METRO Monthly Board Meeting To Finalize Rail Station Names

I've been keeping track of the developments on the METRORail light rail lines that are currently either under construction or are being studied for development like the University (Blue) and Uptown (Gold) Lines.

I noted that rail is being laid on the Southeast Line that will terminate a few blocks from my undisclosed location in beautiful southeast Houston with that Purple Line eventually slated in the future to be extended to and terminate at Hobby Airport. 

I also posted links to a survey in which people could vote on or suggest names for the stations on the three new light rail lines currently under construction and due to be completed in 2013. 

Also on the agenda is the purchase of 39 rail cars for METRORail among other items.

At the METRO monthly board meeting that is being conducted as you read this post, one of the items on the board agenda for today is finalizing the station names for the North (Red), Southeast (Purple), and East End (Green) lines.   

A METRO Committee sorted through all the suggestions and came up with this final list of names for the stations on the three lines that will be subject to board approval.

North Line: Burnett TC/Casa de Amigos, Quitman/Near Northside, Boundary, Moody Park, Cavalcade,  Lindale Park, Melbourne/North Lindale, Northline TC/HCC

Southeast Line:  EaDo/Dynamo, Discovery Green, Central Station Main, Central Station Capitol, Central Station Rusk, Theater District, Leeland, Elgin, Robertson Stadium/UH/TSU, UH South/University Oaks, MacGregor Park/MLK, Palm Center

East End Line: York/Coffee Plant, Lockwood, Altic/Howard Hughes, Cesar Chavez/67th Street, Magnolia Park TC

There's also an interesting one in which METRO would enter into an agreement with the Menil Foundation in exchange for right-of way needed for the University line, the Menil Foundation would design a rail station for it that would be incorporated and integrated into the design for their redeveloped campus.

The station would also be per the agreement with the Foundation be named the 'Menil Station'

Hmm, will be interesting to see how this plays out.

University Of Texas Installing Gender Neutral Restrooms

Y'all know as a proud University of Houston Cougar I have no love for burnt orange when it comes to the sports teams representing that school in Austin.  

But I have to give the University of Texas at Austin their props for their initiative to install gender neutral restrooms in all new and existing building on campus.

According to a July 25 story in the Daily Texan, Linda Millstone, the associate vice president for the Office of Institutional Equity and Workforce Diversity, is leading the effort to have at least one gender neutral restroom for every five floors of UT on campus buildings.

She went to the Building Advisory committee with the idea of having any newly constructed or future on campus buildings include gender neutral bathrooms in their design blueprints.   They not only agreed to do so, but Pat Clubb. the vice president for University Operations also agreed to fund the installation of gender neutral restrooms in all existing UT-Austin buildings as well. 

“Most buildings already have one or two single-stall restrooms, so it has been as easy as taking down the male or female sign and installing a lock on the door,” Millstone said.

Millstone said gender-neutral restrooms benefit a number of different people, including GLBT-identified persons, people with disabilities and people with medical conditions such as diabetes who need a private place to administer medication.

The list of gender neutral restrooms will be posted on the home page of UT's Gender And Sexuality Center webpage and according the article was supposed to be updated by the end of the summer.

Will check with my friends on the UT campus to confirm if the gender neutral bathroom list that is posted on their site is or has indeed been updated. 
 
As I keep telling you TBLG peeps who wanna reflexively hate on Texas, my home state is a little more complicated and more purple than the bright red hate on BTLG people narrative the GOP and others would like you to believe.

But major props to the University of Texas at Austin for this proactive move on gender neutral restrooms. parts.

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POTUS 2011 ALC Speech

I didn't go to this event while I was in Washington DC for OUT on the Hill and the CBCF-ALC, but some of the NBJC board members did.

Here's the video of President Obama's speech to the 2011 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation-Annual Legislative Conference Phoenix Awards Dinner.


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2011 UH Cougar Watch-Short Work Week For UTEP Game

My fave college football team for the third straight year opens C-USA play against their West Division foes the UTEP Miners in a critical Thursday night game in El Paso's Sun Bowl. 

It's not only the start of C-USA conference play for the 4-0 Cougars, once they get past this game UH spends the entire month of October at home with conference games at Robertson Stadium against East Carolina, Marshall, and the Bayou Bucket showdown with Rice

The Cougars are on the cusp of breaking into the Top 25 collegiate rankings as well.  They've been steadily  picking up support and picked up enough votes that put them at 26th in one poll and 28th in another. 

It's a far cry from the number 12 ranking they carried into the October 3, 2009 game and were thumped 58-41.  They returned the favor in a 54-24 beatdown at the Rob last season, but many of the players who were on that 2009 team haven't forgotten that butt kicking or the 'Overrated' cheers from the UTEP faithful ringing in their ears after it.

The Coogs would like to ruin UTEP's perfect 6-0 record in C-USA conference home openers but UH is keenly aware of the fact the Miners have trick plays in their offensive arsenal they will not hesitate to use.

“There will be a fake punt, a fake field goal, could be an onside kick, could be anything,” UH head coach Kevin Sumlin said. “One of the things in preparation that everybody knows, particularly when you go down there, is that (Price) will do anything. That’s how he’s been. That’s not a reputation, that’s a fact.”

The Coogs just need to stay focused, go into El Paso with their game faces on for this 7 PM CDT clash and get out of the Sun Bowl with a win.  

Eat 'em up!

Why A Trans Rights Bill Is Needed In Canada

Liberal MP Dr.Hedy Fry and NDP MP Randall Garrison just introduced Bills C-276 and C-279 a few days ago in the Conservative majority dominated Parliament.  

Why did they do so?   Because it's clear that the Great White North and the trans people who live inside its borders need that human rights coverage.

A blatant case of anti-trans discrimination has blown up and become international news centered on the Trail's End Farmers Market in London, ON.

On September 10 Karen Clarke, the cis female owner and proprietor of True 2 You of London, a business that sells candles, oils, air fresheners and incense was called by the manager of the farmer's market and told she could not set up a booth in their 'family friendly' facility the next week if she planned on having a trans person running it. 

Clarke had worked a morning shift in the booth, then left it in the hands of her trans employee Dani Dominick in order to prepare for the next day's business.   She was shocked to receive the transphobic call at 8 PM that evening.

"He said it made everyone uncomfortable and it just wasn't right. This is a family place, a family market and this just isn't right. I just kept insisting what happened that was wrong and he said you walk up to the person and they're dressed like a woman and they've got big hands, a deep voice and tattoos and it's just not right. It's just not a family place he kept repeating that over and over again. And I kept trying to get from him what was wrong, what was so not right, what was it that people were complaining about and there was no details forthcoming that way. He called them 'those people' several times."  

Dani, the employee in question is according to Clarke one of her best employees and has worked without issue at the Children's Festival, Rib Fest, and Food Fest this past summer. In addition to working for Clarke, Dani also lives with her as part of a rent-for-work agreement.

Attorney Michelle Boyce is providing legal counseling to Clarke and a discrimination complaint has been filed with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.   Boyce says that if it rules in their favor, the fall out could be significant.

"We're in the process of filing human rights against Trails End Market, its blatant discrimination of what they've done. I've never seen a case so obvious."

There is a Change.org online petition that has sprung up in support of Clarke and the trans workers discriminated against that has garnered over 3700 signatures .

But let's hope that some of the fallout from this incident that Boyce talked about is a groundswell of positive public opinion that gets the Trans Rights Bill passed even in this Conservative dominated Parliament.