Williamsport Area Clergy Unite for LGBT Nondiscrimination Protections

Watch faith leaders in the greater Williamsport area of North Central Pennsylvania talk about the urgency of now to advance LGBT nondiscrimination legislation. The Rev. Lauri Kerr is the Priest-in-Charge of the parishes of the Greater Lycoming Episcopal Area Ministry (Williamsport, Mountoursville). The Rev. Canon Ken Wagner-Pizza is the Rector and Provost of Trinity Episcopal […]

Former Republican State Representative Mike Fleck on Coming Out in Huntingdon County

Former state Representative Mike Fleck of rural southern Huntingdon County shares his story here about coming out as an elected official, and the urgency of now to protect rural and small town LGBTQ Pennsylvanians from discrimination.

Michael Bugbee Experiences Housing Discrimination in Shippensburg

 Michael Bugbee is a college student at Shippensburg University, in south central PA. He shares his story here about trying to find housing in town and being denied, and eventually finding a place to live with his husband but was told after his landlord found out he was gay after moving in, to move […]

Amanda Carter on being a Black queer woman in Harrisburg

 Amanda Carter is the Director of Youth Programs at the LGBT Center of Central Pennsylvania. She shares her story here about navigating life in Harrisburg and the struggles of young LGBT people in Central PA.

Hannah Smith-Brubaker on Taking a Chance and Raising a Family in Juniata County

In a few short weeks, my daughter will turn 21 years old. She and her 16 year-old brother count among the very best of the best as human beings, as friends to each other and as shining examples of what happens when we can push through the barriers of discrimination. I was born the same […]

Accountant Dan Miller was Fired for Being Gay in Cumberland County

In the early 1990s, Dan Miller was a young accountant from Harrisburg who was fired for being gay. His story made national headlines, including in the New Yorker. In 1994, Dan testified before a US Congressional committee on his experience with anti-gay discrimination in Cumberland County. His testimony is below. Until a comprehensive LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination […]

Melissa DeStefano on being a Mom of a Trans Teen in Montgomery County

I had hoped that my son would wait until after high school to come out as transgender. But I realized I’d prefer a thriving son over a dead daughter. When I gave birth to my first baby, the doctor said, “It’s a girl!” Before I even knew my child, those words helped me imagine the […]

Huntingdon Resident Anthony Bullett on the Intersection of Racism and Homophobia

When I was young several of my relatives lived on an unpaved street. I had to write letters to the editor in our local newspaper to get our street paved. It was unfair to these residents to have a road that was unpaved. My focus has always been on equality — when we work towards getting […]

Erie School Board Member Tyler Titus Calls for Compassion

I was 16 years old when suicide became my focal point. I wanted so badly for the pain to stop. I knew things in my body were not aligning the way society was telling me it was supposed to and I feared what this meant. I thought the only solution was to end my own […]