Advance Review: X-MEN - RED #1 Brings 'Compassion, Warmth, & Clear Purpose to JEAN GREY's Mission' (8/10); Newsarama, February 1, 2018

David Pepose, Newsarama; Advance Review: X-MEN - RED #1 Brings 'Compassion, Warmth, & Clear Purpose to JEAN GREY's Mission' (8/10)

"Call me a traditionalist, but whenever the X-Men seem to veer away from their central mission - about the peaceful coexistence of man and mutant - the franchise winds up getting stuck in its own idiosyncrasies. And while jaunts into space and time have led to fun wrinkles like the Shi’ar or the Age of Apocalypse, let’s be clear - those are detours to the X-Men’s central themes of diversity and inclusiveness. So it’s refreshing to see Taylor tackle these ideas head-on, with perhaps an unlikely lead - Jean Grey. For so many years, she’s been framed as either Scott Summers’ love interest or a WMD-in-waiting, but Taylor takes a new angle on the character: Jean not just as a telepath, but as a thinker. She’s had a second chance on life, but the world has only gotten darker since she last walked among the living - and thanks to her innate mutant abilities, Jean’s able to bring together ideas, countries, and teammates in a way that feels ambitious and inspiring."

Defaced sign won't deter medical practice from its mission; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2/13/16

Dan Majors, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Defaced sign won't deter medical practice from its mission:

"Dr. Lane, who specializes in care to the LGBT community, said the homophobic and profane graffiti saddened her. But she has a message that is more important and will connect with more people, she said...

“Unfortunately, many people that I serve are used to being victimized and marginalized,” she said. “They’re used to having to deal with this on some low level regularly in their lives. That saddens me deeply, that this happened in my space. We intentionally try to make a space that’s welcoming, where this doesn’t happen.”

Dr. Lane said the only change she anticipates in the wake of the incident is the purchase of four more signs — to show that her work will go on.

“I think that awareness that these kind of things still go on is important for Pittsburgh, as a city and us as a community, to realize,” she said. “There are people still out there that hate for no good reason.

“Many people have felt marginalized at some point in their lives, probably including the people that write these type of messages. I would encourage all people to take a good look at themselves and their lives and their families. I would think that most of us would be hard-pressed to have a family that doesn’t have someone that doesn’t necessarily fit into the box that the rest of us fit into.

“We have to remember that we don’t have to like each other. We don’t have to agree with each other’s opinions. But we do have to treat each other with dignity and respect.”"

Iggy Azalea cancels Pride appearance, but critics wary; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6/8/15

Chris Potter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Iggy Azalea cancels Pride appearance, but critics wary:

"Organizers of this weekend’s Pittsburgh Pride activities announced Monday evening that Australian pop star Iggy Azalea, the controversial headliner for a Pride in the Street concert on Saturday, was canceling her appearance at the LGBT event.

It remains to be seen whether the move appeases critics of the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh, which sponsors Pride.

“We’re sorry that our headliner choice caused a division within our community but we believe that change happens through conversation,” Delta said in a statement. “We are meeting with key LGBT leaders to start a discussion that will make our collective community even stronger.”"

I'm From Driftwood: The LGBTQ Story Archive

I'm From Driftwood: The LGBTQ Story Archive:

"VISION

I’m From Driftwood envisions a world where every lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer person feels understood and accepted, and every straight person is an ally.

MISSION

I’m From Driftwood aims to help LGBTQ people learn more about their community, straight people learn more about their neighbors and everyone learn more about themselves through the power of storytelling and story sharing.

Increasing empathy and empowering individuals is accomplished by creating an apolitical forum for LGBTQ stories from every age, race, gender, background and culture. The stories deepen our understanding of each other, preserve history, and open hearts and minds."