You need to let this strapping hula-dancer take over your life

Hawaiian entertainer Robert Cazimero evidently has a keen eye for talent.

Related: Muscly Tongan Flag Bearer Demonstrates The Magic Of Coconut Oil On Male “Today Show” Host

While performing at Concerts at The Shops, a monthly series open to the public and featuring artists from all over the Hawaiian Islands, the pianist/singer was accompanied by a strapping hula dancer, who treated guests to some truly superior dance moves.

Related: WATCH: Just Try Not To Stare At The Banana In This Smoothie Tutorial

At one point, Cazimero crows,  “Folks, I think you’re missing the point here… He’s telling you a story and you’re supposed to be watching the hands.”

It’s understandable why the audience doesn’t know quite where to look — except everywhere.

Watch: 

h/t OMG

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NEW MUSIC: Ride, Communions, The Orwells, Xiu Xiu

This week in New Music: 90s shoegaze act Ride are back with the gorgeous single “Home is a Feeling,” 80s/90s-leaning indie rock with no twist from Communions, The Orwells are not Terrible Human Beings they’re just very naughty boys and Xiu Xiu (above) follow up their Twin Peaks tribute album with the cryptic Forever.

Ride – “Home is a Feeling”

When promised a follow-up to Ride‘s 1996 album Tarantula, those old enough to remember how fantastic they were may have been apprehensive at best. What could a bunch of middle aged men have to say and how could they improve on albums like 1990’s classic Ride.

Happily, based on earlier track “Charm Assault” and “Home is a Feeling,” the lads haven’t lost it.

This, indie kids, is how you do it.

Perfect!

Communions – Blue

Communions is an indie pop/rock outfit from Copenhagen, Denmark.

Their debut album Blue holds no great surprises but if you like your rock wispy with a hint of summer via 80s nostalgia you can’t go far wrong.

Although the band would appear to be aiming for Strokes credibility, songs like “Passed You By” and “Got To Be Free” verge on straight out 80s pop acts like Deacon Blue whereas “Don’t Hold Anything Back” and “It’s Like Air” are clear rip offs of Oasis. Which is fine really because Oasis were a rip off of the entire history of rock.

That’s possibly the point with bands like Communions – indie pop/rock has been done to death and there’s really nothing new to say.

However, the Danish quartet have a knack for keeping it light and while the album is never, ever clever it’s an earworm from first listen.

The Orwells – Terrible Human Beings

And as if to prove that bands like Communions can be successful despite having nothing new to say while saying it prettily we have Terrible Human Beings, the third album from Chicago-based indie rock wannabe bad boys The Orwells.

As with Communions, The Orwells wear their influences heavily and without irony but more Weezer than Oasis.

“Good boys come in last/Bad girl by my side/Poppin’ pills on the fly/Cold grave when I die” they sing on “They Put a Body in the Bayou” and that sums it up.

The Orwells seem to think they are indie rock gods who could well throw a television from a hotel bedroom window if they had one too many Coors Lights but listening to Terrible Human Beings you know they won’t really because mom might find out.

The Orwells are significantly more successful than Communions for no other reason than luck and marketing.

If either band gets featured by Zane Lowe on Apple Music they’ll be huge.

Album highlight – “Black Francis” because Black Francis would be proud.

Xiu Xiu – Forget

Following on from last year’s excellent and timely tribute album Plays the Music of Twin Peaks, Xiu Xiu (above) return with Forget which in many ways seems to be a distillation of the band’s concerns over the last two decades.

For the uninitiated, Xiu Xiu do what the hell they want and it tends to be loud, obsessive, glitchy and experimental. On Forget think Brian Ferry on crack with David Byrne in the background trying to calm frontman Jamie Stewart down.

Be warned – Xiu Xiu are not for everyone and some might be offended by some of Stewart’s lyrics but if you want something completely different and generally fancy a touch of of Montreal or Joan of Arc give it a go and prepare to be mesmerized by the sheer audacity of it all.

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NEW MUSIC: Ride, Communions, The Orwells, Xiu Xiu

HRC Global Partners with LGBTQ Advocates in Nicaragua

Post submitted by HRC Global Deputy Director Jean Freedberg 

For the past year, HRC Global has been working shoulder to shoulder with an alliance — Grupo Consultivo — of LGBTQ advocates in Nicaragua. We have collaborated with them to raise their visibility, build allies, and increase political and community support for their efforts to gain legal non-discrimination protections. HRC staff have conducted seven in-person workshops in Managua and held hours of remote online consultations to share our lessons learned from more than three decades of advocacy promoting LGBTQ human rights and protections in the U.S. and beyond.

The LGBTQ community in Nicaragua is active, organized and has achieved some legal protections, most notably the creation of an LGBTQ ombudsperson in the current administration. However, it nonetheless suffers from widespread social exclusion and discrimination, and a lack of visibility. As a result, it is working to translate its gains into broader support and visibility for municipal and national protections.

This program is the first one that HRC has conducted with our partner, the National Democratic Institute (NDI). NDI is a U.S.-based nonprofit that works in more than 60 countries around the world to help citizens strengthen their democracies and ensure political and social inclusion of  vulnerable populations. HRC was invited by NDI to work with the Grupo Consultivo on a USAID-funded program to help them leverage the results of a national study on LGBTQ people into greater protections for the community.

Working together with our HRC colleagues in Project One America, we developed a model based on our highly successful “All God’s Children” campaign conducted in a number of southern U.S. states. We were able to demonstrate the impact of using a values-based approach to reaching communities to change hearts and minds, especially in deeply religious areas.

Our Nicaraguan colleagues chose to launch a media and visibility campaign entitled “En La Vina Del Senor, Todas y Todos Somos Sus Hijos”, which translates to “In the Vineyard of the Lord, We are All God’s Children.” The campaign is based on sharing the emotional and moving testimony of allies from all walks of life as they express their love and support for their LGBTQ family members, friends and colleagues. This will help build societal acceptance, which can then be leveraged to help pass legislative and policy protections.

The alliance has created a striking visual campaign for a nationwide audience through TV, print and social media. Thousands have watched the powerful testimonies and the alliance enlisted the support of local media personalities, such as Eveling Lambert, whose morning television show is widely watched across the country. They have created a widely liked Facebook page and a website that encourages others to share their stories and their journeys.

In addition, through the efforts of dozens of volunteers, the alliance launched a massive outreach and pledge campaign that has reached all corners of Nicaragua.They have gathered close to 10,000 signatures that will form the foundation of their appeals to municipal and national political leaders. They have reached out to small business owners to encourage them to create zero-discrimination zones and are working in coalition with other LGBTQ groups in Nicaragua to ensure a unified approach.

HRC Global is proud to be working with such creative, courageous and effective advocates. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with NDI and with the alliance over the upcoming months to gain even greater recognition and acceptance for the LGBTQ community in Nicaragua.

To find out more about HRC Global’s work, visit hrc.org/global.

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Unions, national education and civil rights orgs standing strong with transgender students

www.glaad.org/blog/unions-national-education-and-civil-rights-orgs-standing-strong-transgender-students

After winning award for tolerance, former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire cracks homophobic “joke” in public

On Sunday, former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire was honored with the prestigious MLK Jr. Award for tolerance in Jerusalem. Two days later, he told a reporter he wouldn’t be comfortable with a gay teammate. Not just that, but he would avoid the person altogether.

“I’m going to shower across the street,” Stoudemire said. “Make sure my change of clothes are around the corner. And I’m going to drive–take a different route to the gym!”

When asked if he was joking, Stoudemire replied, “I mean, there’s always a truth within a joke.”

Stoudemire, who used to play for the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks, currently plays for Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli Premier League.

Related: Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire Fined $50,000 For Tweeting Anti-Gay Slur To Fan

Yesterday, Jason Collins responded to his comments by calling them “sad” and “troubling”:

Very sad & troubling to think that @Amareisreal was just given this award. His homophobic comments have no place in sport or in our society. t.co/A81sTzItOi

— Jason Collins (@jasoncollins98) March 1, 2017

John Amaechi also tweeted a rebuke of Stoudemire’s remarks, calling him a “man-child” who spews prejudice:

THIS is what I think of Amar’e Stoudemire.#RoleModelFail @espn @LeBatardShow pic.twitter.com/43KuuJ27WL

— John Amaechi OBE (@JohnAmaechi) March 1, 2017

This isn’t the first time Stoudemire has made homophobic remarks in public either. In 2012, he was fined $50,000 for firing off a gay slur at a fan on Twitter. At the time, Stoudemire issued an apology saying he was a “huge supporter of civil rights for all people.”

He has yet to apologize for his latest gaffe.

Related: Out rugby star Keegan Hirst says he knows tons of gay athletes who are primed to come out

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Calm Your Nerves with This Brand New Coldplay Track ‘Hypnotised’ – WATCH

Coldplay today announced a new Kaleidoscope EP coming in June and released a track from the five-song set called “Hypnotised”. The track was accompanied by a Mary Wigmore-directed lyric video featuring a calming journey through lush landscapes of bubbling brooks and green forests.

The full EP comes on June 2.

Watch:

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#AM_Equality Tipsheet: March 2, 2017

BREAKING — 53 MAJOR COMPANIES JOIN HRC’S AMICUS BRIEF SUPPORTING GAVIN GRIMM IN SCOTUS CASE: Today, HRC announced that 53 major U.S. companies have joined a “friend of the court” brief supporting transgender student Gavin Grimm in G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board. Grimm, a transgender boy, filed suit against the school board alleging it violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 by denying him use of the boy’s restroom. The Supreme Court’s decision in this case could have far-reaching consequences for transgender students across the nation. “These companies are sending a powerful message to transgender children and their families that America’s leading businesses have their backs,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Across the country, corporate leaders are speaking out because they know attacking transgender youth isn’t just shameful — it also puts the families of their employees and customers at risk. Transgender students like Gavin are entitled to the full protection of the law, and must be affirmed, respected and protected in the classroom and beyond.” A list of the 53 companies, representing over 1.3 million employees and $613 billion in revenue, can be found on HRC’s blog. More from International Business Times and  The New York Times.

53 companies filed a brief to #StandWithGavin who was denied use of restroom consistent with his gender identity. t.co/3Fb2cfXdWg

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) March 2, 2017

●Meanwhile, in another failure of the Trump administration to protect transgender people, the Washington Blade reports that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has let stand a court order against the implementation of an Obamacare regulation barring discrimination against transgender people in health care. The midnight deadline to appeal the injunction passed yesterday with no action by U.S. Department of Justice. More here.

NEARLY 70 NATIONAL BUSINESSES SEND LETTER OPPOSING TEXAS ANTI-LGBTQ BILL: Yesterday, nearly 70 businesses made public their opposition to Texas’ SB 6, an anti-transgender bill similar to North Carolina’s HB2 law. The businesses, along with several Texas Chambers of Commerce, signed a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker of the House Joe Straus and other lawmakers, voicing their opposition to this discriminatory proposal. The letter was organized by the Texas Association of Business, as part of its “Keep Texas Open for Business” project. “As we have witnessed in North Carolina with HB2, businesses want nothing to do with states that promote anti-LGBTQ discrimination,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs. “It is heartening to see businesses stand up against harmful bills like SB 6, and hopefully lawmakers in Texas are paying attention to the increasingly frequent warnings that anti-LGBTQ laws will be detrimental to Texas’ future.” More on the letter, including full list of signers, from HRC.

●Fierce parent-advocates of transgender children are calling out SB6, describing the ways the bill will harm their children and their families. One parent, Chelsea, already knows the discrimination trans kids face in schools. She had to make the the painful decision to tell her 8-year-old transgender daughter to never use the school restroom if she sees another girl there. More from Salon.

THANKFUL THURSDAY — #LOVETHYNIGHBOR VIDEO SERIES HIGHLIGHTS LGBTQ MISSISSIPPIANS AND ALLIES: Over the next few weeks, HRC will release videos encouraging Mississippians to #LoveYourNeighbor. The storytelling project focuses on sharing the experiences of LGBTQ people and allies in Tupelo, Miss. It is funded by a grant from Toyota, which has a manufacturing plant in Blue Springs, Miss., just outside of Tupelo. More from The Clarion-Ledger.

●The latest #LoveYourNeighbor video features Auston, who wants to represent his city of Tupelo and his LGBTQ community in a positive light. More from HRC.

“IT MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THE SCHOOL SAW ME AS A LESSER PERSON”: Drew had a fairly easy time coming out to his family as transgender. His school, which is in a heavily Republican district of Florida, however, refuses to allow him to use the boys’ restroom. Drew and his mother fought back for his right to feel safe and protected in his school, filing a complaint with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The resolution, which has not been finalized, is now in jeopardy because of President Donald Trump’s disgraceful decision to roll back of the protective guidance for transgender students. More on Drew’s story and the stories of other trans kids from Rolling Stone.

No student should ever be afraid to go to school. They should feel safe and protected. Now more than ever we must #ProtectTransKids. t.co/bZ9l9vmyyU

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) March 1, 2017

JUST HOW MUCH DISCRIMINATION ARE YOU OKAY WITH?: In a powerful editorial in  The Charlotte Observer, the Editorial Board reminds the North Carolina General Assembly of the real question behind using LGBTQ equality as a bargaining chip – just how much discrimination are you willing to stomach? They write, “If you can tolerate a lot, HB2 is the bill for you. If you can stomach just a medium amount, you’ll probably like HB186, the leading repeal bill being discussed at the legislature this week. If you are OK with just a little discrimination, you’ll probably back HB186 minus its referendum provision that lets voters decide whether to discriminate against LGBT citizens.” Shortly after the piece was published, NC House Democratic Leader Darren Johnson filed a clean HB2 repeal —  a NO gimmicks, NO discrimination option for fair-minded North Carolinians. Read the full piece from The Charlotte Observer.

●Last week, HRC joined EqualityNC for its annual Day of Advocacy at the General Assembly in Raleigh.

●Sarah Belk Gambrell — a well-known North Carolina philanthropist whose family founded the Belk department store — will donate $1.5 million to Time Out Youth, a LGBTQ youth center in Charlotte. The donation, made in the name of her gay grandson, will help fund a soon-to-be-built shelter for LGBTQ youth. More from The Charlotte Observer.

INVEST IN AN ANTI-LGBTQ RETIRMENT FUND? BETTER TO STUFF YOUR CASH UNDER THE MATTRESS: An investment company has created two new exchange-traded funds that specifically exclude LGBTQ-friendly businesses…which means it locks out investments in 82 percent of Fortune 500 companies. Here what HRC Foundation Workplace Equality Director Deena Fidas has to say about that: “Anyone thinking of investing in a retirement fund that excludes these and myriad other LGBT-friendly companies is probably better served stuffing money under the mattress and hoping for the best.” More from Gay Star News.

HRC RECOMMENDS BOOKS FOR IMMIGRANT STUDENTS & THEIR FAMILIES: In the last few weeks, as executive orders to fund a border wall with Mexico and suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program have been handed down, elementary school teachers are again in the position of not just explaining new rules and policies to students, but supporting those who are understandably worried for themselves and their families. For teachers wanting to address issues concerning immigration as they pertain to children, HRC has developed the following list: Books for Students: Children, Families, and Immigrants. More from HRC.

DISNEY AIRS FIRST SAME-SEX CARTOON KISS: The Disney show Star vs. the Forces of Evil featured the first-ever same-sex Disney cartoon kiss. More from Teen Vogue.

FINALLY! WEDDING BELLS IN FINLAND: While the Finnish parliament passed marriage equality legislation back in 2014, it finally went into effect yesterday. More from The Huffington Post.

READING RAINBOW

The New York Times reports that French Vogue’s March cover will feature transgender model Valentina Sampaio… Author Mary Robinette Kowal tells the story of her grandmother’s acceptance of her trans brother in 1913 on Twitter…

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

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New Vermont Gay Bar Under Fire Over Name Some Say is Transphobic

The Burlington, Vermont area’s first dedicated gay bar in eleven years is set to open next week, but its questionable name has drawn sharp criticism.

The previous establishment, the Oak45 wine bar, is slated to reopen as Mister Sister. Owner Craig McGaughan says the name is meant to reflect the inclusivity he intends with the rebranding:

“It is a term that has been used among gays and drag queens for decades intended to be positively gender-bending,” McGaughan wrote. “Mister Sister is for the Misters and the Sisters, those that identify as both and everyone in between. The official description of Mister Sister is ‘a gay bar for him, her and them.’ I have been very intentional in using a pronoun that isn’t specifically male or female as a way to include anyone that identifies as part of the LGBTQ community.”

In his Facebook announcement, McGaughan stated that “the LGBT community in Vermont has been missing a place to call our own and through luck, a lot of support and hard work, we have the space to offer that.” He has since, however, taken to directing any concerns over the name to an unspecified elsewhere while deleting any unfavorable comments.

This is because the proposed name has encountered opposition among some members of the community.

Transgender man and Burlington resident Wiley Reading told the Burlington Free Press that he felt “‘mister sister’ is a transmisogynistic slur, and it is deeply uncomfortable.”

Meanwhile, the interim executive director of the Pride Center of Vermont, Josie Leavitt, also expressed reservations:

“Personally, I do find the name offensive,” Leavitt said. “I know Craig, and Craig is a good man. … His unwillingness to meet is what I’m finding to be the most troubling.”

This impasse led to the abrupt resignation of two other board members, Timber Adams and Bailey Cummings, late Tuesday. They faulted the Center for not taking a more active stance on the matter.

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