[Ch.G, Ch.G]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

It's true that she has been ignored by the primary gay scene, but that gives her more cred as being the embodiment of new Pittsburgh. From my perspective as a gay man here, the mainstream gay crowd really has nothing to do with what is driving the new Pittsburgh. They can actually be pretty insular at times, keeping to themselves, and they show a strange aversion to the arts community. The weirdo arts community, at least. They rarely venture to any of the transitional East End neighborhoods where most of the cool stuff is happening (and where Sharon's home bar is in Lawrenceville). The people actually doing the heavy lifting in Pittsburgh are the ones in the alternative scenes, and that's where Sharon's big following comes from. You will see Sharon booked at the largest art fundraiser party in the city, but not at our pride fest. It's kind of a shame, but there are distinctly different queer scenes here anyway so it's not a huge deal. Especially because the alternative queer scene here has grown enormously over the past few years and now has it's own weight.

Fascinating. Thanks for the explanation!