NW 39th Street LGBTQ District

[David]

I'm really curious about that plan, too.

[Platemaker]

There is a protected bike lane north of the trees on the north side of 39th as well.

[shawnw]

I wish they would extend this to the other side of Penn and take it all the way to Classen, in particular the bike lanes. That stretch of road just doesn't need to be 4 lanes, and may as well continue an established streetscape rather than coming up with something new.

[LocoAko]

There is a protected bike lane north of the trees on the north side of 39th as well.

Oooh, yes. Good call. Lighting, protected bike lanes, street parking and trees would definitely help transform the area.

[shawnw]

Agree about the lighted, protected bike lane, but what good is it if it only goes for a few blocks? That's part of my argument here, continue it on to Classen, then maybe we can get public support for further extending it...

[jbrown84]

I've always thought a streetscape would go a long ways to improve this area. Hope to see it come to pass.

[Spartan]

39th Street teaser...

Was hoping they'd do the gateway on Penn, and not a block away from Penn.

Unrelated - has society changed the acronym recently? I must have missed the i in GLBiT...

[Bullbear]

Was hoping they'd do the gateway on Penn, and not a block away from Penn.

Unrelated - has society changed the acronym recently? I must have missed the i in GLBiT...

the most common is usually LGBT and LGBTQ I see a lot as well. GLBiT is not one I am that familiar with using and I fall in one of those letters..lol

[KayneMo]

I'm not familiar with GLBiT neither...

[TheTravellers]

Intersex, apparently here's what LGBT has turned into as of now, I guess - http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=LGBTQIA

[dankrutka]

Intersex, apparently here's what LGBT has turned into as of now, I guess - http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=LGBTQIA

I wouldn't describe it as something they have "turned into as of now" as much as a description that some people may simply prefer. In other words, the people didn't change, just some may prefer that label. But many people still use LGBTQ.

[TheTravellers]

I wouldn't describe it as something they have "turned into as of now" as much as a description that some people may simply prefer. In other words, the people didn't change, just some may prefer that label. But many people still use LGBTQ.

I meant "apparently that's what the acronym that used to suffice (LGBT) has turned into now", and it's broader, to match what is in current use, and the acronym might get even longer as time goes on. Nothing derogatory or really anything about anybody at all, just a remark about terminology.

[jbrown84]

I think the main question is why is it ordered GLBiT in the tread title? It's been decades since L was moved before the G in common usage.

[dankrutka]

Nothing derogatory or really anything about anybody at all, just a remark about terminology.

Cool. Can't always tell on message board.

[Spartan]

Didn't mean to start anything. But now we're all hip with it.

Not surprised that nobody bit on discussing whether physical gateway features should exist on Penn. That would be substantive :P

[Bullbear]

I would love for a gateway on Penn.. however I am surprised to get anything at all for the district so am just going to try to be optimistic that SOMETHING happens before wishing for more.

[baralheia]

I agree, I would love to see a gateway to the district right there on Penn. I have a feeling, though, that the City will be reluctant to invest resources here without more development within the district itself; I for one would love to see some urban housing on that empty lot between Phoenix Rising and Penn Automotive, and redevelopment of the car wash lot into something with maybe apartments over retail, among other things.

[OKCbyTRANSFER]

I'm like Bullbear, all these new letters, and at Pride I was asked as well. Isn't there an "A" now too? My rainbow stickers keep growing.

[Bullbear]

I'm like Bullbear, all these new letters, and at Pride I was asked as well. Isn't there an "A" now too? My rainbow stickers keep growing.

Maybe we should have build your own stickers like the stick figure family on cars.. you pick the letters you need.

[Zuplar]

I've never understood why it's so important to label oneself. Can't we all just be humans?

With that being said I'm familiar with LGBT, I've heard the Q added, but really have no idea what that is, or many of the other letters.

[baralheia]

So many letters have been added to our alphabet soup that if you were to include them all, it turns into something on the order of LGBTQQIP2SAA, which is inclusive but huge and unwieldy. Here's just one person's attempt to decode the letters (but it's by no means the final word on the matter): https://hulshofschmidt.wordpress.com...saa-community/

I personally have defaulted to calling our group the Queer Community instead, as that one word is really a multitool that covers the entire increasingly long list of letters (desipte it's derogatory history).

[shawnw]

I was wondering why we didn't go the route of "Non-mainstream sexual/gender Identity" community, but I get how that could be perceived as non-inclusive in its wording. No offense intended, was just pondering on alternatives that were more succinct.

[Zuplar]

So many letters have been added to our alphabet soup that if you were to include them all, it turns into something on the order of LGBTQQIP2SAA, which is inclusive but huge and unwieldy. Here's just one person's attempt to decode the letters (but it's by no means the final word on the matter): https://hulshofschmidt.wordpress.com...saa-community/

I personally have defaulted to calling our group the Queer Community instead, as that one word is really a multitool that covers the entire increasingly long list of letters (desipte it's derogatory history).

Thanks for the info.

On that last one I always thought of that as a very derogatory word, and honestly don't know that I could ever use it and not feel like I offended someone.

[baralheia]

Thanks for the info.

On that last one I always thought of that as a very derogatory word, and honestly don't know that I could ever use it and not feel like I offended someone.

Truthfully, at first, I did too - but that's the thing about reclaiming words like that; part of the process is normalizing the word, and draining the context of hate.

I like the way Jacob Tobia described the use of "queer" in his "LGBTQIA: A Beginner’s Guide to the Great Alphabet Soup Of Queer Identity" article on Mic:

Queer is a beautiful, mysterious, and subversive word. Think of it as 85% dark chocolate: it’s complex in flavor, and while some people find it bitter, others find it delicious. Back in the 1980s (i.e. when dinosaurs roamed the earth and zebra print was taken seriously), the word queer was used as a derogatory term. In the modern era, queer is more complex. For older folks, the word queer may still sting, but for the younger whippersnappers out there, the word queer has been reclaimed in a few different senses.

In modern lingo, queer functions as both an umbrella term and as a specific identity. Used as an umbrella term, queer is often used as a replacement for the acronym "LGBTQQIA" So instead of saying the "LGBTQQIA community" people simply say the "queer community." It’s basically a way to abbreviate the abbrev, because that’s what cool kids do. ("I heard you like abbreviations, so I abbreviated your abbreviation.")

Used as a specific identity, queer attempts to reject the idea that the labels of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender are able to explain any one person’s identity. If someone tells you that they’re queer, all that you know about them is that they aren’t explicitly heterosexual or gender-conforming; also, if someone tells you that they’re queer, you can probably deduce that they’re pretty awesome and that you should be their friend. Just sayin’.

[Spartan]

I would love for a gateway on Penn.. however I am surprised to get anything at all for the district so am just going to try to be optimistic that SOMETHING happens before wishing for more.

That's fair. Wouldn't be happening without Ed.

Maybe we should have build your own stickers like the stick figure family on cars.. you pick the letters you need.

No i in team