Column: Hosting World Cup in Russia is dangerous for LGBTQ+ fans
By Hannah Schneider, Sports Editor
June 13, 2018
Professional sports environments aren’t traditionally safe spaces for LGBTQ+ athletes and fans — especially in Russia, where policies outlawing “gay propaganda” have been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights as “discriminatory.” With the 2018 World Cup games quickly approachin...
Dear WBC: Hate doesn’t have a home here
By Sarah Shearer | For The Pitt News
October 4, 2017
It only takes reading a few sentences into the “about” page on the Westboro Baptist Church’s website to understand one thing: this is a group fueled by hate. The WBC is well known for its protesting tactics, picketing at events from military funerals, such as Sgt. Dillon Baldridge’s in No...
Pitt students’ protest represents model of free speech
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
September 19, 2017
When protesters descended on campus yesterday afternoon to push a controversial message, they weren’t the only ones ready to exercise their freedom of speech. Members of Christian Interviews, an organization from the Philadelphia area, appeared on the Fifth Avenue-side patio of Towers around 1 p.m. ...
Georgia Tech student called 911 before shooting, authorities say
By Christian Boone | Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)
September 18, 2017
Georgia Tech student Scout Schultz called 911 before being shot by campus police, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Monday. Schultz called 911 alerting them "of a suspicious person on campus." In the call, Schultz describes the person as a "white male, with long blonde hair, white T-shirt and...
Students drown out bigotry in counter protest outside Towers
By Janine Faust and Amanda Finney / TPN Staff
September 18, 2017
A crowd of Pitt students jammed the stairway leading up to Towers Patio on Monday, waving rainbow flags and sporting “I [heart] the female orgasm” t-shirts. Others stood on nearby trashcans and benches and leaned over the patio rails, fervently chanting “God loves everyone” and “shame on you...
Don’t punt on LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports
By Henry Glitz | Opinions Editor
September 7, 2017
When Pitt’s football team faces off against Penn State tomorrow at Beaver Stadium, both teams will continue a tradition which began in the 19th century — but in a vastly different culture. At the teams’ first meeting in 1893, Pitt had yet to integrate, and Penn State had never admitted a black s...
March mayhem: Delta’s Pride draws criticism
By Madeline Barber / Staff Writer
June 6, 2017
Pittsburgh gears up for its annual Pride celebration every June by filling the streets downtown with dozens upon dozens of rainbow flags and banners that promote equality and stand out against the monochromatic buildings and oft-dreary skies. Pride week finishes the weekend of June 11 with PrideFest — a ...
Embracing Queer: Pitt’s LGBTQ+ Community
By Madeline Barber / Staff Writer
May 31, 2017
Queer pride is everywhere in Pittsburgh — Bloomfield storefronts sell queer-friendly merchandise, rainbow flags dance in the winds of Lawrenceville homes and banners adorned with local drag performers hang from streetlights Downtown, advertising the upcoming Pittsburgh Pride Festival. The queer co...