The dancer using lockdown to entertain neighbors with amazing street routines

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by A U S T Y N – F A R R E L L (@austyn_farrell) on Jun 16, 2019 at 9:57am PDT

A British dancer has gone viral this week by donning Tina Turner drag and dancing in his street to the her hit, ‘Proud Mary.’

Austyn Farrell was raised in Leicestershire but is now based in London. As a dancer, he’s performed alongside pop bands such as Steps and on Britain’s Got Talent, as well as work in Las Vegas. However, as a freelancer, the coronavirus pandemic has seen his work disappear.

To help pass the time, and to keep his anxiety at bay, he’s instead started performing elaborate dance routines in his street. It’s keeping his mind occupied and body in shape, entertains his neighbors, and is seeing him build an appreciative following on social media.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

@alankitrell Thanks for another week of love! all fun and games but some of the comments do really mean a lot so thank you have a fantastic weekend! Cup Kumka

A post shared by A U S T Y N – F A R R E L L (@austyn_farrell) on May 8, 2020 at 9:45am PDT

He started out with Disney Princesses and clips from movies such as A Chorus Line. A rendition of Dolly Parton’s ‘9 To 5’ earned a like and comment from the country icon herself.

Related: Todrick Hall releases star-studded video for ‘Mask, Gloves, Soap, Scrubs’

However, it was a rendition of Turner’s ‘Proud Mary’ a few days ago that has gone viral, being shown on BBC Show The One Show and re-shared by Oprah Magazine on its Instagram feed yesterday.

Farrell told the website GuysLikeU, “Monday to Friday, I perform songs outside my house for my neighbors and post it on my Instagram. The productions have been growing and growing, it’s getting ridiculous but it’s all fun. I enjoy it and it makes everyone laugh which is important at these times.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by A U S T Y N – F A R R E L L (@austyn_farrell) on Apr 22, 2020 at 10:52am PDT

He says losing work has been tough: “Being self-employed has been pretty crap during this period but there’s many of us in the exact same boat so we all just have to ride the wave I guess … I’ve tried to stay positive, happy and safe. The best thing we can do is stay home so there is no point worrying and letting my anxiety go mad.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by A U S T Y N – F A R R E L L (@austyn_farrell) on Oct 2, 2018 at 9:46am PDT

He also shared a sweet story about coming out. He says he first knew for certain he was gay when he fell in love with another boy when he started dance lessons at the age of 15. He was terrified of telling his family.

Related: Dance instructor slays with his kitchen quarantine fashion displays

“I started with my mum one weekend. I waited until she had been out and came home all merry. I sat next to her and started shaking as I said the words ‘mum, I’m gay and I have a boyfriend’. She replied smiling, ‘I know, son’.

“The next day she came and gave me the biggest hug and said what would I like for breakfast like nothing had changed. I then received a call from my dad saying ‘would you like me to be honest, son. I’ve known since you were three years old when you were wearing your nan’s heels and it will never change how proud and how much I love you’.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

No it’s not Elton John it’s just me I know I’ve been joking a hell of a lot but just staying positive. I’m not ignoring what’s happening in the world or hope I’m not coming across ignorant it’s just I’m not letting miss Rona trigger my anxiety off…not today Satan! I hope everyone is staying safe, sane and healthy. Happy Saturday Im so ready for next week with Austyn’s solo musical

A post shared by A U S T Y N – F A R R E L L (@austyn_farrell) on Apr 4, 2020 at 10:00am PDT

www.queerty.com/dancer-using-lockdown-entertain-neighbors-amazing-street-routines-20200514?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Mich. Suspends License of Barber Who Vowed to Stay Open ‘Until Jesus Comes’ Despite Coronavirus Order: WATCH

Michigan state regulators have suspended the license of 77-year-old barber Karl Manke, who pledged to keep his Owosso shop open “until Jesus comes” despite Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s coronavirus order.

The Associated Press reports: A judge declined the state’s request to shut down his shop Monday without first holding a hearing. Regulators took a different path by suspending his barber license and his shop license. “It is paramount that we take action to protect the public and do our part to help save lives,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said. Manke can ask for an immediate hearing with an administrative law judge at the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. “It’s pure retribution. It’s abuse of power: How dare you stand up to me?” said Manke’s attorney, Dave Kallman. … Manke has been hailed as a hero by some people who have driven an hour or more to get a haircut. “The government is not my mother, never has been,” Manke said Monday. “I’ve been in business longer than they’ve been alive.”

According to the WJRT, the Michigan Militia is vowing to defend Manke, who remained open Wednesday and said authorities will have to drag him out of the shop in handcuffs. Manke appeared Sunday on Fox & Friends.

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

More from the New York Times: Mr. Manke said he initially closed his business, Karl Manke’s Barber & Beauty Shop, in March but reopened on May 4, as he grew increasingly concerned about his bills piling up. He wears a mask and recommends but does not require them for his customers, he said. State officials said Mr. Manke’s actions jeopardized public health and violated the governor’s order extending the closure of nonessential businesses to May 28. “Mr. Manke’s actions in violating Gov. Whitmer’s executive orders as well as other health orders put the public at risk for contracting Covid-19,” Michigan’s attorney general, Dana Nessel, said in a statement Wednesday. “Any time you have a barber or other professional providing services to numerous citizens in close proximity to each other and those citizens are then returning to their various residences, there is a risk of contracting and spreading the virus,” she said. “It is paramount that we take action to protect the public and do our part to help save lives.” Ms. Nessel’s office declined to say how it would enforce the suspension of the licenses, stating, “Our office is involved in pending legal action against Mr. Manke, so we cannot comment on these issues.”

The post Mich. Suspends License of Barber Who Vowed to Stay Open ‘Until Jesus Comes’ Despite Coronavirus Order: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

Mich. Suspends License of Barber Who Vowed to Stay Open ‘Until Jesus Comes’ Despite Coronavirus Order: WATCH

FBI Seizes Richard Burr’s Cell Phone in Probe of COVID-19 Stock Dump, But What About Kelly Loeffler?

FBI agents seized a cell phone belonging to North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr on Wednesday night, as part of an investigation into alleged insider trading, after he dumped up to $1.7 million in stock in February following private committee briefings on the impending COVID-19 crisis.

Burr turned over the phone after agents served a search warrant at his Washington-area home, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. Authorities reportedly seized the phone after a separate search warrant was used to obtain information from Burr’s Apple iCloud account.

News of the seizure prompted immediate questions about why the FBI isn’t similarly investigating Georgia Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who also sold hundreds of thousands worth of stock after receiving COVID-19 briefings. Some experts suggested the DOJ’s decision to go after Burr, but not Loeffler, could be politically motivated. Burr has been a thorn in the side of Donald Trump, while Loeffler has been fiercely loyal to the president. 

CBS News reports: “We’ll decline to comment,” Burr communications director Caitlin Carroll said late Wednesday. … Several of the stocks sold were in companies that own hotels, an industry that has been decimated by the coronavirus. The bulk of Burr’s stock sales took place on February 13, just before he made a speech predicting extreme measures would have to be taken to check the spread of the virus, including closing schools and cutting company travel, according to audio obtained by National Public Radio. A week earlier, on February 7, Burr coauthored an opinion piece with Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander that offered reassuring words for Americans concerned about the coronavirus. … It’s illegal for members of Congress to trade stocks based on information the public doesn’t have that they receive through their positions as lawmakers. Burr was among only three senators who voted against the legislation banning such trading in 2012.

More from the Washington Post: Burr was not the only senator accused of abusing coronavirus-related information that was not available to the general public to make personal financial decisions. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) also came under fire after the Daily Beast reported that she had sold a significant share of stocks in January after attending the same briefings as Burr. … Some legal observers noted there would be a potential disparity if Burr was being investigated but not other members of Congress who engaged in similar trades, particularly Loffler. After the Justice Department’s investigation into Burr became public, a Loeffler spokesman said she had not been contacted by federal law enforcement officials. Burr and President Trump have had a tense relationship at times.

The post FBI Seizes Richard Burr’s Cell Phone in Probe of COVID-19 Stock Dump, But What About Kelly Loeffler? appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.

FBI Seizes Richard Burr’s Cell Phone in Probe of COVID-19 Stock Dump, But What About Kelly Loeffler?

1 Year Ago: Trump Opposes the Equality Act

On May 14, 2019 Trump announced his opposition to the Equality Act — crucial federal legislation that would finally guarantee explicit protections for LGBTQ people under our nation’s existing civil rights laws. Since then, he has continued to use the levers of his administration to continue to oppose LGBTQ equality in the workplace.

Here are some of his attacks on LGBTQ equality in the workplace:

1. Supported employment discrimination against LGBTQ people: The Trump administration submitted amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting discrimination against LGBTQ people.

2. Rolled back Obama-era non-discrimination protections: Trump’s Department of Justice upended previous DOJ interpretations of the Civil Rights Act that protect transgender and non-binary workers from employment discrimination and ceased enforcing non-discrimination protections as well as taking a hostile stance to LGBTQ workers in court.

3. Planned new rules to license discrimination: Trump’s Department of Labor issued a regulation designed to allow federal contractors to claim a religious exemption to fire LGBTQ workers because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

4. Created a hostile work environment for LGBTQ federal employees: According to Politico: “[The Trump administration] fostered a climate where six staffers who are LGBT described removing their wedding rings before coming to work in the morning, taking down photos of their partners and families or ultimately finding new jobs further away from certain political appointees. They did not want to be identified; two said they feared being reassigned for being gay.”

www.hrc.org/blog/1-year-ago-trump-opposes-the-equality-act?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed