'Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents' Blog Marks Ten Year Anniversary

Longest running Pennsylvania LGBTQ Blog Based In Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH - December 30 marks the tenth anniversary of the longest running LGBTQ blog in Pennsylvania. 'Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents' celebrates this rare achievement by posting the 100th post in the new #AMPLIFY series focusing on the lived experiences of LGBTQ neighbors throughout Western Pennsylvania.

Founded in 2005, the blog quickly became categorized as a political blog as well as a resource on regional LGBTQ issues. They have published nearly 4,000 posts and contributed scores more to other sites including Huffington Post, The Bilerico Project, BlogHer and Pam's House Blend. Most blogs have an average lifespan of 2-3 years.

"Blogging about everyday topics through the lens of a lesbian is a political act," explains founding editor, Sue Kerr. "We live in an era where women, especially queer women, speaking out about politics, poverty or any systemic issue is still considered radical. That's one reason blogs continue to be so important."

Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents helped to found the Pittsburgh Women's Blogging Society and co-founded the 'Best of the Burghosphere' awards in 2015. The blog has received numerous awards including "Best LGBT Media Site" and "Best LGBT Social Media."

Currently, the site is home to the AMPLIFY project which explores the everyday experiences of LGBTQ neighbors in the 26 county region of Western Pennsylvania. Since May, they have published 100 Q&A posts from folks with ties to 16 of the 26 counties.

"AMPLIFY will continue through 2017 because we believe it is important to share these everyday stories so that our readers can better understand what their neighbors experience on a day to day basis in this region," says Kerr.

AMPLIFY is a joint project with Most Wanted Fine Art Gallery and the Bloomfield Garfield Corporation. More information can be found at www.pghlesbian.com/amplify.

Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents has published guest posts from a range of allies, including City of Pittsburgh Chief of Staff Kevin Acklin and Women and Girls Foundation CEO Heather Arnet. They currently have one contributing blogger, local trans woman Trish Mifflin along with Kerr. In 2011, Mayor Peduto described the blog thusly "Sue provides an honest and informed dialogue on Pittsburgh's political scene."

"Blogging went from an interesting hobby to a lifestyle in the first few years," says Kerr. "It fuses my avocation as a social worker/community organizer with my passions, but it also gives me a chance to explore the lighter side of life."

Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents is found at www.pghlesbian.com. You can follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pghlesbian or Twitter @pghlesbian24. It is a project of SueCat Social Media.