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October 22, 2009
Protesters Gathered Across Street From Buju Banton's Performance--But Was There Anything To It?
Reggae artist Buju Banton didn't realize "faggot" had become a bad word.
At least, that's the story according to friends and colleagues of the artist, who stood in front of Trincity/Palm Beach Club last night, watching the protesters rally across the street.
As we mentioned yesterday, protesters affiliated with various gay rights groups had prepared to protest the artist's appearance in Deep Ellum last night. And sure enough, dozens of people holding flags and signs stood behind police barricades and shouted over Main Street at the club during Banton's show.
"Attention Palm Beach Club!" said Daniel Cates, co-founder of Equality March Texas, as he lifted a loud speaker to his mouth. "By allowing Buju Banton to perform this evening, you are promoting the brutal execution of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We will not stand for murder music in our community."
Leaning against the club's wall was Gramps Morgan, who was on tour with Banton as his opening act.
"Hear that?" said Morgan, in disbelief. "They're calling it murder music... You cannot call reggae music murder music."
The ugly truth? Many of the protesters hadn't listened to Buju Banton's music. They had only read about the inflammatory lyrics on various Web sites--and they believed them.
"I don't listen to his music," said Lividia Violette, 24.
Another activist, Rick Vanderslice, said he had only read about the lyrics online on a gay rights activist site. "I've not listened to them, but seen them in print."
And finally, Blake Wilkinson of Queer LiberAction, said he also read about on-line: "The lyrics come from news sources which I thought were reputable," said Wilkinson.
Back across the street, Morgan waved off the protest.
"They have no idea what they're protesting about," he said. "They just got news because they're united. It shows you how powerful unity can be. They got news from their heads and they're just rolling with it."
But several news sites were quoting Banton as telling a Jamaican newspaper that "the war between me and the faggot" seemed far from over. Morgan didn't deny that Banton had indeed said that--just that the meaning of his words had been twisted.
In San Francisco, Banton had met with the gay community. Both sides had agreed to bridge the culminating divide. However, later that evening, protestors showed up to Banton's performance regardless. And that's when Banton commented about the continuing war.
The use of the derogatory term, however, was harder to explain. The group outside of the club, mostly from the Caribbean, admitted that Jamaica was more or less a "homophobic island."
In fact, during a conversation with the evening's DJ, the word came up again. When asked why he chose to use the term, the man seemed confused.
"So, they are not?" said the DJ. "Oh, I didn't know faggot was bad ... In Jamaica it's norm. Here, I didn't know it's offensive to them."
And this is the same explanation Morgan gave for his touring partner Banton.
"[Banton] had a meeting with his manager and some other people and he was educated about the word," said Morgan. "He said, 'I didn't know it offended them.'"
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Posted by YardFlex at October 22, 2009 01:39 PM
Comments
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Posted by: knice
on October 22, 2009 03:17 PM
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Them nuh ave nuting better fe do, lef de man alone
My God!!!
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Posted by: Capital G
on October 22, 2009 03:24 PM
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Awhaaa? Gash dem ana light dem! Bumboclaat batty bwoy glang a spread dem vice pon di worl..mi sey nuhhh! Judgement a cum! Mi sey dem burn fi dem unnatural acts against Jah word...yuh seeit!
Judgement a cum!
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Posted by: GOODAS
on October 22, 2009 05:56 PM
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F THEM I WAS AT THE SHOW AND THE SHOW SELL OFF BIG UP BUJU
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Posted by: HICDK
on October 22, 2009 06:19 PM
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BURN THEM ALL...........BATTY BOYS,LESBIAN,BI-SEXUAL,ALL OF THEM.............BURN IN HELL AND SUFFER & AND TO THOSE WHO SUPPORT THEM TOO,BURN THEM ALL
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Posted by: wtf
on October 22, 2009 08:06 PM
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what the hell is wrong with these people they dont see that it is not right why are they forcing it.Go hide inna some corner n do uno ting if uno claim so a so uno born, but stop force people innocent picney fi accept this behavior.
i dont beleive no one was born like this, bet sey a some famous ppl try it and like it and every body waan falla now, fkkkking carbon copies
These rassclaat faggots gets on my nerve.
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Posted by: bless
on October 22, 2009 08:09 PM
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Y are these people trying tp force people innocent pickney fi accept dem nasty nes this is not rite dem really expect decent people fi accept.
these faggots get on my nerve!!!!!!!!
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Posted by: jellyass
on October 22, 2009 09:24 PM
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Gays are always complaining, what Buju is saying is called freedom of speech. Gays are always making a big stinking over the way they've been treated, but you've never seen them making a big stinky about rascism.
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Posted by: kry
on October 22, 2009 09:47 PM
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Posted by: truth
on October 23, 2009 12:23 AM
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ok so ten or fifteen batty boys and girls protest buju, they are out of their minds, where are the straight people of the world.
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Posted by: TOP SHOT
on October 23, 2009 07:48 AM
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BULLET FI ALL BATTY BOY!!!!!! WHY THE F**K DEM N0 GO GET A LIFE....AND BUJU SHOULD NOT MEET WITH THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE....SO BUJU, YU FI GET A BETTEN FI DAT TOO.....CAUSE DEM CANT STOP YU FOOD, KARTEL KNOW TRAVEL LONG TIME, AND STILL A LIVE, SO BUJU NO HAVE KNOW EXCUSE....NEXT THING, THE ARTIST DEM FI STOP WEAR BATTY BOY DESIGNER CLOTHES, A DEM SAME ARTIST A MEK DI BATTY BOY DEM RICE...A DI SAME BUJU MI SEE A WEAR D&G., THE BIGGEST BATTY BOY DESINGER IN THE WORLD...SOME A DEM ARTIST NEED FI CHECK DEM SELF....
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Posted by: Godfrey
on October 23, 2009 07:57 AM
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Wat ar dey fightin 4 if i may ask dem kyaan say Buju don a tin fi dem, haven\'t dey hard about d term CONCEPTUALIZATION words does not have a single meaning, al dem FAGGOT should stop curruptin d youth cos judgement soon com!!!
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Posted by: Edebor
on October 23, 2009 09:00 AM
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...tel dem FAGGOT fe shut dem mouth coz dem haf nutin fe talk about.
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Posted by: rasrock
on October 23, 2009 10:53 AM
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I support Buju wholeheartedly and I myself am a gay Jaamaican living abroad. I attend all his shows and argue with the protesters and the are astounded to find out that I am gay and support him. I think it shouldnt be anyones concern who sleeps with who, yet I feel that gay men and women should adhere to a moral code of conduct. I must admit that the personal lives of people I met, both gay and straight, is repulsive and that lewd and unbecoming behavior should be frowned on. i do not feel that his lyrics target me personally, just the segment of the gay population that is indecent, there are plenty of dancehall songs and anthems that speack out against abortion, prostitution, skeetle, gallis, and the whole lot of unbecoming ways people go bout. I think it is unfair to target Gargamel because in my opinion other artists have passed way harsh remarks and yet not protested. Sean Paul is one....Im just sayin.
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Posted by: jahreason
on October 23, 2009 05:11 PM
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BRIM STONE AND FIRE FI ALL BATTY BWOY WHETHER U DO IT UNDER COVER OR NOT, ME PERSONALLY WOULD LINE DEM UP AND ASSASINATE DEM. YOU RASROCK SHOULD A SHAME A YOU BLOODCLAAT SELF BOUT U A JAMAICAN, U CAA MEK MI BERETTA LINK UP U DUTTY CLAAT ONE DAY BWOY. SUCK U MADDA. GWAAN BUN DEM OUT BUJU DONT APOLOGISE LIKE BEENIE MAN
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Posted by: Rasrock
on October 24, 2009 09:02 AM
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If yuh only knew the half, there are alot of gay, bi, trans people in JA. If yuh bun dem all JA dun. Maybe yuh fi one two? Whappen to whatch no face?
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Posted by: sanci benji
on October 24, 2009 09:07 AM
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Yes maan Burn dem all to ash... shame on dem santaclaat and di promoters.
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Posted by: paul
on October 24, 2009 02:22 PM
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Bowy....this is a sick set of people, fighting for the rights to put they **** in the shit hole....I say gully side fi dem or left them on gazza street...
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Posted by: Human Rights Now!
on October 24, 2009 03:36 PM
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All these comments make clear why buju is not welcome in the US or Europe. Here we value our gay-lesbian brothers and sisters, and don't call for their death. buju has disgraced god with his hatred.
i trust buju will have a fairly successful career limiting himself to jamiace and the caribbean.
buju bye bye!
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Posted by: go to hell Human Rights Now
on October 24, 2009 05:22 PM
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So sick of faggots wanting their freedoms of speech protected up in the USA but not recognizing that it's a two way street. The USA loves Buju Banton, but all these softy faggots and pussy liberals seem to believe it's their way or the highway. Fuck human rights now. Go around this country and see how accepting of gays it actually is here. Tolerating something is not accepting something.
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Posted by: Idehen
on October 25, 2009 01:20 AM
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...human right u ar realy sick nd limited in information buju is xpresin his freedom of speach nd he is nt limited to JA alone he is felt in mother Africa nd in my country Nigeria he is d bomb, my own opinion is dat buju should keep d spirit up co Jamaicans Africans nd God ar happy wit wat he is doin respect buju..
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Posted by: Finger lickin good
on October 25, 2009 11:47 AM
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Jah wont be coming with no water, but with bloodclaat FIRE!
HUMAN RIGHTS NOW!... Where have you been the last four hundred + years, when BLACK and INDIGENOUS PEOPLE's BLOOD have been saturating earth... In many places the blood of black people still running like water. You display much ignorance by saying "All these comments make clear why buju is not welcome in the US or Europe." Poor you. I know that you are aware that GLBT people have been intensly fighting for equality, but however popular or supported you may think you are, the majority will not support you for this reason: Leviticus 18:23 says "YOU SHALL NOT LIE WITH A MALE AS YOU WITH A WOMAN. IT IS AN ABOMINATION."
Soon HUMAN RIGHTS NOW will have me writing the next verse, "NOR SHALL YOU MATE WITH ANY ANIMAL, TO DEFILE YOURSELF WITH IT"
Beastiality will be next for us normal people to deal with. NO THANK YOU HUMAN RIGHTS NOW!
BOOM BYE BYE IN A BATTY BWOY HEAD! AS BATTY BWOY DID TO MY ANCESTORS!
LOVE JAH AND LIVE HATE HIM AND DIE!!!!!!
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Posted by: IrieItes
on October 26, 2009 08:56 PM
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we are lacking diversity in comments on this board. All the people who stay silence and have love in the heart, take a moment and write something to counter-balance hatred. Although I am gay, I am as tired as you to see this never ending fight between gay organisations and some of the dancehall singers. BUT it will not cease until the singers that have advocate violence will go public and denounce that any kind of violence is unacceptable. So be patient, because you have not finish seeing these type of protests, because these singers are not man enough to admit that it was stupid. Yes it's true, a lot of those people came to protest the show in Texas because they only read the lyrics of Boom Bye Bye on a website from a group somewhere. But I bet that the majority of them would still be there even if they have spent 10 hours studying the conflict that has been going on for way too many years. The more I think about it, the only way out in this will be the some reggae artists from the first generation make a concert called ONE LOVE-NO EXCLUSION and invite people to be part of it as 'one big family' without discrimination and during that concert, there would be a special moment to welcome onstage Buju Banton, Capleton, Sizzla, Bountry Killer, Beenie Man, TOK, Vybz Kartel, Elephant Man so these singers could all admit that it was studpid to advertise violence against gays and lesbians. That they would all sign a document sating they have move from their past and ask their fans to throw these hatered songs in the garbage. Utopia, probably. But the relaity is that none of these singers wants to do this when it is asked from the gay organisation. But if it was asked by the Reggae fraternity in order to MOVE ON with our lives, Maybe (just maybe) they would agree to mature for one evening. There is nothing to be ashamed to relalised that some of your past actions were stupid, on the contrary it shows that people are becoming wiser. Now what is happening in 2009: these singers are not performing these hatered songs in Europe-Canada-USA but they act as if nothing has happened. And some of them still advertised violence when they are in the caribbean. LGBT organisations will not let go until they get a clear statement that these songs will never performed again.
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Posted by: Rasrock
on October 30, 2009 04:39 PM
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People dem were gay back in the day of bible, so if yuh tink its gwan go yuh wrong. But at the same time nuff gay people give the lifestyle a bad name. When an artist call fi bun mi jus tink dat dem call out de heathen dem. Me nah tek it personal. Just like we wan bun out the hetro heathen. On the same note mi feel that people should be more understanding and accepting, then we wont have to have such arguments. Enough songs bun out the unfavorible position of heterosexuals, so when I hear a artist speak about batty, I jus feel dem wan bun out the unfavorable batty. Face it, we all know someone who is batty and dem tings ah nah go change no matter what someone record.
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