This episode may be a bit sadder, talking about failures within the LGBT+ community both from bad actors and hard times. History can't always be about the happy stuff, sometimes we have to look at the unforunate side of things.

Sources:

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/lgbtq-organization-delta-foundation-of-pittsburgh-to-officially-dissolve/

https://qburgh.com/things-you-need-to-know-about-the-delta-foundation-of-pittsburgh/

https://nextpittsburgh.com/latest-news/delta-foundation-falls-behind-on-tax-returns-and-still-owes-vendors-two-years-after-pledging-to-dissolve/

https://www.pghlesbian.com/2008/06/lambda-foundation-25-proud-years/

https://www.pghcitypaper.com/news-2/future-of-pittsburgh-pride-remains-uncertain-as-questions-surround-delta-foundations-dissolution-20571880/

Wilson was the first younger person that we spoke to and his experience of being gay in Pittsburgh was an interesting juxtoposition to the elders we spoke to.

Theatre has been a staple of the queer community for centuries, and that's no different in Pittsburgh. Multiple troops and performances dot Pittsburgh's theatre history.

Sources:

https://www.jccppgh.com/

https://kelly-strayhorn.org/community/all-programs/

https://www.dreamsofhope.org/mission-and-values

Pittsburgh Queer History Project

A very iconic Pittsburgher, Andy Warhol was not only an amazing artist, but also a queer man. While he was famous for mostly his art, his queerness was hidden away by even his museum for a long time,

Sources:

https://www.warhol.org/andy-warhols-life/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/paid-content-pittsburgh-hometown-of-andy-warhol

https://carnegiemuseums.org/carnegie-magazine/fall-2019/andy-warhols-pittsburgh/

https://positivelypittsburgh.com/andy-warhol/

https://www.warhol.org/events/dandy-andy-warhols-queer-history/

https://www.warhol.org/lgbtq/

https://qburgh.com/event/dandy-andy-warhols-queer-history/2025-09-27/

https://www.constellations.pitt.edu/content/lgbtq-legacy-andy-warhol-museum

https://www.queerportraits.com/bio/warhol

https://www.amoderngaysguide.com/andy-warhol/

Among the many bars that Pittsburgh once had, there was a coalition of a few of them that provided aid to each other and the wider Pittsburgh community.

Sources:

The Donny Thinnes Collection at the Heinz History Center

https://stageagent.com/shows/play/1097/lips-together-teeth-apart

https://www.richardkalinoski.com/beast-on-the-moon

https://villanovatheatre.org/red-herring-archives/

We've talked a lot about Pittsburgh's gay bars, now we'll go into detail about some of them!

Sources:

Pittsburgh Queer History Project

Newspapers.com

The Heinz History Center's Library and Archives Pittsburgh OUT collection.

Religion and queerness doesn't often go together, but here in Pittsburgh, there were and are many religious spaces for LGBT+ people who still feel a connection to their faith. More than one may expect!

Sources

https://www.dignitypgh.org/beliefs.php

https://www.mccpittsburgh.com/

https://www.bettikvah.org/index.html

Tim Ziaukas was a founding member of Thursday Night Live, a gay organization that began as a way for gay men to meet each other outside of bars and became an organization focused on educating people about AIDS and raising funds for research.

Pittsburgh has some very old organizations that have supported and aided LGBT+ people for decades. You can find more about these organizations on their home pages which you can find links to on our resource page:

https://www.theholidaypride.com/resources-1

This episode features Pittsburgh's laws and ordinances focused on LGBT+ folks. Additionally, it features the most impassioned speech that the city's government has ever seen.

Sources:

https://rauhjewisharchives.org/entry/mark-pollock/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Madoff

https://archive.org/details/Pghmunicipalrecord1990volA/page/n653/mode/1up?q=homosexual

https://archive.org/details/Pghmunicipalrecord1988volA/page/1427/mode/1up?q=homosexual

https://archive.org/details/pghmunicipalrecord1987volumeA/page/1124/mode/1up?q=homosexual

https://archive.org/details/Pghmunicipalrecord1980volA/page/3/mode/1up?q=%22oath+of+office%22

https://archive.org/details/pittsburgh-municipal-record?tab=collection&query=disease&sin=TXT&sort=date

https://www.pittsburghpa.gov/City-Government/City-Council/Clerks-Office/Legislative-Information-Center

https://archive.org/details/pittsburgh-municipal-record?tab=collection&sort=date

https://www.pghcitypaper.com/news/lgbt-rights-gender-identity-included-in-countys-proposed-anti-discrimination-law-1341174

https://ecode360.com/45432358

https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/22/us/repeal-of-gay-rights-law-is-pushed-in-pittsburgh.html

https://pittsburgh.legistar.com/Legislation.aspx