#AMPLIFY LGBTQ Voices on Pittsburgh's Northside

This will be a hyper-local initiative of the #AMPLIFY project, focusing on the 18 neighborhoods of the Northside of Pittsburgh. Our goal is to increase visibility of the project as a resource for LGBTQ identified inviduals living or working on the Northside as well as to invite them to share their stories. These stories will highlight contemporary LGBTQ experiences in a region of Pittsburgh that does not have a significant visible LGBTQ presence in terms of organizations, businesses, or community groups. 

As a Northsider myself, I know that there are a lot of people in these neighborhoods who are LGBTQ and there are also a lot of informal supports that could benefit from a signal boost. Connecting with these folks will require a dedicated investment of time and energy engaging people where they are - at their CDC meetings, the coffeehouses, the galleries and art events, through the local newspaper, online via Facebook and Nextdoor, at local festivals, and more. 

We plan an intergenerational approach, working with community elders and with rising leaders in the local high schools. We will use informal gatherings to talk about the project and collect feedback on critical questions such as how to structure Q&A's from students under the age of 18, how to reach elders who may not be online with access to our project, how to connect with underserved segments of the LGBTQ community such as young Black masculine of center lesbians, and more. 

Pre-launch steps

1. Design, print, and distribute visual materials throughout the Northside. 
2. Schedule outreach events at spaces such as Arnold's Tea, Commonplace Coffee, Starbucks, Crazy Mocha, California Coffee Bar, Chatea Cafe, Pear and the Pickle, and more. Also, directly at organizations such as the Perry High School GSA regular meeting, the Allegheny Branch of the Carnegie Library. 

Launch

1. Kick-off event potentially with Bier's Pub - September 2018
2. Begin outreach meetings - September 2018 through February 2019 
3. Hold wrap-up event with AMPLIFY contributors vending - Spring 2019 

LGBTQ people are an integral part of the Northside, but not always visible. This project will explore increasing visibility through the AMPLIFY project as well as increasing awarenss of existing supports, formal and informal. The nature of the Q&A project is that while describing the contemporary LGBTQ experience of the Northside, we will bring fresh ideas to the table for further development. The aggregate data about the Northside could be utilized by community groups to do everything from expand LGBTQ entertainment events in this region to growing support groups and perhaps even encouraging LGBTQ business owners to locate in these neighborhoods. The stories will break down isolation that people may experience.