Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Maria Montaño

@themariamontano.bsky.social

830 followers 140 following 500 posts

Former spox for the City of Pittsburgh; Currently Manager of Public Affairs @actreasurer.alleghenycountytreasurer.us‬. Opinions my own.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · Nov 15

For those who don’t know me; I’m Maria Montaño, former Comms director for the city of Pittsburgh, the first trans person to serve as the spox. Helped ensure trans people are protected at work and in housing, and worked to help organize workers across PA. Also named best thirst trap in PGH.

8 7 130

Reposted by Maria Montaño

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 13h

I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?

Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.

980 7K 24K

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 11h

Won an award. Met some of my best friends.

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 22h

Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 11h

Happy National Pierogi Day to all who celebrate.

Jalapeño Hanah is holding a green purse. She didn’t say what was inside. She is lined up ready to race at PNC park.

1 11 40

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 2d

Moon blocked by clouds tonight.

1 1

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 2d

great article Chris! You are doing great work.

1 1

Reposted by Maria Montaño

Allegheny County Treasurer's Office @actreasurer.alleghenycountytreasurer.us · 2d

It's Monday, Allegheny County! We hope you had a restful weekend.

You've got 7 chance to catch our team throughout Allegheny County this week! From Satellite Offices to senior fairs and fall celebrations, our team is looking forward to engaging with you!

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 2d

digital cameras. old timey technology.

Reposted by Maria Montaño

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 3d

Statement from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker

This evening, President Trump is ordering 400 members of the Texas National Guard for deployments to Illinois, Oregon, and other locations within the United States. No officials from the federal government called me directly to discuss or coordinate.
We must now start calling this what it is: Trump's Invasion. It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state's military troops.
I call on Governor Abbott to immediately withdraw any support for this decision and refuse to coordinate. There is no reason a President should send military troops into a sovereign state without their knowledge, consent, or cooperation.
The brave men and women who serve in our national guards must not be used as political props. This is a moment where every American must speak up and help stop this madness.

59 1K 3.3K

Reposted by Maria Montaño

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 5d

On October 3rd, I’m asking you to register to vote.

zohranfornyc.com/register

240 4.8K 19K

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 4d

- Impromptu dinner with Diane and her family.

- Belated birthday celebrations with onion free pasta, sparkling wine, and chocolate cake (thank you Susan!).

What brought you joy this week?

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 4d

Things that brought me joy this week:

- Stella teaching me a TikTok dance and hearing
her and Elizabeth laugh.

- The security guard at my office who enthusiastically greets me with “Here comes Marge!” every time he sees me.

1 3

Reposted by Maria Montaño

onion person @junlper.beer · 5d

they’re intenionally advertising to and recruiting far right loyalists. they post and reply to explicit groyper memes. they’re not super subtle about what this government is

220 2.6K 11K

Reposted by Maria Montaño

Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 5d

I don't recall them being so upset at the existence of trans people in pop culture when we were only portrayed as punchlines and monsters, and their favorite comedians don't know how to shut up about us. What's changed is suddenly they're hearing the stories we want to tell

22 110 990

Reposted by Maria Montaño

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 6d

Surreal moment for America. Needless to say, if the normal police ever pulled something like this — pulling every single person out of an apartment building and handcuffing them to run warrant checks — they would be sued into oblivion.

Yet ICE is going to get away with it entirely.

"It was scary, because I had never had a gun in my face," Fisher said. "They asked my name and my date of birth and asked me, did I have any warrants? And I told them, 'No, 'Ididn't."
Fisher said she was handcuffed before being released around 3 a.m., and she was told that if anyone had any kind of warrant out for them, even if it was unrelated to immigration, they would not be released.

220 2.8K 5.6K

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 7d

New foster. Loves tunnels, wet food, and pets. She’s perfect.

A tabby cat with wide green eyes looks out from inside a soft, star-patterned tunnel toy. A fluffy white ball hangs from the tunnel’s entrance, close to the cat’s face.

Reposted by Maria Montaño

Mel🏳️‍🌈 she/they universal healthcare now @knownforms.bsky.social · 7d

"They also specifically call out the FTC’s main citation: the Cass Review, a debunked review of gender services in England; noting a “lack of methodological rigor and subject matter competency.”
THANK YOU @newyorkstateag.bsky.social

Assigned Media @assignedmedia.org · 7d

On Friday 18 blue state attorneys general BLASTED the Federal Trade Commission, telling it to back off trans youth healthcare and warning of an insidious attempt to reshape the regulation of medicine in the US.

And nobody covered it.

www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

State AGs Defend Trans Americans in Stunning Rebuke to Trump’s FTC — Assigned

Eighteen state Attorneys General unite to stand up in defense of trans Americans, in opposition to a Federal Trade Commission investigation into trans healthcare.

www.assignedmedia.org

1 18 64

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 8d

An American President, speaking to a room of the top military officials in the country, says to be ready for the "enemy from within".

The constitution is nothing but a piece of paper that requires those in charge of our country to honor our social contract. Our president and his enablers do not.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d

Trump to generals: "Last month, I signed an executive order to provide training for a quick reaction force that can help quell civil disturbances. This is gonna be a big thing for the people in this room, because it's the enemy from within & we have to handle it before it gets out of control"

Reposted by Maria Montaño

Jenny Shen @jennyqshen.bsky.social · 10d

The entire piece is worth a read.

"The evidence suggests that compromising on basic humanity doesn’t broaden coalitions; it hollows them out. The work now is to find ways to expand our reach without abandoning our foundation—to bridge gaps, yes, but never at the expense of our neighbor’s humanity."

"The authoritarian playbook deliberately seeks to conflate these two forms of anger. First, you normalize hate by presenting it as merely another political position deserving of debate. Then, when people express righteous anger at this dehumanization, you accuse them of being the real problem—intolerant, divisive, unwilling to engage in public discourse. The aggressor becomes the victim; the defense of human dignity becomes the attack on civil discourse.

Klein’s strategic pragmatism—suggesting pro-life Democrats run in red states, seeking compromises that might expand the coalition—has an appeal, assuming one accepts the premise that the dwindling political center remains the main electoral prize. Sometimes difficult compromises have led to better outcomes: Obama’s calculated positions on same-sex marriage arguably helped him appoint justices who advanced equality. But these compromises carry profound risks. They signal whose humanity is negotiable. They tell vulnerable people that their rights are chips to be bargained when convenient. And crucially, such compromises should never be voluntary—they should only come when all other avenues have been exhausted, not as an opening bid for hypothetical coalition expansion.

But here’s where the strategic calculation becomes self-defeating: “Bridging gaps” cannot come at the expense of key parts of your coalition feeling abandoned and without a sense of belonging. When we muse about trading away reproductive rights or soft-pedal responses to hate speech, we don’t just lose moral clarity, we lose the very people whose passion and commitment form the backbone of progressive politics. The trans kids facing violence, the immigrants branded as invaders, the women losing bodily autonomy—they need to know their party won’t trade their humanity for swing votes. And so do their families and those who love them."

From Adam Bonica's "On Data and Democracy"
https://data4democracy.substack.com/p/you-cant-expand-the-tent-by-shrinking

5 110 310

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 9d

Today is a beautiful day to remember that you are worthy of a life filled with love and joy.

Reposted by Maria Montaño

Katelyn Boo-urns @katelynburns.com · 10d

For @truthout.org yesterday I wrote about how the government's lies about tylenol and autism reminds me a lot of the government's lies about trans people.

truthout.org/articles/ant...

Anti-Trans Policy Deserves Same Scrutiny as Trump’s Tylenol Disinformation

As a trans journalist, I see corporate media outlets as inconsistent in their treatment of right-wing disinformation.

truthout.org

4 340 960

Reposted by Maria Montaño

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 11d

Donald Trump is using federal agents to stoke fear and violate constitutional rights — all with the aims of expanding his control and sending military troops to our cities.

It’s unlawful and un-American. We must all stand up and speak out against fanning the flames of violence.

180 1.8K 6.2K

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 11d

I love this city.

A photo of a car competing in the Pittsburgh parallel parking championships.

5 7 58

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 12d

oof.

Maria Montaño @themariamontano.bsky.social · 12d

Last night was the perfect night to welcome Latino leaders from across the Commonwealth to Pittsburgh as part of the 2025 PA Latino Convention. Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania are GROWING thanks to the steady growth of our community.

¡Si Se Puede!

A group photo in front of the Roberto Clemente statue near PNC Park in Pittsburgh. A rainbow is seen in the sky above the group.

Three latinas post for a photo outside of PNC park.

Two Latina stand next to a sign honoring Hispanic heritage month.

A group of Latino leaders sitting in a room listening to a presentation on the contributions of Latinos to Pennsylvania.

1 4

Reposted by Maria Montaño

The™ Colin Williams @colinbwilliams.com · 12d

INBOX: @repsummerlee.bsky.social calls for an immediate restoration of bus stops removed from the Waterfront: "Removing bus stops from the Waterfront disregards the needs of thousands of riders—working people, seniors, people with disabilities, families, and caregivers—who depend on this lifeline."

4 12