Member-only story
A Year in the Life of a City of Pittsburgh Commissioner on the LGBTQIA+ Commission
One year ago, I was among a group of 17 individuals nominated and approved to serve as Pittsburgh’s first LGBTQIA+ Commission. That was February 9, 2021 so a little more than a year.
Sue Kerr, Kathi Boyle, Richard Parsakian, Leonard Orbovich, Sarah Rosso, Jam Hammond, Guillermo Velazquez, Denise DeSimone, Luca Salerno, Tiffini Simoneaux, Nekia Burton Tucker, Rev. Deryck Tines, Marcus Robinson, Britton Maulk, Billy Hileman, Bruce A. Kraus, Christopher Robinson, Chauntey Porter
It was a grand experiment both in its sheer size (17 Commissioners!) and its mission to bring LGBTQIA+ issues and the voices of our community to the Commission level. While the City itself has been assertive in support of LGBTQIA+ needs, there was a long way to go.
I would be remiss not to mention that Mayor Bill Peduto formed this Commission. He had been intimately involved in LGBTQ politics for decades and was the right person to bridge the transition from Advisory Group to Commission. While future Mayors will make their mark, the foundational credit goes to him. He showed up.
I was nervous about what to expect — I had no Commission experience and barely any board experience. It was unusual for a blogger to take on a role like this, but I felt that my…
