PublicSource | News for a better Pittsburgh (https://www.publicsource.org/?s=%22Sue+Kerr%22&search+submit=)
First person: Despite gains in LGBTQ rights, discrimination in Pennsylvania is an ongoing problem, both from institutions and in navigating personal relationships.
June 29, 2021 | https://www.publicsource.org/first-person-essay-navigating-lgbtq-discrimination-in-pennsylvania/Compelling personal stories
told by the people living them.
Alistair McQueen’s 84-year-old alter drag ego – Mildred the Lunch Lady – has a soft spot for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning [LGBTQ] “kids,” as she calls them.
June 17, 2020 | https://www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-lgbtq-organizations-have-seen-a-surge-in-need-since-the-covid-19-shutdown-many-say-cash-is-thin/My personal income puts me at the federal poverty level, even though I have a graduate degree and more than 30 years of both paid and unpaid work experience. Because I am disabled and no longer able to do most paid work, I receive about $1,000 through Social Security Disability Insurance [SSDI].
February 10, 2020 | https://www.publicsource.org/is-my-life-worth-1000-a-month-the-reality-of-feeling-undervalued-by-federal-disability-payments/The Social Security Administration can currently review a person’s social media presence as part of fraud investigations that include information from social media to corroborate findings. But under the Trump administration, the agency has studied whether to expand its use of social media as part of the disability claims process.
May 20, 2019 | https://www.publicsource.org/social-security-social-media-disability-claims-pittsburgh/Collecting the first-person history of community elders in particular has highlighted the disconnect among generations and opened my eyes to experiences from Pittsburgh's queer past I had never considered before the project, experiences that I now realize must be preserved.
May 8, 2019 | https://www.publicsource.org/lgbtq-elders-preserving-history/Allegheny County District Attorney candidate Turahn Jenkins said on Monday that he would have handled the trial of Michael Rosfeld differently.
March 26, 2019 | https://www.publicsource.org/allegheny-county-da-candidate-turahn-jenkins-says-he-would-have-handled-the-rosfeld-trial-differently/Under the nonprofit’s “no-show” attendance policy, clients get discharged from services if they miss three appointments in six months. This policy is not new, but PERSAD only began reviewing the policy with patients and asking them to sign it in the fall. And concern over this policy is not the only upheaval occurring at PERSAD.
January 17, 2019 | https://www.publicsource.org/persad-center-is-dealing-with-sudden-leadership-changes-and-concerns-about-a-no-show-policy-for-its-lgbtq-patients/Compelling personal stories
told by the people living them.
The disrespect and harm fuel the larger problem of violence against trans people, especially black trans women in our society. Refusing to follow best practices is both unprofessional and presents a threat to the survivors who must add correcting these errors to their grieving process.
October 26, 2017 | https://www.publicsource.org/violence-against-the-trans-community-where-is-the-outrage/