellon bnymellon.com Huntington Bank 310 Grant Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-667-6390 huntington.com
Nationwide Insurance & Financial Products 2 Parkway Center, Suite 100 Pittsburgh, PA 15220 412-920-0161 nationwide.com PNC Financial Services Group One PNC Plaza 249 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 1-888-762-2265 pncbank.com Riverset Credit Union 53 South 10th Street Pittsburgh, PA 15203 412-488-2011 riverset.com USB Financial Services 5600 Walnut St. Pittsburgh, PA 15232 412-665-9900 UBS.com
Health & Medical Allegheny Health Network 412-DOCTORS ahn.org Astiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pharmacy 250 Mt. Lebanon Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15234 412-561-2347 astisrx.com Boak Dental 1910 E. Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15203 412-381-3373 boakdental.com CCN Pharmacy 300 Penn Center Blvd., Ste. 505 Pittsburgh, PA 15235 877-301-2526 coordinatedcarenetwork.com
Central Outreach Wellness Center Timber Court Building 127 Anderson St., #101 Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-515-0000 95 Leonard Ave., Ste. 203 Washington, PA 15301 724-249-2517 centraloutreach.com
MidAtlantic AIDS Education and Training Center A427 Crabtree Hall 130 DeSoto Street Pittsburgh, PA 15261 412-624-1895 pamaaetc.org Pennsylvania Prevention Project M4mhealthysex.org
Highmark Fifth Avenue Place 120 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-544-7000 highmark.com
Persad Center 5301 Butler Street Pittsburgh, PA 15201 412-441-9786 persadcenter.org
James Manzella, LCSW, MA 2250 Mary Street, Ste. 307 Pittsburgh, PA 15203 412-488-8102 jamesmanzella@me.com
Pitt Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Study P.O. Box 7319 Pittsburgh, PA 15213 1-800-987-1963 stophiv.org
Health for the Community. At Allegheny Health Network, we value our responsibility to serve the community. Together with our local partners, we are helping people stay healthy and enjoy a better quality of life. The Positive Health Clinic is an HIV clinic that provides quality HIV care as well as HIV testing. If you are in need of our services call 412.359.3360.
412.DOCTORS AHN.ORG
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Pink Pages Pittsburgh AIDS Center for Treatment (PACT) University of Pittsburgh Infectious Diseases Falk Medical Building 3601 Fifth Avenue 7th Floor, Falk Medical Bldg. Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-647-7228 dept-med.pitt.edu/id/pact. html
Project HOPE of Beaver County 155 Liberty Avenue Midland, PA 15059 724-862-0015 www.facebook.com/ projecthopeofbeaver county Rochester Health Mart 176 Virginia Avenue Rochester, PA 15076 724-987-6084
Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force 5913 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 412-345-7456 patf.org
Shadyside Dentistry 5888 1/2 Ellsworth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15232 412-362-0900
Positive Health Clinic 1307 Federal Street, Fl. 1 Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-359-3360
Shepherd Wellness Community 4800 Sciota Street Pittsburgh, PA 15224 412-683-4477 swconline.org
Staying Positive 412-4500-POZ stayingpositive.inpgh.org University of Pittsburgh Medical Center 3380 Blvd. of the Allies Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-641-4828 upmc.com
Initiative for Transgender Leadership Persad Center 5150 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15224 transyouthleaders.blogspot.com
G2H2 g2h2pittsburgh.com
PFLAG Butler P.O. Box 1631 Butler, PA 16003 724-290-9674 pflagbutler.com
Gay for Good Pittsburgh gayforgoodpgh@gmail.com
LGBT Organizations Carnegie Mellon University studentaffairs.cmu.edu/ student-life/lgbtq Crewheads 412-281-8772 city-net.com/~lewis/ crewheads
Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh 911 Galveston Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15233 412-322-2800 deltafoundation.us
Gay and Lesbian Community Center 210 Grant Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-422-0114 glccpgh.org Impulse Pittsburgh impulsepittsburgh.com
PFLAG Greensburg 724-610-9388 pflaggreensburg.org PFLAG Pittsburgh P.O. Box 5406 Pittsburgh, PA 15206 412-833-4556 pflagpgh.org
now
enrolling
ppg.com
North Hills | West Mifflin | Monroeville
Haircutting • Haircoloring • Hairstyling • Salon Management Hands-on Training in a Real World Student Salon ••• Scholarships Available for Those who Qualify
412.367.1765 | EMPIRE.EDU For more information about Empire Beauty School’s graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit our website at www.empire.edu/consumer-info
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PPG Delta Foundation Ad_v1 03-28-17.indd 1
3/28/17 9:13 AM
Pittsburgh Black Pride pghblackpride@aol.com
Steel City Volleyball League 412-506-3187 steelcityvolleyball.org
Pittsburgh Frontrunners 412-926-9866 pittsburgh-frontrunners.org
Stonewall Sports Pittsburgh stonewallsportspgh.org
Pittsburgh Ironmen pittironmen.org
T.R.E.A.T. treatpgh.org
Proud Haven 5132 Butler Street Pittsburgh, PA 15201 412-953-4666 proudhaven.org
University of Pittsburgh Rainbow Alliance pitt.edu/~sorc/rainbow
Steel City Bowling League steelcitybowling.org Steel City Softball League P.O. Box 99493 Pittsburgh, PA 15233 steelcitysoftball.org
Washington County Gay Straight Alliance 724-83-LGBT-5 wcgsa.org
Pets Humane Animal League 6929 Hamilton Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15208 412-345-7300 animalrescue.org
Realtors
Restaurants/ Bakeries
Condado Taco’s 917 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-281-9111 condadotacos.com
Bakersfield 940 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-586-5024 bakersfieldtacos.com
Berkshire Hathaway 4420 William Penn Hwy. Monroeville, PA 15668 724-327-0444
Bistro 19 711 Washington Road Mt. Lebanon, PA 15228 412-306-1919 bistro19.com
Coldwell Banker 5996 Penn Circle South Pittsburgh, PA 15206 412-363-4000 pittsburghmoves.com
Chipotle Mexican Grill 211 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-224-5586 chipotle.com
Crazy Mocha 5830 Ellsworth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15232 412-441-9344 crazymocha.com Dunkin Donuts 28 Market Square Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-281-3195 heartlandrestaurantgroup.com Hard Rock Café 230 W. Station Square Dr. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-481-7625 hardrockcafe.com
Can’t Hide Our Pride. Get to know us at
aarp.org/pride.
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Pink Pages Harris Grill Downtown 245 Fourth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-281-2072 harrisgrill.com
Shiloh Grill 123 Shiloh Street Pittsburgh, PA 15211 412-431-4000 theshilohgrill.com
Harris Grill Shadyside 5747 Ellsworth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15232 412-362-5273 harrisgrill.com
Square Café 1137 South Braddock Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15218 412-244-8002 square-cafe.com
Lucca 317 S. Craig Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-682-3310 luccaristorante.com
Ten Penny 960 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-318-8000 tenpennypgh.com
Mighty Oak Barrel 939 Third Street Oakmont, PA 15139 412-826-1069 mightyoakbarrel.com
Tessaro’s 4601 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15224 412-682-6809
Nine on Nine 900 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-338-6463 nineonninepgh.com Pamela’s Diner 60 21st Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-281-6366 pamelasdiner.com Priory Fine Pastries 528 East Ohio Street Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-321-7270 prioryfinepastries.com Seviche 930 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-697-3120 seviche.com
Retail 84 Lumber Multiple locations 84lumber.com American Eagle Multiple locations ae.com Eons Fashion Antique 5850 Ellsworth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15232 412-361-3368
Travel
South Side Works Pittsburgh, PA 15203 southsideworks.com
Aram Designs 202-465-2749 aramdesigns.com
Sprint Multiple locations storelocator.sprint.com
A to Z Communications 960 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-471-4160 atozcommunications.com
Walmart Multiple locations walmart.com
Utilities
FedEx 1-800-GOFEDEX
Services Allegheny County Dog Licenses John K. Weinstein Allegheny County Treasurer 436 Grant Street, Room 109 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-350-4777 Alphabet City 211 N. Whitfield St., Ste. 800 Pittsburgh, PA 15205 412-657-1229 alphabetcity.com
Classic Travel & Tours 795 Pine Valley Drive Suite 16 Pittsburgh, PA 15239 724-733-8747 TRIPSandCRUISES.com
Comcast comcast.com 1-800-COMCAST
ShowClix 888-718-4253 showclix.com/ticketing
EQT EQT Plaza 625 Liberty Ave., Suite 1700 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-553-5700 eqt.com
Waxing the City 3605 Butler Street Pittsburgh, PA 15201 512-219-6254 waxingthecity.com
DRINK AND EAT Hours Wed-Sat 4pm-2am Open 7 Days for Special Events 146 44th St Pgh, PA 15201 412-687-2157
www.cattivopgh.com
Eyetique 2242 Murray Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217 412-422-5300 eyetique.com Nemacolin Woodlands Resort 1001 Lafayette Drive Farmington, PA 15437 866-344-6957 nemacolin.com
“Embracing Diversity, Promoting Equality” www.WCGSA.org info@wcgsa.org 724-‐83-‐LGBT-‐5 1 10 P i tts b u rg h P r i d e M ag a z i n e
THE GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDIO Behind Pittsburgh Pride’s New Website!
ARAM DESIGN’S SELECT CLIENTS
The Human Rights Campaign The Frick Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh Goodwill Youth Pride Gay Alliance WCGSA
Elle Magazine Studio Theatre Synetic Theater
SUPPORT A GAY OWNED BUSINESS Contact us for a free design estimate! logos + websites + publications + advertisements + presentations + and more
202-465-2749 | info@aramdesigns.com | www.AramDesigns.com
ADVOCACY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MARKETING & MEDIA RELATIONS TRAINING EVENT PLANNING & MANAGEMENT MEETING SPACE HIV/STI TESTING & PrEP EDUCATION SPEAKERS BUREAU
911 Galveston Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15233 412-322-2800 | info@deltafoundation.us | pittsburghpride.org