Buju Banton Sits Down with Gay Activists (LGBT)

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Topic: Buju Banton Sits Down with Gay Activists (LGBT)

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Major Krazy

MZJAustralia

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Posts: 2932

Date: 23:53 10/13 2009

Buju Banton Sits Down with Gay Activists (LGBT)

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Buju Banton Sits Down with LGBT Activists

By Eric Arnold in Clubs, Music

Mon., Oct. 12 2009 @ 8:06PM

EKAphotography

Buju Banton meets the LGBT Posse

In what may be a groundbreaking and possibly historical event, controversial reggae star Buju Banton met with representatives from the LGBT community this afternoon. Banton has been a frequent target of gay rights protesters for his 1992 song "Boom Bye Bye," which activists say glorifies murder and violence directed at gays.

Before the dialogue, Banton's show at the Rock It Room scheduled for tonight (October 12) appeared in jeopardy of cancellation due to protest. Yet after the face-to-face exchange, the LGBT activists not only agreed to let the show continue as planned, but expressed optimism about the possibility of further dialogue and action, toward a human rights agenda inclusive of both LBGT concerns and the reggae community.

The meeting, which took place at the Courtyard Hotel in Larskpur, included Banton and his manager Tracii McGregor, San Francisco supervisors Bevan Dufty and Eric Mar, LGBT Center executive director Rebecca Rolfe, queer blogger Michael Petrelis and lesbian activist Andrea Shorter. The LGBT acvists, led by Petrelis and Shorter, voiced their concerns over homophobic lyrics and anti-gay violence in Jamaica directly to Banton, and suggested various things he could do to promote human rights, such as a town hall meeting in Jamaica. Banton, in turn, pointed to additional context, such as colonialism and the Jamaican government's homophobic laws. He denied he is a hate speech or murder music artist, as his critics have insisted. "Let's face the reality," Banton said. "Whatever is said in a positive light can't get out." On the topic of the controversial tune, he added, "I don't perform the song anymore. The reality is, I've gone past that."

"You have a bad PR problem," Shorter told the three-time Grammy nominee, adding, "I'm not gonna get a medal for talking to you." She added, however, she was willing to try to forge ahead to figure out "what we can do together to fight against hate and violence in a way that is meaningful." After some testy questions by Shorter about Banton's commitment to gay-rights issues, Mar said he knows of many within the African American and reggae community who "see you as one of the most positive artists out there" - in stark contrast to the way Banton has been presented in the LBGT activist scene and queer blogosphere. "I've been actively doing some of the stuff you mention," the singer said, referring to Operation Willy, a pro-safe sex anti-AIDS organization Banton founded in 1994. "I don't advocate violence, Rastafari is not about that," he added.

The tete-a-tete appeared to soothe tensions on both sides. At the end of the meeting, all assembled posed for snapshots, as Dufty remarked, "No city is gayer than S.F. You have met with some of the toughest queer activists around." Banton said nothing, while Shorter said, "I'm more hopeful walking out of here than walking in here."

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2009/10/exclusive_buju_banton_sits_dow.php

-- Edited by Major Krazy on Wednesday 14th of October 2009 01:16:23 AM

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mz más quería veterano

Virgin islands

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Date: 12:51 10/14 2009

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, Rastafari is not about that," he added. I don't advocate violence, Rastafari is not about that," he added. -- Edited by Selecta Illmatic on Wednesday 14th of October 2009 01:07:26 PM __________________ If u dont like my opinion/topic/comment I still dont Gave a F*** . the virgin islands lock the Xfactor for 2011

kolonji

MZ Teacha

Status: Offline

Posts: 993

Date: 13:57 10/14 2009

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BUJU MI LOSE EVEN THO MI CAN SEE U BEX BUT U SELL-OUT FI MONEY IF MI KNO *****MAN INNA DA ROOM DEH AND MI A GO WALK IN DEH MI TURN BACK LOSE BUJU MI BEX SORRY MI BEX NO MORE A U NOW!!!! __________________

Lucipher

Breaking Out Type

Status: Offline

Posts: 308

Date: 14:02 10/14 2009

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jah knw buju luk bex to r.a.ss __________________

Honorebel

Super Member

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Posts: 2441

Date: 14:10 10/14 2009

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these men are just entertainers and will do anything for money..... __________________

tikotee

Breaking Out Type

Status: Offline

Posts: 476

Date: 16:09 10/14 2009

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wow.......its a sad day in dancehall, buju the banton actually sit down in a meeting and pose inna picture wid these people... mi see say yuh upset but bwoy mi a tell yuh, buju nah guh hear di end of this. mi nuh even kno if mi coulda play any new buju tune now, all inna clash if mi play mi buju dub mi know say man a guh use dis yah fi counteract it to **** __________________

nuffin_but_a_g_fing

Silent Type

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Posts: 107

Date: 17:45 10/15 2009

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fire __________________

Major Krazy

MZJAustralia

Status: Offline

Posts: 2932

Date: 22:23 10/18 2009

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MORE ON THIS.....

'No end to the war between me and the gays,' Buju tells Muta

Buju Speaks... J-FLAG responds

By Steven Jackson Observer writer

Friday, October 16, 2009

International reggae artiste Buju Banton, who this week met with gay activists in San Francisco, says he will not "surrender" to the group's philanthropy proposals as they would contradict his religion and culture.

Banton also said his concert that night was pepper-sprayed following the meeting with the gay lobby.

20091015T200000-0500_161898_OBS__NO_END_TO_THE_WAR_BETWEEN_ME_AND_THE_GAYS___BUJU_TELLS_MUTA_2.jpg

Back row, L - R: Buju's PR representative Jonathan Mack, Bevan Dufty, Andrea Shorter, Eric Mar, Rebecca Rolfe and Tracii McGregor of Gargamel Music. Front row, Michael Petrelis and Buju.

"This is a fight, and as I said in one of my songs 'there is no end to the war between me and @#$got' and it's clear. The same night after I met with them (gay associates), they pepper-sprayed the concert. So what are you trying to tell me?" claimed Banton who phoned Mutabaruka's Cutting Edge talk-show on Wednesday in order to clarify his meeting in the US gay capital. "I owe dem nothing, they don't owe I nothing."

Buju said that he felt legally and not financially compelled to meet the group.

"It is not about boxing food out my mouth, if a that I would have surrendered to the system a long time ago," he later added. "The mayor of San Francisco, or the mayor-to-be, claimed that I was in his district and that it was imperative for him and his organisation to meet with me to further see what kind of personality or character (I have)."

The gay activists in San Francisco reportedly want the proceeds from Boom Bye Bye to be donated to J-FLAG. They also want Banton to hold a town hall meeting in Kingston about the need to respect gays.

20091015T200000-0500_161898_OBS__NO_END_TO_THE_WAR_BETWEEN_ME_AND_THE_GAYS___BUJU_TELLS_MUTA_1.jpg

"Them come with demands which I and I a go flop dem right now, because give thanks to my culture and upbringing I coulda never endorse them things. I can't sell myself out, neither would I do that in a thousand years," he continued. "I love everyone in the world. I don't love no special group from another group. There are other needy organisations out there."

The meeting included convenor Bevan Duffy; Rebecca Rolfe, executive director of the San Francisco gay community centre; Andrea Shorter of Equality California; advocate Michael Petrelis and members of Banton's management team.

Buju is on a US tour to promote his new album Rasta Got Soul, yet it has been his anti-gay song, Boom Bye Bye, written almost two decades ago, which continues to spur gay protests. "I said to him that this transpired 17 years ago and every year is the same thing," he said.

Banton said that the US gay lobby was tipped-off by gays in Jamaica. "The 'mayor' .said that there are people in Jamaica who are feeding him these information and giving Jamaica a bad reputation, saying that we are the murder capital of the world for gays," said Banton.

Despite the controversy, Banton and others called his tour the biggest-selling reggae tour of the year. "I have two-and-a-half more weeks and let me tell you this, if a show has been cancelled or postponed by this group of people, it has been picked up and replaced in another venue. Let the struggle continue," said Banton. "Pray for I, don't cry for I," he said on the programme.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/Entertainment

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