Turkey’s gay community fights homophobia alongside COVID-19

Prosecutors have launched a probe into the bar associations that condemned the head of the state-run religious affairs directorate, for claiming homosexuals are spreading the pandemic.
 

Riot police prevent LGBT rights activists from marching for a pride parade, which was banned by the governorship, in central Istanbul, Turkey, June 30, 2019. Photo by REUTERS/Murad Sezer.

May 4, 2020

Human rights activist Ajda Ender was staying at a friend’s house when Turkey announced its first case of the novel coronavirus in mid-March. “At a time when all state authorities were telling us to stay home, I simply could not, as I was in a legal battle with my neighbors, whose harassment and threats prevented my access to my own apartment,” Ender, a trans woman, told Al-Monitor.

Ender’s case was brought to the parliament’s agenda earlier this year by Zuleyha Gulum, a deputy from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party, who asked the Ministry of Family and Social Affairs to protect Ender from threats, harassment and physical violence from her neighbors and police officers.

“When she went to the local police station to file a complaint, she was met with transphobic speech. The officers told her that it was the way she looked that caused all this,” Gulum said in a parliamentary question in January.

With the outbreak of the coronavirus, things went from bad to worse for Ender. The neighbors at her friend’s apartment, where she took refuge, cut the water and the internet connection to force her to move, as they believed she may carry the virus. Like many small businesses, her fashion brand, already struggling in the last year, came to a halt.

“We are a vulnerable group and have become even more so during the pandemic. The coronavirus outbreak left me without a job and a home, yet when I applied for financial support from the Ministry of Social and Family Affairs, I was rejected,” she said, sending Al-Monitor the negative reply to the request. “Not only do we not get any help from the government, but statements by members of the government and top bureaucrats put us at risk of physical and verbal attacks.”

Ender’s complaint comes as part of an explosive debate on mounting trans- and homophobia in Turkey, spurred by the remarks of Ali Erbas, head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate. In an April 24 sermon, Erbas said that Islam condemns adultery and homosexuality because they “bring disease and corrupt generations.” Hundreds of thousands of people every year are exposed to HIV due to homosexuality and adultery, he stated.

“Come and let’s fight together to protect people from such evil,” he said as Turkey’s COVID-19 tally mounted, making the country a regional hotspot for the pandemic.

The remarks immediately drew the ire of human rights groups and bar associations, which accused Erbas, a close confidant of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of inciting hatred against Turkey’s vulnerable LGBTI community and HIV-positive citizens. Gay rights group Kaos GL said Erbas had "spewed hatred" with "unscientific claims.” The Ankara Human Rights Association declared that it would file a judicial complaint against him for inciting hatred. The Izmir Bar Association said it was concerned the statement could encourage new hate crimes.

Unsurprisingly, Erdogan threw his weight behind Erbas. “An attack on Erbas is an attack on the state,” the president said in a thinly veiled warning to critics April 27. Almost simultaneously, prosecutors launched a probe into the Ankara Bar Association for “belittling the religious values adopted by part of the Turkish society.” The Diyarbakir Bar Association faced a probe on the same grounds.

Government officials rallied to the side of Erbas as well. Suleyman Soylu, the powerful interior minister, tweeted with the hashtag #AliErbasisnotalone, “Here it is, brief and clear, we love Ali Erbas and we need his words.” The deans of theology faculties issued a declaration of support, restating that homosexuality was against Islamic teachings.

“It is extremely concerning to see some of Turkey’s top government representatives appearing to endorse hateful remarks by the head of the religious affairs directorate,” Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement May 1. “Turkey’s government has an obligation to protect everyone from hate crimes and discrimination, and should not tolerate statements by officials that encourage hate crimes and target LGBT people and those living with HIV.”

The controversy comes amid increasing homophobia in Turkey, where homosexuality is legal, but the LGBTI community is subject to abuse, harassment, violence and even murder. Many activists claim that homophobia and transphobia have increased with the coronavirus outbreak as many people regard the LGBTI community as carriers of the virus.

“Some of the commentators on mainstream and social media have stepped up their attacks on the LGBTI community during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Yildiz Tar, a member of Kaos GL. “This is hardly new, but it is particularly perturbing that this hate speech is repeated by officials who portray the LGBTI as the culprits, rather than victims, of the pandemic. I am concerned that this hate speech, which has intensified over these critical days, will continue after the pandemic, becoming a permanent fixture of the political rhetoric.”

Homophobia in Turkey has reached TV series and even children’s artwork in the last two months. In April, “Love 101,” a high-school drama set in the '90s about a bunch of unruly teenagers, came under fire because one of the main characters was alleged to be gay. Though the series’ trailer gave no such indication, conservative columnists and others kept referring to a “Netflix conspiracy” as the series was allegedly timed to start at Ramadan and named the gay character “Osman” — the name of the third caliph of Islam — deliberately to insult Muslims. United under the hashtag #Netflixadamol ("literally Netflix be a man," but meaning "be decent"), they called on Turkey’s media watchdog to censor the series, but it went online as planned on April 24. There ended up being no indication that Osman, a resourceful teen entrepreneur-in-the-making, was gay. However, conservative media outlets continued their attacks on the series for encouraging the Turkish youth to “form gangs, engage in crime, use drugs and have perverse relationships.”

Even more strangely, the art museum Istanbul Modern's online activity inviting children across the country to draw rainbows and stick them in windows to cheer up confined Turks, also came under fire. Egitim-Sen, a teachers’ trade union, confirmed that some local education directorates had called on school principals not to allow children to participate in the project, saying it was an LGBTI plot to turn children gay.

The LGBTI rights group ILGA Europe ranked Turkey second from last — just ahead of Azerbaijan — in its review of 49 European and Central Asian countries in its 2020 report. Hate speech toward LGBTI Turks is steadily rising, said the report, citing statements by Soylu and the Religious Affairs Directorate as examples.
Nazlan Ertan

Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/05/turkey-netflix-drama-love-101-diyanet-incites-hatred-lgbti.html#ixzz6MB4cVMFt

Palestinian woman leads fight against coronavirus, while others fall victim to domestic violence

Women are taking the lead in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak in the Palestinian territories, while at the same the virus has brought more violence and suffering to some women.

Palestinian women work in a sanitizer factory amid precautions against the coronavirus, in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 12, 2020. Photo by REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

May 6, 2020

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Aishya Nimr (known by her nickname Umm Iyad), 58, heads in the early morning to the headquarters of the local council of the village of Qira in Salfit governorate in the northern West Bank to follow up on the council’s emergency procedures as part of the efforts to stem the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

Umm Iyad has been heading the village council since 2017 and with the virus outbreak, she also started leading the emergency committee formed to this effect.

Umm Iyad told Al-Monitor that she begins her workday by checking up on citizens in home quarantine in the village, whose number amounted to 21 at the beginning of the crisis but had dwindled to one at the time of this writing. She also is handling the issue of 144 of the village's workers in Israel. Most of the rest of the village’s population of 1,370 work in agriculture.

Umm Iyad also visits the checkpoints set up at the two entrances of the village to check up on the security officers before returning to the village council offices.

“The coronavirus outbreak and the consequent state of emergency had made my work more challenging. I don’t get back home before 11 p.m., where I have to continue following up on every update regarding the measures to cope with the spread of the virus. I also follow up on the needs of citizens through the recently formed committees, such as the health committee, to follow up on the quarantined, or the medical committee to follow up on the elderly, as well the social committee to follow up on the citizens’ needs,” Umm Iyad added. 

Umm Iyad is also currently working on a community initiative to cultivate 5 dunums of land and grow vegetables to achieve self-sufficiency for the village’s citizens. The plot of land was offered by a citizen to the people of the village.

On April 22, the first 2,500 seedlings arrived and were planted. “The project requires 18,000 seedlings. We already managed to get some and we are seeking to secure the rest,” she said.

Since the beginning of the virus outbreak and the announcement of a state of emergency by President Mahmoud Abbas on March 5, Umm Iyad managed to equip and turn three apartments and a kindergarten into a quarantine area for those who do not have a place to be confined in. She stressed that she is greatly supported by the council’s members and the townspeople.

This positive image of Palestinian women during a time of pandemic is only one side of the story. The other side is darker and more terrifying with the rising rates of domestic violence, especially against women during the lockdown.

Statistics from the Ministry of Social Development on April 21 showed that “social workers across the Palestinian governorates have been dealing with some 70 women who have been victims of domestic violence since the beginning of 2020 through April 10. Also, 48% of the [cases of] abused women were received during the lockdown period (from March 5 to April 10).”

Minister of Social Development Ahmed Majdalani told Al-Monitor, “Cases of domestic violence, be it physical or verbal abuse, and sexual assaults have increased during the confinement period.” He explained that the “economic and financial crisis also contributes in the increasing violence against women, not to mention the emotional stress resulting from the lockdown.”

Ministry statistics indicated that 40% of women have been subjected to emotional and mental abuse, and 31% to physical abuse. Other women also have suffered other forms of violence, such as restricted freedom, sexual harassment, financial abuse, rape, online bullying and forced marriage.

This has led 60% of the victims to flee their houses and 21% to attempt suicide, not to mention the violence’s negative impact such as physical and mental illnesses, fractures and pregnancy out of wedlock, according to the ministry.

Ministry Undersecretary Dawood al-Deek told Al-Monitor, “The ministry’s studies show that violence against women is likely to rise should the lockdown drag on.” He said, “The ministry’s teams are working on resolving disputes and cases of violence by intervening at people’s homes,” noting that the three shelter centers under the supervision of the ministry in the West Bank are open for battered women. “All precautionary and health measures will be applied for newcomers, most notably a 14-day quarantine period inside the shelter home,” Deek explained.

He added that the actual cases of violence against women is higher than the registered cases at the ministry, as some women turn to social society institutions, which in turn try to mediate to resolve family disputes with social workers. Deek said that since the beginning of 2020, social workers have been working with some 70 women who have been subjected to violence, with a little over a fifth of these referred to women's protection centers under the supervision of the ministry. Shelter centers received six women since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis through April 10.

According to its report, the ministry has also been offering psychological support and guidance to many of the affected women, in addition to other cash and in-kind assistance, emergency aid, medical insurance and economic empowerment, as well as child protection services for the children of violence victims.

The Minister of Women's Affairs, Amal Hamad, told Al-Monitor that the number of complaints that have been lodged with the concerned parties that deal with violence against women this month have spiked compared with the same month last year. “This prompted the ministry to adopt new mechanisms to resolve disputes within households,” she said.

Hamad said her ministry formed support committees in 200 local councils to immediately intervene with families at home, forming specialized committees made up of mental and social health experts. A hotline was also set up to receive complaints from battered and abused women.

An opinion poll conducted by the Arab World for Research and Development, whose results were published April 20, showed that expectations that violence against women will continue increased 53% compared with the last poll published March 31.

The research firm's director, Nader Said, told Al-Monitor that this alarming increase “is a dangerous indicator of societal changes, which must be highlighted and that solutions must be found for.”

Ahmad Melhem

Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/04/palestinian-women-fight-coronavirus-domestic-violence.html#ixzz6MB3rA7qW

Report: Child soldiers deployed to Libya by Turkish-backed Syrian National Army

An exclusive report, citing sources on the ground in Syria and Libya, says Syrian teenagers are being sent to Libya to take part in the civil war the
 

Military vehicles of the Libyan internationally recognized government forces head out to the front line from Misrata, Libya, Feb. 3, 2020. Photo by REUTERS/Ayman Al-Sahili.

May 8, 2020

Factions of the Turkish-backed opposition Syrian National Army are recruiting minors to fight in Libya, according to a report laying out in exhaustive detail Turkey’s use of Syrian rebels to prop up Libya’s Government of National Accord.

The 40-page document, prepared by Syrians for Truth and Justice and shared exclusively with Al-Monitor, cites sources on the ground in Syria and in Libya who say Syrian teenagers have been recruited and are part of their units in the battlefield. The report will be published Monday by the nonpartisan not-for-profit organization, which documents human rights abuses in Syria.

The children are among well over 2,000 Syrian rebels believed to have been deployed over the past year via Turkey in support of the Government of National Accord against the eastern warlord Khalifa Hifter, who is backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

“Our investigation revealed that children are issued forged identity documents with false information about their date and place of birth, and are accordingly registered in the personal status records of the [Syrian] National Army,” the report says. Some of the children used the names of their older brothers in their fake papers, and the recruitment of child soldiers is ongoing, according to the report.

One of the sources, a civilian from the town of Marea in the Turkish-occupied Euphrates Shield zone in northern Syria, says that in January, a commander from one of the Syrian National Army factions, the Mutasim Division, came to his shop with three children between the ages of 15 and 16. The civilian, who was not identified by name to shield him from possible retribution, said, “They told me they would go to Libya with the approval of their families. They were very happy to receive a salary of $3,000.00 [promised to them by recruiters].

"I asked one of them if he knew how to use a weapon, and he responded he would learn all of this in the military camp where he would be with his peers.”


The child said the camp was set up by the Mutasim Division and trained children in groups of 25. The children were told that they could contact their families from Libya and return home in three months “with a big amount of money” and that they would get free cigarettes, food and housing.

The report also cites a fighter from the Sultan Murad Division, an ethnic Turkmen faction, which is fiercely loyal to Turkey. The fighter, who is currently in Tripoli, where the Government of National Accord sits, is quoted as saying there are at least five children in his group.

The fighter said, “It is very clear that they are physically children.”

The United Nations Optional Protocol on the Convention of the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, which was opened for signature in May 2000, says, “Armed groups that are distinct from the armed forces of a State should not, under any circumstances, recruit or use in hostilities persons under the age of 18 years.” It additionally says, “Parties shall take all feasible measures to prevent such recruitment and use, including the adoption of legal measures necessary to prohibit and criminalize such practices.”

Syria, Turkey and Libya are all party to the Optional Protocol.

“If Turkey and the Government of National Accord, which is recognized by the UN as the legitimate representative of Libya, are either colluding or facilitating the deployment of children under the age of 18 to fight in Libya, they are committing a grave violation of the Optional Protocol,” said Mehmet Balci, co-founder of Fight for Humanity, a Geneva based nongovernmental organization that focuses on conflict prevention and promotes human rights.

Balci said in a telephone interview that Turkey frequently calls out the Kurdistan Workers Party, the Kurdish militant group that has been waging an armed insurgency against Turkish security forces since 1984, over its use of child combatants.

Bassam al-Ahmad, executive director of Syrians for Truth and Justice, told Al-Monitor that he had no evidence that Turkey or Syria were complicit in the deployment of child soldiers. The report does, however, provide compelling evidence that the Turkish government is directly involved in transporting Syrian fighters from Turkey to Libya; this has also been widely reported by the international media. Ahmad emphasized that his organization will soon be publishing a report on the recruitment of foreign mercenaries by Hifter as well.

A UN report leaked this week said the Wagner group, a Russian private military contractor, has deployed about 1,200 mercenaries to Libya in support of Hifter.

The United States has accused Russia of escalating the conflict.

The US special envoy for Syria, Jim Jeffrey, told reporters Thursday, “We know that, certainly the Russians are working with [Syrian president Bashar al-]Assad to transfer militia to fighters, possibly third country, possibly Syrian to Libya, as well as equipment.” Jeffrey did not mention Turkey's deployment of Syrian rebels.

Syrian National Army spokesman Yousef Hamoud denied in a statement to Al-Monitor that the group is sending fighters to Libya.

Ahmad, dwelling on the irony of Ankara and Damascus using foreign fighters to square off in Syria and now carrying Syrians to Libya to take part on opposing sides in yet another civil conflict, said, “Here in Syria it’s a proxy war and people are using Syrians against each other but I never thought that Syrians would be recruited by Turkey and by the Assad regime and Russian companies to fight in Libya.” He added, “People who don’t know my country well will think of my people as mercenaries. It’s really very sad.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged in a Feb. 21 interview with CNNTurk that Turkish forces had been deployed to Libya in a “coordinating role” alongside “various teams” drawn from “an opposition force.”

He was widely believed to be alluding to Syrian opposition rebels, many of whom have been lured to Libya with dubious promises of four-digit dollar salaries and eventual Turkish citizenship. According to another report on Turkey’s intervention in Libya released by the International Crisis Group this week, Ankara has since January deployed at least 100 officers to help the Tripoli government and transferred shiploads of weapons along with “a contingent of at least 2,000 fighters of the Syrian National Army.”

The deployment of Syrian rebels allows Turkey to “score a double win,” argues Emadeddin Badi, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. “Turkey momentarily gets rid of those that cause them problems in northern Syria while using them as cannon fodder to shift the tide in Libya,” Badi told Al-Monitor. “It’s quite cruel, but that’s the reality.”

Turkey’s expanded role is thought to have played a critical role in slowing down Hifter’s more than yearlong campaign to take Tripoli. But it remains uncertain whether Turkey can definitively tip the balance in the Government of National Accord’s favor.

Turkey maintains that its presence in Libya is legitimate because it is based on a pair of defense and maritime agreements signed with the Tripoli government in November. Egypt, which remains at loggerheads with Ankara over Erdogan's ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, accuses Turkey of transporting "terrorists" to Libya and in a letter to the UN called the agreements void and invalid. Its claims are echoed by Turkey's other regional arch foe, the UAE.

Badi said that whether Turkey remains successful “depends on whether the UAE and Russia still want to maintain some plausible deniability about their involvement in Libya, the UAE in particular.” He continued, “Mitigating the Ankara-induced shift in the tide of the conflict involves deploying its own aerial military assets, not drones, to conduct strikes in western Libya. And yes, there are child soldiers on both sides of the conflict.”

The first credible indication that the presence of minors was more than just rumor emerged in January. Jesrpress, an independent Syrian newspaper, reported that a 17-year-old from Hasakah had died in Libya fighting in the ranks of the Sultan Murad division.

Images of his burial were posted on YouTube.

Elizabeth Tsurkov, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute who closely monitors the Syrian conflict, said it was not surprising that children were being drawn into the conflict.

“The force from which these fighters are dispatched, the so-called National Army, includes many minors in its ranks — boys with few years of schooling and no job prospects other than joining these factions in exchange for a salary,” Tsurkov told Al-Monitor. “A commander in one of these factions also told me previously that any boy who has gone through puberty is a man who can join,” she added.

Amberin Zaman 



Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/05/child-soldiers-libya-syria-national-army-turkey.html#ixzz6MB0itOTV

Women protest spike in domestic violence as locked-down Israel simmers


In nationwide demonstrations over the last few days, Israeli women are demanding help with the spike violence against women during the COVID-19 crisis.
 

Women Taking Power Israel calls for nationwide protests May 6 in this image uploaded to Facebook. Photo by womentakingpowerisrael.org.

May 8, 2020

Five women have been murdered in Israel since the start of the novel coronavirus outbreak, two of them at the end of April.

Figures collected by the Ministry of Welfare since the lockdown began about seven weeks ago show that there were four times as many incidents of violence against women than in the same period last year. In 2019, 13 women were killed in Israel by domestic violence. The past few weeks show a sharp rise in the prevalence of this tragic phenomenon.

Professionals in the field agree that the reason is the extended lockdown, which has forced people to remain at home. Living in such close proximity under tense conditions has had a pressure-cooker effect, increasing the likelihood of violence within the family. Helplines and women’s shelters have reported a rise in the number of women contacting them, but they also note that they are having a hard time providing an adequate response to everyone.

Just a few days ago, two women were murdered by their partners — Mastwell Alaza on April 28 and Tatiana Haikin on May 3. To make matters worse, in both cases, the men had been arrested in the past and even served time in prison for assaulting their partners. Nevertheless, the violence continued after their release as the authorities failed to protect the victims.

Alaza, 37, from Holon, was murdered by her husband after she ignored requests he made at dinnertime. Infuriated, he began to beat her. She tried to defend herself and flee the apartment, but he pulled a knife on her and stabbed her to death in front of their children. Making this tragedy even more infuriating, Alaza was living in a shelter for battered women until recently. She returned to live with her family only when the coronavirus lockdown started. She was hoping to find a more home-like environment, but in the end, she paid dearly for it. Once she arrived home, she was beaten daily until she was finally killed.

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Haikin, 50, from Bat Yam, was also killed by her partner. He had already spent time in prison for assaulting her, but upon his release he ignored a restraining order and returned to live with her. She also suffered a brutal death.

This rise in violence against women has led to a wave of nationwide protests and demonstrations over the last few days. The biggest took place on May 6, when hundreds of women gathered in 17 cities across the country to protest the government’s failure to address the phenomenon. The demonstrations were led by women’s groups under the banner, “Not at my expense.” A Facebook page dedicated to the initiative says, “We are the invisible victims of the coronavirus,” and “Violence against women in Israel is reaching unimaginable proportions. Women across the country are paying with their blood.”

In one particularly moving show of solidarity by the “Sisters in Misery,” Jewish and Arab women stood side by side with masks covering their faces to protect themselves from the virus. They had gathered together to demand that the government wake up and enact emergency measures to help women at risk, remove them from their homes and place them in shelters for battered wives.

Naila Awad, the director of Women against Violence and one of the demonstration’s organizers, accuses the authorities of abandoning women. She says that women’s group appealed to the prime minister, the ministers of public security and welfare and the local Arab leadership as well as all members of the Knesset to warn them of the danger. “We let them know that we are caught in a pressure cooker, and it’s about to explode. Israel is abandoning women. It continues to marginalize them everywhere, without batting an eye.’’

On May 3, the Knesset’s Welfare Committee held an emergency meeting to discuss the rise in violence against women since the start of the pandemic. During its discussions, participants heard reports about two women who committed suicide after being subjected to violence during the lockdown. Both women were unable to convince the authorities to remove them from the home.

The chair of Israel’s Union of Social Workers, Inbal Hermoni, painted a grim picture for the Knesset committee about the rise in violence in the Bedouin community since the start of the lockdown. According to her, domestic violence is twice as common in this group as in the rest of the country. Hermoni explains that the women affected are constantly with their abusers and have no way to file their complaints.

The Ministry of Welfare is experimenting with housing abusive men who were removed from the home but have nowhere else to go because of the crisis in hotels and hostels across the country.

In Israel today, there is no such thing as compulsory mental health treatment or therapy for men who abuse their partners. While men can receive help and therapy from centers to prevent family violence, they make up only about a quarter of the people being helped by such facilities. All the rest are women and children.

Mazal Mualem


Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/05/israel-domestic-violence-demonstrations-coronavirus-women.html#ixzz6MAzCbTll

Remote work worsens inequality by mostly helping high-income earners




Working from home isn’t an option for low-income employees and primarily benefits those who make more money — and save more money as a result. (Alizee Baudez/Unsplash)


The importance of remote work, also known as telecommuting, is evident during the current COVID-19 crisis. During a period of confinement and physical distancing, telecommuting has enabled some workers to carry out their usual tasks from home.

But remote work can also be a source of socioeconomic inequality for workers in many different ways. These are related to the job sector and employers, as well as to the loss of the benefits associated with remote work.

As shown in the graph below, compiled from the 2015 Canadian General Social Survey (GSS), the number of telecommuters increases with personal income. The higher a person’s salary, the most likely they are to be able to work from home:

Source: 2015 Canadian General Social Survey (GSS), weighted to represent the Canadian workforce.

Income and industry variations

The possibility of working remotely isn’t available to everyone, with one Canadian study estimating that only 44 per cent of jobs are compatible with telecommuting. Remote work is particularly common among university graduates, managers and professionals, but its practice also depends on the sector and the nature of the job. Finance, for example, compared to manufacturing, is more suitable to remote work. Consequently, many workers are deprived of an alternative that allows them to continue working during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2015 GSS data shows that two of the occupation categories employing the most workers in Canada have very low proportions of telecommuters. Remote work is much more frequently practised in only four of the 10 occupation categories. Occupations with a large share of low income workers generally have few telecommuters, as the graphs below illustrate.

Source: 2015 Canadian General Social Survey (GSS), weighted to represent the Canadian workforce.

Source: 2015 Canadian General Social Survey (GSS), weighted to represent the Canadian workforce.

The option to work from home also varies across organizations since some are more reluctant than others to offer it. In 2013, an estimated 23 per cent of businesses offered telecommuting options in Canada.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, employees unable to work from home, such as restaurant servers, personal trainers or manufacturing workers, may be laid off temporarily or permanently, a burden that seems to be falling disproportionately on low-income workers.
Benefits not available to low-income workers

Telecommuters also enjoy potential benefits stemming from a flexible schedule that can improve their work-life balance, including less time spent commuting.

In addition, people who work from home spend less on food, clothing and transportation. In 2011 in Canada, cost savings were estimated at between $600 and $3,500 annually for an individual telecommuting two days a week.

Studies have shown that employees in Canada, the United States and France view telecommuting positively in terms of work-life balance. Those unable to telecommute, most of them low-income workers, are unable to reap these lifestyle and financial benefits.

Given its potential benefits, telecommuting is an attractive option to many. Studies have shown a substantial number of workers would even agree to a lower salary for a job that would allow them to work from home. The appeal of remote work can be especially strong during times of crisis, but also exists under more normal circumstances.

The ongoing crisis therefore amplifies inequalities when it comes to financial and work-life balance benefits. If there’s a broader future adoption of telecommuting, a likely result of the current situation, that would still mean a large portion of the working population, many of them low-income workers, would be disadvantaged.

This raises important issues for governments and organizations in general. This is especially true in the current public health crisis as workers and companies are suffering substantial financial losses.

The federal and provincial governments have already taken appropriate action through a series of measures such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. Obviously, these measures aren’t directly targeting inequalities related to telecommuting, but they nevertheless help ease the financial woes of workers. Governments and firms have also taken measures to increase the wages of many workers who work on the front line of the pandemic, namely grocery stores and nursing home employees.

But governments can and should do more to increase the adoption of remote work to help reduce inequalities. Policies to encourage telecommuting could be justified for many reasons, including reducing travel at peak hours during the climate change crisis and accommodating employees with family constraints.

Remote work could help reduce the number of cars on the road. (Alexander Popov/Unsplash)

How to solve remote work inequality?

Governments should encourage the adoption of telecommuting by employers where it’s possible but not yet implemented. They could, for instance, provide information to organizations about how it works. This could take the form of guides for the implementation of remote work that would establish well-defined objectives and describe how results will be evaluated, as well as follow-up protocols.

Governments could also consider subsidizing and offering fiscal incentives for organizations that offer remote work options, for example by helping to provide home computers and other equipment for workers.

High-speed internet is not available for a substantial number of Canadians located in rural areas. The federal government and some provincial governments have announced their intent to bring high-speed internet access to rural and remote areas, but delivery has been slow to come.

For those working in the service industries, remote work is not an option. (Kate Townsend/Unsplash)

While this will increase the feasibility of remote work for some workers, a large share of the workforce — those in manufacturing and service industries, for example — aren’t helped by it because they have jobs that are incompatible with remote work.

That means that even with existing and potential government encouragement, achieving equal access to remote work across all income levels will continue to be a challenging problem.

Authors

Georges A. Tanguay
Professor of Urban Studies and Economics, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

Ugo Lachapelle
Associate professor of urban studies and planning, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

THE CONVERSATION

UPDATED
RIP THE QUEEN OF ROCK N ROLL LITTLE RICHARD
A-lop-bam-boom: Little Richard’s saucy style underpins today’s hits

May 10, 2020 

Little Richard was washing dishes at a Greyhound bus station in Macon, Georgia when he wrote Tutti Frutti, Good Golly Miss Molly and Long Tall Sally. The singer, who died Saturday at 87, sent the songs as demos to Specialty Records.

Soon he was having lunch with talent scout Robert “Bumps” Blackwell at a New Orleans nightclub, leaping onto the piano and belting out:

Tutti Frutti, good booty

if it don’t fit, don’t force it

you can grease it, take it easy

tutti frutti, good booty.

Watching the flamboyant performer sing about the pleasures of anal sex, Blackwell knew he had a hit.

The recorded lyrics were toned down for the conservative 1950s, but Little Richard’s wild whoops and falsetto screeches infused the song with the saucy spirit of the original.
Long Tall Sally then Tutti Frutti from the film Don’t Knock The Rock.
Preaching as Princess Lavonne

Born Richard Wayne Penniman and nicknamed for his smallness as a child, Little Richard was one of 12 children. He developed his charismatic singing, piano and performance styles playing in black and Pentecostal churches.

He was thrown out of home at age 13 by his father who didn’t like his loudness, in music or dress – a clear rejection of his queerness. As a teenager Little Richard performed in minstrel shows across the American South as the drag queen Princess Lavonne.

He brought his charismatic style and drag persona into his showmanship as Little Richard, with a camp style that enabled him to call himself the “king and queen of the blues”.

Historian Marybeth Hamilton argues Little Richard came out “of a black gay world and a tradition of black drag performance that formed an integral part of the culture of rhythm and blues”. Even when young audiences didn’t understand his lyrics, he “made the drag queen’s sly ironies part of every white teenager’s soundtrack”.

He described his songs as ballads that covered a range of experiences. The term “molly” in Good Golly Miss Molly referred to a male sex worker. Long Tall Sally was about a drunk woman Richard used to see as a child. Lucille was about a female impersonator.
Lucille in 1957.

Threatening the status quo

Little Richard confronted audiences with his suggestive lyrics and sexually charged sound, his gender bending falsetto, high hair and makeup, and his blackness.

Journalist Jeff Greenfield recalled his parents’ horror when he picked up the 1957 debut record Here’s Little Richard.

On a yellow background, a tight shot of a Negro face bathed in sweat, the beads of perspiration clearly visible, mouth wide open in a rictus of sexual joy, hair flowing endlessly from the head.

In conservative, racially segregated, 1950s America, when interracial marriage was illegal, and homosexuality was a crime, Little Richard’s popularity embodied the perceived dangers of the new generation’s music. There was particular concern that young people would be influenced into alternative lifestyles including via mixing across lines of race and class at dance halls.

To counter the perceived threat he posed to conservative white America, Richard worked to present himself as so outré, so out there – dressing as the pope and the Queen at different performances – as to present no menace. 

Little Richard’s 1957 debut album. Wikipedia/Speciality

After he had a religious epiphany during his Australian tour, he took a break from music, returning in the 1960s. This was the first of many times he quit rock ‘n’ roll for God.

Despite having once described himself as gay and “omnisexual”, in the final years of his life Richard called gay and trans identities “unnatural”, a position that hurt some of his queer fans.

Generations

Little Richard’s urgent, intense delivery, the drama of his falsetto, his exuberant costuming and moves, his howling wildness, influenced generations of musicians and public figures including Muhammad Ali.

Artists who owe enormous debts to his influence include Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Otis Reading, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Patti Smith, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Prince and Bruce Springsteen. Following news of his death, artists from Bob Dylan to Paul McCartney to Janelle Monáe posted tributes on social media.


In 1991, as part of the campaign to get Little Richard recognised with a Grammy award, David Bowie said, “without him, I think myself and half of my contemporaries wouldn’t be playing music”.

For younger generations, his name might not be as recognisable as those of his peers like Elvis Presley. This is in part likely the result of Richard’s own ambivalent relationship with rock ’n’ roll. But it’s also the result of the combined impact of racism, homophobia, and respectability politics. For some (including himself) he was at various times, too queer, too black, too feminine, too close to the devil.

And yet his gift lay, through music, in transmuting this otherness into a transcendent, shared permission to be free.

As one 1970 reviewer described his stage performance, Little Richard was “mesmerizing because he hits the cosmic mainline, a source of radiant energy that has the power to dissolve the ghosts of identity”.

As Little Richard sang it: “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom”.

Author

Rebecca Sheehan

Lecturer in the Sociology of Gender and Program Director of Gender Studies, Macquarie University AU 

Little Richard, flamboyant rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, dead at 87

By KRISTIN M. HALL

1 of 9
FILE - In this July 22, 2001 file photo, Little Richard performs at the 93rd birthday and 88th year in show business gala celebration for Milton Berle, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Little Richard, the self-proclaimed “architect of rock ‘n’ roll” whose piercing wail, pounding piano and towering pompadour irrevocably altered popular music while introducing black R&B to white America, has died Saturday, May 9, 2020. (AP Photo/John Hayes, File)

LITTLE RICHARD GREATEST HITS PLAYLIST YOU TUBE
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbqlYXEyLVwbdvLteIci7Ot3oZnjnLeds


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Little Richard, one of the chief architects of rock ‘n’ roll whose piercing wail, pounding piano and towering pompadour irrevocably altered popular music while introducing black R&B to white America, died Saturday after battling bone cancer. He was 87.

Pastor Bill Minson, a close friend of Little Richard’s, told The Associated Press that Little Richard died Saturday morning. His son, Danny Jones Penniman, also confirmed his father’s death, which was first reported by Rolling Stone.

Bill Sobel, Little Richard’s attorney for more than three decades, told the AP in an email that the musician died of bone cancer at a family home in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

“He was not only an iconic and legendary musician, but he was also a kind, empathetic, and insightful human being,” Sobel said.

Born Richard Penniman, Little Richard was one of rock ‘n’ roll’s founding fathers who helped shatter the color line on the music charts, joining Chuck Berry and Fats Domino in bringing what was once called “race music” into the mainstream. Richard’s hyperkinetic piano playing, coupled with his howling vocals and hairdo, made him an implausible sensation — a gay, black man celebrated across America during the buttoned-down Eisenhower era.


He sold more than 30 million records worldwide, and his influence on other musicians was equally staggering, from the Beatles and Otis Redding to Creedence Clearwater Revival and David Bowie. In his personal life, he wavered between raunch and religion, alternately embracing the Good Book and outrageous behavior and looks - mascara-lined eyes, pencil-thin mustache and glittery suits.

“Little Richard? That’s rock ‘n’ roll,” Neil Young, who heard Richard’s riffs on the radio in Canada, told biographer Jimmy McDonough. “Little Richard was great on every record.”

It was 1956 when his classic “Tutti Frutti” landed like a hand grenade in the Top 40, exploding from radios and off turntables across the country. It was highlighted by Richard’s memorable call of “wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom.”

A string of hits followed, providing the foundation of rock music: “Lucille,” “Keep A Knockin’,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Good Golly Miss Molly.” More than 40 years after the latter charted, Bruce Springsteen was still performing “Good Golly Miss Molly” live.

The Beatles’ Paul McCartney imitated Richard’s signature yelps — perhaps most notably in the “Wooooo!” from the hit “She Loves You.” Ex-bandmate John Lennon covered Richard’s “Rip It Up” and “Ready Teddy” on the 1975 “Rock and Roll” album.

When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1986, he was among the charter members with Elvis Presley, Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sam Cooke and others.

“It is with a heavy heart that I ask for prayers for the family of my lifelong friend and fellow rocker Little Richard,” said Lewis, 84, in a statement provided by his publicist. “He will live on always in my heart with his amazing talent and his friendship! He was one of a kind and I will miss him dearly. God bless his family and fans.”

Mick Jagger called Little Richard “the biggest inspiration of my early teens” in a social media post Saturday.

“His music still has the same raw electric energy when you play it now as it did when it first shot through the music scene in the mid 50’s,” Jagger wrote. “When we were on tour with him I would watch his moves every night and learn from him how to entertain and involve the audience and he was always so generous with advice to me. He contributed so much to popular music. I will miss you Richard, God bless.”

Few were quicker to acknowledge Little Richard’s seminal role than Richard himself. The flamboyant singer claimed he paved the way for Elvis, provided Mick Jagger with his stage moves and conducted vocal lessons for McCartney.


“I am the architect of rock ‘n’ roll!” Little Richard crowed at the 1988 Grammy Awards as the crowd rose in a standing ovation. “I am the originator!”

Richard Wayne Penniman was born in Macon, Georgia, during the Great Depression, one of 12 children. He was ostracized because he was effeminate and suffered a small deformity: his right leg was shorter than his left.

The family was religious, and Richard sang in local churches with a group called the Tiny Tots. The tug-of-war between his upbringing and rock ‘n’ roll excess tormented Penniman throughout his career.

Penniman was performing with bands by the age of 14, but there were problems at home over his sexual orientation. His father beat the boy and derided him as “half a son.”

Richard left home to join a minstrel show run by a man known as Sugarloaf Sam, occasionally appearing in drag.

In late 1955, Little Richard recorded the bawdy “Tutti Frutti,” with lyrics that were sanitized by a New Orleans songwriter. It went on to sell 1 million records over the next year.

When Little Richard’s hit was banned by many white-owned radio stations, white performers like Pat Boone and Elvis Presley did cover versions that topped the charts.

Little Richard went Hollywood with an appearance in “Don’t Knock the Rock.” But his wild lifestyle remained at odds with his faith, and a conflicted Richard quit the business in 1957 to enroll in a theological school and get married.

Richard remained on the charts when his label released previously recorded material. And he recorded a gospel record, returning to his roots.

A 1962 arrest for a sexual encounter with a man in a bus station restroom led to his divorce and return to performing.

He mounted three tours of England between 1962 and 1964, with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones serving as opening acts. Back in the States, he put together a band that included guitarist Jimi Hendrix — and later fired Hendrix when he was late for a bus.

In 1968, Richard hit Las Vegas and relaunched his career. Within two years, he had another hit single and made the cover of Rolling Stone.

By the mid-1970s, Richard was battling a $1,000-a-day cocaine problem and once again abandoned his musical career. He returned to religion, selling Bibles and renouncing homosexuality. For more than a decade, he vanished.

“If God can save an old homosexual like me, he can save anybody,” Richard said.

But he returned, in 1986, in spectacular fashion. Little Richard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and appeared in the movie “Down and Out in Beverly Hills.”

A Little Richard song from the soundtrack, “Great Gosh A’Mighty,” even put him back on the charts for the first time in more than 15 years. Little Richard was back to stay, enjoying another dose of celebrity that he fully embraced.

Macon, Georgia, named a street after its favorite son. And Little Richard was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In August 2002, he announced his retirement from live performing. But he continued to appear frequently on television, including a humorous appearance on a 2006 commercial for GEICO insurance.

Richard had hip surgery in November 2009 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, and asked fans at the time to pray for him. He lived in the Nashville area at the time.

_____

Former Associated Press writer Larry McShane; AP writer Anthony Izaguirre in Charleston, West Virginia; and AP Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu in New York contributed to this report.

Little Richard, rock's flashy founding father, dies at 87

AFP/File / STEPHANE DE SAKUTINUS singer Little Richard transfixed audiences as he transformed the blues into the feverish new style of rock 'n' roll

Little Richard, whose outrageous showmanship and lightning-fast rhythms intoxicated crowds with hits like "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally," has died. He was 87 years old.

Reverend Bill Minson, a friend of the legendary musician, told AFP Little Richard died Saturday morning following a battle with cancer.

With a distinctive range from robust belting to howling falsetto, Richard transfixed audiences and inspired artists including The Beatles as he transformed the blues into the feverish new style of rock 'n' roll alongside Fats Domino and Chuck Berry.

His raunchy 1955 song "Tutti Frutti" became a sort of opening salvo of rock 'n' roll's entry into American life, starting with his nonsensical but instantly thrilling first line: "Awop bop a loo mop / Alop bam boom."

Getty Images North America/Getty Images/AFP/File / VINCE BUCCIBefore catapulting to celebrity Little Richard developed a low-key career singing around Georgia, including in underground drag performances

Richard stunned buttoned-down post-World War II America with an otherworldly look of blindingly colorful shirts, glass-embedded jackets, a needle-thin moustache and a six-inch (15-centimeter) high pompadour.

A consummate entertainer, he would play piano with one leg hoisted over the keys and, in one legendary concert in Britain, played dead on stage so effectively that the venue sought medical help before he resurrected himself to an astounded crowd.

Richard's lifestyle -- he spoke fondly of bisexual orgies -- became the epitome of rock 'n' roll decadence.

But he never became an obvious icon for the African-American or gay communities.

Once openly -- by standards of the time -- attracted to men, Richard became a born-again Christian and renounced homosexuality as a temporary choice, anathema to the modern gay rights movement and psychologists.

And while he was one of the first African-American artists to cross the racial divide, a younger generation of black DJs had little interest in an artist seen as embedded in the white mainstream.

- Mentor to rock's greats -

Getty Images North America/AFP/File / Chris StanfordA consummate entertainer since childhood, Richard would play piano with one leg hoisted over the keys

But his influence was incalculable. Early white rockers including Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley all pursued Richard's sound.

The upstart Beatles and Rolling Stones served separately as opening acts when Richard toured England, and a young Jimi Hendrix and members of Earth, Wind and Fire played in his back-up band.

"He was the biggest inspiration of my early teens," Mick Jagger tweeted Saturday.

"His music still has the same raw electric energy when you play it now as it did when it first shot through the music scene in the mid 50's."

Bob Dylan called Richard "my shining star and guiding light back when I was only a little boy. His was the original spirit that moved me to do everything I would do."

"Of course he'll live forever," he said in a series of tweets. "But it's like a part of your life is gone."

David Bowie was mesmerized when he saw one of Richard's movies, with the then nine-year-old deciding to learn the saxophone and later saying, "If it hadn't have been for him, I probably wouldn't have gone into music."

The superstar was aware of the debt his successors owed him. "Prince is the Little Richard of his generation," he told Joan Rivers in 1989.

He then turned to face the camera directly and said: "I was wearing purple before you was wearing it!"

The estate of Prince, who died in 2016, said Saturday that Richard "didn't just open doors, he smashed entire walls to pieces to make way for all who would come after him."

- 'Tutti Frutti' reborn -

AFP/File / ANDRE DURANDUS rock legend Little Richard inspired scores of musicians including David Bowie, The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly

Born Richard Wayne Penniman on December 5, 1932, he was raised in grinding poverty in Macon, Georgia. His father sold bootleg liquor and owned a tavern, where he was shot dead in a dispute when Richard was starting his career.

Richard, despite his stage name, stood a skinny five-foot-10 (1.8 meters) and was born with different sized legs. A mischievous child, he lingered in churches for their music and was noticeably effeminate.

In his 1984 authorized biography, Richard recalled his father telling him, "'My father had seven sons and I wanted seven sons. You've spoiled it, you're only half a son.'"

"And then he'd hit me. But I couldn't help it. That was the way I was," Richard said.

A key break came in 1947 when gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe spotted him singing at the Macon City Auditorium, where Richard sold soft drinks.

Richard had developed a low-key career singing around Georgia, including in underground drag performances, when he was approached by record labels.

Success was not immediate. Early recording ventures with RCA Victor and Peacock Records fell flat.

AFP/File / STEPHANE DE SAKUTINThe upstart Beatles and Rolling Stones served separately as his opening acts when Richard toured England and a young Jimi Hendrix and members of Earth, Wind and Fire played in his back-up band

Richard never thought to record "Tutti Frutti," a staple of his live performances driven by frantic piano and whose lyrics -- in a wink likely lost on many -- were a light-hearted depiction of anal sex: "Tutti frutti / Good booty... If it don't fit / Don't force it."

But the song caught the ear of Bumps Blackwell, a producer from Specialty Records, which had reluctantly signed Richard after he persistently phoned its office.

Blackwell asked young songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie to quickly pen some more radio-friendly lyrics.

Within 15 minutes and only three takes, Little Richard had recorded his defining hit, now with the tame lines: "Tutti frutti / Aw rootie... I've got a girl named Sue / She knows just what to do."

- 'True king' -

Getty Images North America/AFP/File / Kevin WinterWith a distinctive voice that ranged from robust belting to howling falsetto, Richard transfixed audiences and became an inspiration for artists including The Beatles as he transformed the blues into the feverish new style of rock 'n' roll

The song -- with its infectious rhythm, high decibel level and lingering sense of naughtiness -- triggered an unprecedented reaction.

In a 1956 Baltimore concert, women threw underwear as police prevented fans from rushing the stage or leaping from the balcony in euphoria.

"Richard arrives and he's attacking the piano; he's banging on it. He's not crooning; he's screaming," said Chris Morris, a music scholar who remastered his 1957 album "Here's Little Richard."

"There had never really been a figure who came out of R&B who was that extroverted or loud or wild."

Richard followed with 1956's "Good Golly, Miss Molly."

But then he abruptly canceled a tour and became a missionary for the evangelical Church of God.

His turn to religion complicated his relationship with the music world -- but his legacy as a titan who ushered in a new musical age held.

Tributes poured in Saturday, with Chic co-founder Nile Rodgers mourning "the loss of a true giant" and former president Bill Clinton hailing his "unforgettable charisma."

Questlove of The Roots was more emphatic: "LITTLE RICHARD is THE TRUE KING. LONG LIVE THE KING."

Founding father of rock Little Richard has died: Rolling Stone

AFP/File / STEPHANE DE SAKUTINUS singer Little Richard transfixed audiences as he transformed the blues into the feverish new style of rock 'n' roll

Little Richard, whose outrageous showmanship and lightning-fast rhythms intoxicated crowds in the 1950s with hits like "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally," has died. He was 87 years old.

Citing the rock 'n' roll pioneer's son, Rolling Stone magazine said Saturday the cause of death was unknown.

With a distinctive voice that ranged from robust belting to howling falsetto, Richard transfixed audiences and became an inspiration for artists including The Beatles as he transformed the blues into the feverish new style of rock 'n' roll alongside Fats Domino and Chuck Berry.

His raunchy 1955 song "Tutti Frutti," even with its gay sex theme toned down for radio, became a sort of opening salvo of rock 'n' roll's entry into American life, starting with his nonsensical but instantly thrilling first line: "Awop bop a loo mop / Alop bam boom."

But if his contemporaries kept the respectabilities of old-time musicians, Richard stunned buttoned-down post-World War II America with an otherworldly look of blindingly colorful shirts, glass-embedded dinner jackets, a needle-thin moustache and a 15-centimeter (six-inch) high pompadour haircut.

Getty Images North America/Getty Images/AFP/File / VINCE BUCCIBefore catapulting to celebrity Little Richard developed a low-key career singing around Georgia, including in underground drag performances

A consummate entertainer since his childhood, Richard would play piano with one leg hoisted over the keys and, in one legendary concert in Britain, played dead on stage so effectively that the venue sought out medical help before he resurrected himself to an astounded crowd.

While touring, Richard's lifestyle became the epitome of the decadence of rock 'n' roll. Well before the notorious wild parties of rockers in the 1960s, Richard spoke fondly of nightly orgies in his hotel rooms where he was both an avid, bisexual participant and a self-gratifying voyeur.

But Richard was one of rock's most torn personas and he never became an obvious icon for the African American or gay communities.

Once open by the standards of his time about his attraction to men, Richard became a born-again Christian and renounced homosexuality, treating it as a temporary choice in a manner that is anathema to the modern gay rights movement and psychologists.

And while he was one of the first African American artists to cross the racial divide, a younger generation of black DJs had little interest in an artist seen as embedded in the white mainstream.

Tributes quickly poured out Saturday for the late rock king, with co-founder of Chic Nile Rodgers dubbing it "the loss of a true giant."

Legendary Rock 'N' Roll Performer Little Richard Has Died At 87

The larger-than-life star's over-the-top persona and flamboyance inspired other legends like Prince and Elton John.

Olivia Niland BuzzFeed News Reporter May 9, 2020

Yui Mok / AP

Little Richard, the legendary rock 'n' roll musician whose musical style and larger-than-life persona broke barriers, has died, his former bass player Charles Glenn and agent Jeff Epstein confirmed to BuzzFeed News. He was 87.

His cause of death was not immediately known.

Born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, Georgia, Little Richard rose to fame in the 1950s with hits like “Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally" and "Rip It Up." He was known for his high-energy piano performances, which included flailing and screaming.

His androgynous, over-the-top persona, as well as makeup and flamboyant clothing were a source of inspiration for legends like Prince and Elton John, while his pioneering rock 'n' roll heavily influenced Elvis Presley.

Little Richard also helped launch the careers of The Beatles — who got their start opening for him on his European tour in 1962, covering his songs on tour and on the radio — and the Rolling Stones, who opened for him in 1963.

"Little Richard drove the whole house into a complete frenzy," Mick Jagger said. "There is no single phrase to describe his hold on the audience."


Be A King@BerniceKing

A rare, electric gift. A pioneer and genius. Thank you, #LittleRichard.04:48 PM - 09 May 2020
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"He was definitely one of the most powerful music people that I’ve ever met in my life and I’ve been around some of the largest," said Glenn, who last performed with Little Richard in Las Vegas in 2012 "We did shows for 30 years, and it was really some of the most incredible shows that you could ever want to go see."

Glenn said the musician had been sick for a while, and had called him on March 27 asking him to visit his home in Tennessee, but Glenn was unable to due to coronavirus pandemic.

After Glenn's parents died, Little Richard became a father figure to him.

"He was also like my second dad too," Glenn said. "I was the young one in the group, and when my parents passed away he felt like he really wanted to make sure I was OK and took care of me. He introduced me as his son on stage. He was definitely my second dad — I used to call him dad, actually."

Following the peak of his rock 'n' roll career, Little Richard became an ordained minister and released a gospel album called God Is Real.

Musicians and other celebrities paid tribute to Little Richard on Twitter after Rolling Stone broke the news of his death Saturday morning.


#RingoStarr@ringostarrmusic
God bless little Richard one of my all-time musical heroes. Peace and love to all his family. 😎✌️🌟❤️🎵🎶💕☮️03:57 PM - 09 May 2020
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Brian Wilson@BrianWilsonLive
I’m very sorry to hear about Little Richard. He was there at the beginning and showed us all how to rock and roll. He was a such a great talent and will be missed. Little Richard’s music will last forever. Love & Mercy, Brian03:10 PM - 09 May 2020
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Gene Simmons@genesimmons
Sadly, Little Richard passed away today. A founding Father of Rock And Roll, his contributions simply can’t be overstated. I had the honor of meeting Richard in his later years and was awed by his presence. He told me, “I am the architect of Rock And Roll.” Amen! ..Rest In Peace. https://t.co/ceQuNU6pkF03:15 PM - 09 May 2020
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juicy j@therealjuicyj
R.I.P. Rock & Roll Legend Little Richard02:49 PM - 09 May 2020
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Chance The Rapper@chancetherapper
A couple weeks ago I randomly decided to read up on the legendary Little Richard on wiki. I learned then about how he developed The Beatles and saved The Rolling Stones03:20 PM - 09 May 2020
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Spike Lee@SpikeLeeJoint
Rest In Peace To One Of The True Creators Of Rock And Roll. This Is The Commercial I Directed With Little Richard And Michael Jordan, 1991.03:48 PM - 09 May 2020
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Little Richard was briefly married to Ernestine Campbell in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but had struggled publicly with his sexuality for decades, telling Penthouse in a 1995 interview he was gay, but denouncing homosexuality at times.

He is survived by his son, Danny Jones Penniman.

Rock'n'roll pionee Little Richard dies aged 87

Little Richard, the self-proclaimed “architect of rock ‘n’ roll” whose piercing wail, pounding piano and towering pompadour irrevocably altered popular music while introducing black R&B to white America, died Saturday. He was 87.

Pastor Bill Minson, a close friend of Little Richard's, told The Associated Press that Little Richard died Saturday morning. His son, Danny Jones Penniman, also confirmed his father's death, which was first reported by Rolling Stone.

Danny Jones Penniman said his father had cancer.

Born Richard Penniman, Little Richard was one of rock ‘n’ roll’s founding fathers who helped shatter the color line on the music charts, joining Chuck Berry and Fats Domino in bringing what was once called “race music” into the mainstream. Richard’s hyperkinetic piano playing, coupled with his howling vocals and hairdo, made him an implausible sensation — a gay, black man celebrated across America during the buttoned-down Eisenhower era.

He sold more than 30 million records worldwide, and his influence on other musicians was equally staggering, from the Beatles and Otis Redding to Creedence Clearwater Revival and David Bowie. In his personal life, he wavered between raunch and religion, alternately embracing the Good Book and outrageous behavior and looks - mascara-lined eyes, pencil-thin mustache and glittery suits.

“Little Richard? That’s rock ‘n’ roll,” Neil Young, who heard Richard’s riffs on the radio in Canada, told biographer Jimmy McDonough. “Little Richard was great on every record.”

Little Richard, the founding father of rock'n'roll, dies at age 87.#RIPLittleRichard
pic.twitter.com/Wee7kiVSvy— Karine Jean-Pierre (@K_JeanPierre) May 9, 2020

It was 1956 when his classic “Tutti Frutti” landed like a hand grenade in the Top 40, exploding from radios and off turntables across the country. It was highlighted by Richard’s memorable call of “wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom.”

A string of hits followed, providing the foundation of rock music: “Lucille,” “Keep A Knockin’,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Good Golly Miss Molly.” More than 40 years after the latter charted, Bruce Springsteen was still performing “Good Golly Miss Molly” live.

The Beatles’ Paul McCartney imitated Richard’s signature yelps — perhaps most notably in the “Wooooo!” from the hit “She Loves You.” Ex-bandmate John Lennon covered Richard’s “Rip It Up” and “Ready Teddy” on the 1975 “Rock and Roll” album.

When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1986, he was among the charter members with Elvis Presley, Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sam Cooke and others.

“It is with a heavy heart that I ask for prayers for the family of my lifelong friend and fellow rocker Little Richard,” said Lewis, 84, in a statement provided by his publicist. “He will live on always in my heart with his amazing talent and his friendship! He was one of a kind and I will miss him dearly. God bless his family and fans.”

Few were quicker to acknowledge Little Richard’s seminal role than Richard himself. The flamboyant singer claimed he paved the way for Elvis, provided Mick Jagger with his stage moves and conducted vocal lessons for McCartney.

Little Richard (1932-2020) consenting to pose with obscure opening act in Hamburg, 1962: pic.twitter.com/HRFyE3knJE— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) May 9, 2020

“I am the architect of rock ‘n’ roll!” Little Richard crowed at the 1988 Grammy Awards as the crowd rose in a standing ovation. “I am the originator!”

Richard Wayne Penniman was born in Macon, Georgia, during the Great Depression, one of 12 children. He was ostracized because he was effeminate and suffered a small deformity: his right leg was shorter than his left.

The family was religious, and Richard sang in local churches with a group called the Tiny Tots. The tug-of-war between his upbringing and rock ‘n’ roll excess tormented Penniman throughout his career.

Penniman was performing with bands by the age of 14, but there were problems at home over his sexual orientation. His father beat the boy and derided him as “half a son.”

Richard left home to join a minstrel show run by a man known as Sugarloaf Sam, occasionally appearing in drag.

In late 1955, Little Richard recorded the bawdy “Tutti Frutti,” with lyrics that were sanitized by a New Orleans songwriter. It went on to sell 1 million records over the next year.

When Little Richard’s hit was banned by many white-owned radio stations, white performers like Pat Boone and Elvis Presley did cover versions that topped the charts.

Little Richard went Hollywood with an appearance in “Don’t Knock the Rock.” But his wild lifestyle remained at odds with his faith, and a conflicted Richard quit the business in 1957 to enroll in a theological school and get married.

Richard remained on the charts when his label released previously recorded material. And he recorded a gospel record, returning to his roots.

A 1962 arrest for a sexual encounter with a man in a bus station restroom led to his divorce and return to performing.

He mounted three tours of England between 1962 and 1964, with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones serving as opening acts. Back in the States, he put together a band that included guitarist Jimi Hendrix — and later fired Hendrix when he was late for a bus.

In 1968, Richard hit Las Vegas and relaunched his career. Within two years, he had another hit single and made the cover of Rolling Stone.

By the mid-1970s, Richard was battling a $1,000-a-day cocaine problem and once again abandoned his musical career. He returned to religion, selling Bibles and renouncing homosexuality. For more than a decade, he vanished.

“If God can save an old homosexual like me, he can save anybody,” Richard said.

But he returned, in 1986, in spectacular fashion. Little Richard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and appeared in the movie “Down and Out in Beverly Hills.”

A Little Richard song from the soundtrack, “Great Gosh A’Mighty,” even put him back on the charts for the first time in more than 15 years. Little Richard was back to stay, enjoying another dose of celebrity that he fully embraced.

Macon, Georgia, named a street after its favorite son. And Little Richard was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In August 2002, he announced his retirement from live performing. But he continued to appear frequently on television, including a humorous appearance on a 2006 commercial for GEICO insurance.

Richard had hip surgery in November 2009 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, and asked fans at the time to pray for him. He lived in the Nashville area at the time.