Buju Banton is touring the US, and during his stop in San Francisco he met with a group of LGBTQ activists to discuss their boycott. In his meeting Banton stated, "This is a fight and as I said in one of my songs, 'there is no end to the war between me and &%$&%$ and it's clear.'" In a video of protest, Lorri Jean discusses the issues.
To find out more about the meeting in San Francisco, take a look at Cancel Buju Banton, at Wetpaint.
This is not the first time there have been protests by the LGBTQ community against dancehall performers. Bounty Killers, Sizzla and others have been protested around the world as a result of their homophobic beliefs. The issue raises an important point about the backwards beliefs that still remains amongst many of the Caribbean.
Here is also a detailed look at Buju Banton's homophobic past: click here.
Tuesday
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For some additional, eye-opening information about homophobic reggae dancehall performers and treatment of LGBT people in Jamaica:
ReplyDeleteSearch internet for "Dancehall Dossier"
Look for Time Magazine article "The Most Homophobic Place on Earth?"
Search on "Battybwoys affi dead" (Amnesty International Report 05/17/04)
Thanks for the add Sam.
ReplyDelete"In his meeting Banton stated, "This is a fight and as I said in one of my songs, 'there is no end to the war between me and &%tiny_mce_markeramp;%$ and it's clear.'"
ReplyDeletethis is a blatantly distorted account. Buju never said that at the meeting. He made that comment to Jamaican radio after someone pepper-sprayed his SF show. The meeting itself was peaceful and resulted in a constructive dialogue.
while the lack of legal rights for gays and lesbians in Jamaica is an important human rights issue, the persecution of Banton for a 20-year old song he doesnt sing anymore does nothing to address this concern.
in addition, such mistruths, halftruths, and an overall climate of censorship and outright lies by gay activists has resulted in controversy without clarity, and has not moved the discussion forward.
both sites you link to contain numerous innacuracies--the biggest probably being Peter Tatchell saying "this is not a free speech issue," which directly contradicts the opinion of the Florida ACLU.
and the Lorri Jean video also contains outright lies, such as her insistance that Banton engineered the meeting for PR purposes. in actuality, gay blogger Michael Petrelis sent the photo of the meeting out to numerous outlets, along with his inaccurate account of the meeting, which contained no actual quotes from Buju or anyone else.
look, gay rights in Jamaica is an important issue. But Buju Banton is not a head of state. the government's official position is that laws banning gay sex will not be lifted.
there's nothing wrong with protesting something you dont believe in--that's free speech--but holding a clear double standard is wrong. and so is censorship in the name of free speech.
LGBT activists should be able to make their case without distortions, mistruths, halftruths, and outright lies. The fact that they haven't been able to do so speaks volumes.