LGBT

LGBT or GLBT is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the term is an adaptation of the initialism LGB, which was used to replace the term gay in reference to the LGBT community beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s. Activists believed that the term gay community did not accurately represent all those to whom it referred.

The initialism has become mainstream as a self-designation; it has been adopted by the majority of sexuality and gender identity-based community centers and media in the United States, as well as some other English-speaking countries. The term is used also in some other countries, particularly those which languages use the initialism, such as Argentina, France and Turkey.

The initialism LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures. It may be used to refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender, instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant adds the letter Q for those who identify as queer or are questioning their sexual identity; LGBTQ has been recorded since 1996. Those who wish to include intersex people in LGBT groups suggest an extended initialism LGBTI. This initialism is used in all parts of "The Activist's Guide" of the Yogyakarta Principles in Action. Some people combine the two acronyms and use the term LGBTIQ.

Gay–straight alliance

Gay–straight alliances are school/student-led or community based organizations, found primarily in North American high schools, colleges and universities, that are intended to provide a safe, supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth (or those who are perceived as such) and their straight allies.

In some locations, the name of the GSA has been changed from "Gay Straight Alliance" to "Gender and Sexuality Alliance" in order to include bisexual and transgender individuals.

Goal

The goal of most gay–straight alliances is to make their school community safe, facilitate activism on campus, and create a welcoming environment for LGBT students. They are part of the LGBT student movementpandarticipate in national campaigns to raise awareness, such as the Day of Silence, National Coming Out Day, No Name Calling Week,Transgender Day of Remembrance, Harvey Milk Day, GSA day or locally organized campaigns, such as Take It Back: Anti-Slur Campaign, Beyond the Binary, LGBTQ-Inclusive Curriculum and others. Many GSAs work with local chapters of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) or Gay–Straight Alliance Network, a national organization supporting youth leadership. The registered number of GSAs with GLSEN is over 4000, as of 2008. In California, there are over 900 GSAs registered with GSA Network, representing over half of California's high schools. Over half the states in the United States have one or more statewide groups that work with GSAs. Many of these state based groups and local chapters of GLSEN participate in the National Association of GSA Networks. GSA Networks have been formed to help local area students to network and connect to local resources, provide training for youth leaders, and sponsor local GSA efforts.

Library

A library is a collection of sources of information and similar resources, made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing. It provides physical or digital access to material, and may be a physical building or room, or a virtual space, or both. A library's collection can include books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films, maps, prints, documents, microform, CDs, cassettes, videotapes, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, e-books, audiobooks, databases, and other formats. Libraries range in size from a few shelves of books to several million items. In Latin and Greek, the idea of bookcase is represented by Bibliotheca and Bibliothēkē (Greek: βιβλιοθήκη): derivatives of these mean library in many modern languages, e.g. French bibliothèque.

The first libraries consisted of archives of the earliest form of writing—the clay tablets in cuneiform script discovered in Sumer, some dating back to 2600 BC. Private or personal libraries made up of written books appeared in classical Greece in the 5th century BC. In the 6th century, at the very close of the Classical period, the great libraries of the Mediterranean world remained those of Constantinople and Alexandria.

Library (UTA station)

Library is a light rail station in Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, United States serviced by the Red Line of the Utah Transit Authority's (UTA) TRAX light rail system. The Red Line provides service from the University of Utah to the Daybreak Community of South Jordan.

Description

The station is located at 225 East 400 South (East University Boulevard/SR-186), with the island platform being in the median of 400 South. It is situated immediately north of the main Salt Lake City Public Library building and northwest of the Salt Lake City and County Building. Library is the last eastbound station within the Free Fare Zone in Downtown Salt Lake City. Transportation patrons that both enter and exit bus or TRAX service within the Zone can ride at no charge. As part of the UTA's Art in Transit program, the station features cast bronze books and etched glass windscreens created by Gregg LeFevre entitled By Its Cover. Unlike most TRAX stations, Library does not have a Park and Ride lot. The station is part of a railway right of way that was created specifically for the former University Line. The station was opened on 15 December 2001 as part of the University Line and is operated by the Utah Transit Authority.

Library (PAT station)

Library is a station on the Port Authority of Allegheny County's light rail network, located in the Library neighborhood of South Park, Pennsylvania. It is the southern terminus of the Library branch of the Blue Line. A 430 space park and ride lot is located on the premises, drawing travelers from both South Park and Pittsburgh's suburbs in Washington County, located just to the south. Despite the station's name there is no lending library near the train station, in the past many riders have been confused into thinking there was an actual library there.

History

The Pittsburgh Railways interurban line from Charleroi to Pittsburgh was opened through South Park on September 12, 1903, with passengers changing at Castle Shannon to continue their journey to Downtown via the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad. It was cut back to Library in 1953, with a turnaround loop for the single-ended PCC's that operated on the line. In the late 1980s, new light rail vehicles began to use the line. These new cars had larger, articulated bodies, and were thus unable to negotiate the loop. Moreover, these cars were double-ended, eliminating the need for such turn-around facilities. In 2004, the loop was removed and a new, larger station was built to better accommodate the light rail cars.