Gay Pride mocks Jamaican hate singers

Gay Pride mocks Jamaican hate singers. Dancehall “Killer Queens” Exposed.
Are Beenie Man, Elephant Man and Bounty Killer secretly gay?
London Mayor Ken Livingstone condemns “homophobic lyrics”

Activists mock Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and Buju Banton at London

The Placards

London – UK – 3 July 2004

Four of Jamaica’s top dancehall music stars were mocked and ridiculed as “Killer Queens” in today’s Gay Pride Parade in London, UK, which was dedicated to the memory of murdered Jamaican gay rights campaigner, Brian Williamson.

Poster-size photos of Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and Buju Banton – retouched with pink lipstick, blue eye-liner and red nail polish – were carried by gay rights group OutRage! and black gay Jamaican friends of Brian Williamson.

They marched at the head of the parade, immediately behind the lead banner and the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.

Speaking to reporters at the start of the Parade, Mr Livingstone condemned “homophobic lyrics that incite violence against lesbians and gays”.

Mayor Livingstone later told the BBC: “As the murder of Brian Williamson shows, homophobia continues to have tragic consequences all over the world”.

Each OutRage! placard featured a camped-up photo of one of the four homophobic Jamaican singers, captioned with the words “Jamaica’s Killer Queen”. The plackards also carried a quote from singer’s lyrics which incite the murder of gay people, and the catch-line “Stop Murder Music” (see attached sample Parade photo and the four placard images.).

OutRage! says it has received information from Jamaica alleging that “some of the dancehall artistes who sing homophobic songs are themselves secretly gay”.

“It is time Beenie Man, Bounty Killer and Elephant Man came clean and told the people of Jamaica the truth about their sexuality”, said OutRage!

Speaking at the Gay Pride rally in Trafalgar Square, Peter Tatchell of OutRage! said:

“Lesbian and gay Jamaicans are being beaten and murdered. The Jamaican government and police are doing nothing serious to stop homophobic hate crimes”.

“We demand an end to the murder music that encourages violence against lesbians and gay men – both here in Britain and in Jamaica.

“Let’s make a noise for queer freedom in Jamaica”.

In response, the whole of Trafalgar Square, filled with thousands of people, erupted into a huge, deafening roar.

ENDS

OutRage! News Service
e-mail: media@outrage.org.uk
Homepage: http://www.outrage.org.uk

Comments

Hide the following 11 comments

Good Work

04.07.2004 18:44

Superb satire from OutRage! and Afro-Caribbean Gay organisations. This issue doesn't just affect gay people and women who are villified in the music of the artists mentioned. I know plenty of rastas who are appaled at how certain dancehall performers have twisted the message of their religion and of reggae music.

One love!

Caz

Indpendent Left

Statement from Buju Banton's Record Company

05.07.2004 14:02

The following is a statement from Buju Banton:

I is sorry bomboclart, I isa naughty rassclart bouuuuy and am in need of a good spanking, if you wantaaa sort ita out me am ready and me willlling, me record seel well in Jamaica as well as the UKaaaa, am me sing dem lyric cause me no really hardaaaa and aftaaa and lo9ng hard day recording in me studio me go home to me husbandaaaaa so me am sorry me hide in the closetaaaah and the bountykiller comaaaroundaaaa and he give it to me right up me battyaaaah.

Sorry folks it appears Buju Banton can't spell properly so maybe he should return to school and learn to be less of a tosser?

Hope Gay Pride was brill for everyone and to those who stood up to these fucking homophobic wankers.

Buju Banton's Manager

Shame they make such wicked music...

06.07.2004 09:28

At least i know what 'Bun out the Chi-Chi' means now.

Sizzla, doesn't talk about all this gay shit, he's got proper anti-capitalist lyrics and loves weed, sweet.

Love dem batty bwoy. Poke dem like hole.

Lover Boy

Wrong about Sizzla

07.07.2004 07:50

Thanks for the support, but I'm afraid to say you're wrong about Sizzla - he is one of the biggest purveyors of murder-music.

Just take for example his song 'Pump Up':

"Step up inna frontli-iiine, fire fi di man dem weh go ride man behind"
"Shot battybwoy my big gun boom"

See:

http://reggaesound.com/lyric/main.php?mod=lyric&id=440

He also says:
"mi nuh go tek back mi chat... mi kill sodomite and batty man dem bring aids and disease pon people... shot a kill dem, mi nuh go tek back mi chat".

See:

http://www.chicagoreggae.com/sizzla.htm

See also a report about a concert by Amnesty International:

"Throughout the night, Capleton, Sizzla and others sang almost exclusively about gay men. Using the derogatory terms for gay men - "chi chi men" or "battybwoys" they urged the audience to "kill dem, battybwoys haffi dead, gun shots pon dem. who want to see dem dead put up his hand" (kill them, gay men have got to die, gun shots in their head, whoever wants to see them dead, put up your hand)."

http://www2.amnesty.se/hbt.nsf/actjamaica?OpenPage

Brett Lock

well, looks like youve all fallen into a trap...

08.07.2004 12:58

the capitalist state will seek to divide all social groups and set them against each other where possible. they can achieve this by playing on the most heartfelt sinceirity, and now it seems the forces of labour- in - league- with -bush has divided up black rappers and the gay lobby, pitting them against each other.
it seems to me that ''rap'' would hardly be what it is without a degree of gratuitious offensivity. (do heavy mettallers sing about bunny rabbits ?) perhaps gays should bear in mind that it wasnt rappers who oppressed them for so long...

hollo lafter

This topic

04.08.2004 13:21

Just adding more fuel to the fire, I wouldnt be surprised if these artists made a bigger and much stronger comeback, which will FLOOR you.

Ross

Barking Up the Wrong Tree

23.08.2004 13:37

The English homosexual Organization Outrage has waged a war against Jamaica’s most popular entertainers. They have targeted Beenie Man, Bounty Killa, Elephant Man and now Buju Banton. Outrage labels Buju Banton as an entertainer who records songs that incites the killing of homosexual because Buju recorded the notorious song “Boom Bye Bye” in 1989 when he was 16 years old. Since then he has not recorded any songs that homosexuals object to.
Moreover, the song does not mean that people should literally kill homosexuals. Buju, “the Voice of Jamaica,” was merely echoing the sentiment of most Jamaicans. Homosexuality may be prevalent and accepted in many European cultures but that is not the case in Jamaican culture. Outrage is participating in cultural imperialism by dictating that reggae artists should not reflect their own culture.
Furthermore, Buju sings about the many injustices in the world. He addresses many issues like child abuse, imperialism, globalization and the suffering of the under-privileged. He has also worked to prevent the spread of HIV by dedicating a song to condom use and has formed an organization to assist people suffering from AIDS in Jamaica.
Buju Banton is being crucified by Outrage for reflecting his culture. Moreover, outrage is only increasing the tension between heterosexual and homosexual Jamaicans by instigating a fight with their attacks on Jamaican Reggae Artists. As a result the youth of Jamaica are now even more anti-homosexual after hearing about the war Outrage is waging against their cultural icons.

asha

Homophobia isn´t ok

07.09.2004 08:43

To the thing for “cultural imperialsm”- some decadent whities come with their concept of enlightenment and force other cultures to accept their norms of society. Right, you´re doing this when acting against homophobia in Jamaica but compare it with racism: the anti-apartheid camaigns against South Africa in the 1980s did exactly the same. There is no way to accept –ism´s just because “it´s another culture”. I don´t believe in this “culture concept”, some norms are simply valid globally. I don´t give a fuck if somebody gets killed for being gay in Jamaica or in England or somewhere else- it is unacceptable in both cases. Oh, and "Buju singing about the many injustices in the world" - the same could be said about some rightwinged rock bands.

Acusing Outrage! of raising homophobia is also ridiculous. There is "no war against ragga"- except in the minds of some paranoid ragga fans not accepting that homophobia in ragga music is the problem and not the people protesting against it.

And for the "the capitalist state is dividing all groups" argument- this is also one of the worst arguments i ever heard. Following this logic raped women shouldn´t complain because- hey- capitalism is the problem and not sexism. Bullshit! Just because you´re opressed doesn´t mean you are automatically a better person/ revolutionary subject and all critics simply strenghten the capital. People in Germany 1933 voted NSDAP as a form of "social protest". The real trap is defining all groups including reactionary and right winged ones as a potential against capitalism and not talking about antigonisms within groups of people.

By the way- no matter what Buju tells he is still singing Dubplates with "boom bye bye" with the original lyrics.

Stay rude- stay rebel. Fuck religion- fight homophobia.

eleve oh

WHAT KINDA FOOLISHNESS IS THIS?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

31.05.2006 01:57

I have a some words to say to and about homosexuals which is....BUN OUT DI FUCKIN CHI-CHI!!!!! Dese likkle fassy dem ah dun step outta dem place! ALL BATTY MON FI GET SHAT OUT TA BLOODCLAT! ah jus ah mess di society. Mi nuh knuh ah wah duh dem rassclat, dem mussi demon posses or sumting. BURN DEMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!! I HATE YOU FAGGOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALLL AH YOU FI DEAD SAH! MEK MI TELL YOU TING, IF ANY WUN AH YOU AH TRY SOMETING WIT MI YUH SI, I'LL STRAIGHT OUT YUH DYAM GOD FAHSAKEN SELF. UNNO DEMON POSSESS, AH NEED FI GET CYAST OUT!

!~AGGRAVATED~!

~AGGRAVATED~

Rap iz CRAP

09.08.2007 22:45

These retarded so-called rap singers in the Caribbean are a total embarassment - all they sing about are things a retarded 14yr old would. poor me - Im black - the world is wong - we are victims - women are objects - gays shoot em

Enter into the real world rather than living in your pathetic island where time has stood still - remember the dinosaurs died because they would not adapt ... black homophobic rap artists are as dated as dinosaurs!!

BobMarleysuckscock

reggae a gwaan wid nuff bullet fi Batty people

14.08.2007 15:34

The Bible shows us that the Almighty God is against homosexuality in
any form. The Lord Himself told His people to stone them to DEATH.
He demonstrated it Himself by raining fire and brimstone on the homosexual
people of sodom and gomorah. So on this batty bwoy issue, Bounty,
Buju, Elephant, Vybez Kartel, TOK, Beenie, Capleton, Sizzla and
I Bishop Ranking are on the side of God, so we may boldly say "Boom
bye bye inna Batty Bwoy head".
Alliance

Bishop Ranking
mail e-mail: arcbishopzoe@yahoo.com
Homepage: http://www.yardflex.com