In case you didn't know, Eric Himan kicks ass. On the heels of news about Arizona trying to legislate bigotry and hate into law, Eric took to his guitar to send a message of his own to those who seem to what to continually assault the Constitution with laws that are more about themselves than the people they call constituents. So the talented Himan sat down and wrote "I'm Not Going Anywhere Tonight". Enjoy.
Due to the overwhelming demands of people watching the video, Eric has made "I'm Not Going Anywhere Tonight" available for purchase on BandCamp. "100% of proceeds are going to groups fighting to keep this bill from becoming law as well as fighting for full LGBT equality in Arizona" he explained. To learn more about Eric Himan visit his official website. Once there, you can order music, as well as checking out his tour schedule. If you are into the social media, you can also 'follow' him on Twitter, or 'like' him on Facebook. I have all his music in my collection, and you can't go wrong with any in his discography. But I would suggest you add Eric's latest album, 'Gracefully', to your collection. 'Gracefully' is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp.
Thirteen years ago, a young man lost his life because a group of children grew up with no respect for life. A mother can no longer hold her son because other parents failed to teach their children The Golden Rule from the book they claim to hold so dear; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." A young adult will not celebrate his 22nd birthday because two young adults thought torture was acceptable in this country. A mother and a father will never be able to see their son celebrate a new-found love because a few people decided to celebrate hate on a dark and lonely road in Laramie, Wyoming.
Certainly this cannot happen in this country, a land that celebrates the the rights of the individual, that holds the Bill of Rights so dear? In the very same country that saw such division, such violence just thirty-some years earlier in the wake of the civil right struggle of some American citizens, you'd think the people would have grown more than that, don't you?
13 years after a young man was discovered tied to a fence, his body bloodied and beaten, all because he was a little different than his attackers. Attackers who identified the young man by the love he felt, rather than the man he was. They felt the need to answer love with the hate that grew deep within them. Hate that allowed a group of supposed 'religious' congregation to disrupt the grieving of a loving family when they picket at funeral. Hate that allows a group of Presidential candidates to make their bigotry and hate a cornerstone of their candidacy. Hate that allows people to think voting to discriminate against fellow citizens is acceptable. Hate that can be found on the streets, in the workplace, and in the schoolyards in this country, even today. Thirteen years after the beating of Matthew Shepard, 43 years after the shooting of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and 47 years following the lynching of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, you'd hope there would be no need for Garrin Benfield to write a song like this...
Yet there is. So we will not forget Matthew Shepard. We will not forget those who just said "no" at Stonewall. We will not forget the kids who are battered, both physically and emotionally, every day until they believe there is no life worth living. We will not forget the gay, lesbian, bisexual and trangendered people who were not safe on the streets of their own communities.
We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) Third president of the United States.
I saw this video linked on Twitter via Louis Van Amstel (Twitter @LouisVanAmstel), dancer/choreographer on Dancing With The Stars this season with Margaret Cho and overall hot out man, and was truly moved. With a video like this, I am given more hope than I have had in some time. There is truly a group of people, young, driven and gorgeous, come together to fight hate and prejudice of all kinds, and taking an active role to get the job done.
All I can say is below is the text from the YouTube video, and then the video itself. Crank up your speakers, hit the video to full screen, and be ready for something special.
Members of the Somewhere2turn Community Outreach Project and the Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy in Redwood City, CA, collaborated with Louis Van Amstel, Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley from the NOH8 Campaign to create a song and music video which promotes the campaign's "anti-hate" message. The NOH8 Campaign is a photographic silent protest against the ruling of California's Proposition 8 and turned into a protest against any discrimination or hatred.
In the brainstorming process of the project, our youth decided to address all forms of hate and discrimination in race, gender, religion, marriage rights and so forth. By expressing their own opinions on the subject matter, along with visual images that support their lyrics, our youth artists hope that the song and video will raise awareness of these issues and encourage their young peers to be more understanding, tolerant and accepting of each others' differences.
It is our ultimate hope that listeners and viewers of the NOH8 song and music video project will be moved to respond not only with empathy, but also with action! "Stop the Hate, Start the celebrations, If we can unite, We can change the nation"
