Gay
rights
activists
around
the
country
are
working
to
cancel
upcoming
scheduled
appearances
by
Beenie
Man,
a
Jamaican
dancehall
singer
whose
lyrics
activists
say
incite
violence
against
gays
and
lesbians.
The
activists
have
scored
a
number
of
victories,
with
a
slew
of
Beenie
Man
appearances
already
cancelled.
Apparently
unhappy
with
the
negative
publicity
over
the
Beenie
Man
controversy,
the
artist’s
record
label
and
tour
sponsor
have
also
been
backing
away
from
him.
But
the
singer
shows
no
signs
of
moderating
his
anti-gay
views.
Beenie
Man,
whose
given
name
is
Anthony
Moses
Davis,
has
riled
gay
activists
with
such
lyrics
as,
“I’m
dreaming
of
a
new
Jamaica,
come
to
execute
all
the
gays.”
On
Aug.
2,
his
record
label,
Virgin,
issued
a
statement
apologizing
for
such
lyrics.
But
within
24
hours
of
Virgin’s
apology,
Davis,
back
home
in
Jamaica,
backed
away
from
it.
Clyde
McKenzie,
head
of
public
relations
for
Beenie
Man’s
management
company,
Shocking
Vibes,
told
Radio
Jamaica
that
the
statement
was
“not
an
apology,”
and
that
it
was
initiated
by
Virgin
Records,
not
by
Beenie
Man.
McKenzie
added
that
Beenie
Man
reserved
the
right
to
continue
criticizing
“the
homosexual
lifestyle,”
of
which
he
disapproves.
MTV
announced
Wednesday,
Aug.
25,
that
the
Jamaican
singer
has
been
dropped
from
a
concert
this
weekend
in
Miami
after
local
gay
groups
threatened
to
protest.
The
concert
was
associated
with
the
annual
“MTV
Video
Music
Awards.”
“I
just
smile
because
I
don’t
know
what
they’re
fussing
about,”
Beenie
Man
told
the
Miami
Herald
last
Sunday.
“I’m
not
here
to
cuss
people.
I
make
music.
But
at
the
same
time,
I
just
want
to
teach
people
—
my
sons
and
my
daughters
—
the
right
way
of
life.”
R.J.
Reynolds,
the
company
sponsoring
a
“Stir
the
Senses”
summer
tour
in
which
Beenie
Man
was
set
to
appear,
has
also
dropped
him
from
their
lineup.
“R.J.
Reynolds
Tobacco
does
not
tolerate
this
or
any
form
of
discrimination
based
on
sexual
orientation,”
RJR
spokesperson
David
Howard
told
the
Chicago
Tribune.
Had
Beenie
Man
remained
on
the
“Stir
the
Senses”
tour,
he
would
have
appeared
in
14
cities
across
the
country.
“It’s
clear
that
sponsors
are
realizing
that
they
don’t
want
their
brand
associated
with
Beenie
Man’s
violent
and
homophobic
lyrics,”
said
Glenda
Testone,
media
director
for
the
Gay
&
Lesbian
Alliance
Against
Defamation.
According
to
Testone,
Beenie
Man
had
30
scheduled
appearances
posted
on
his
Web
site
two
weeks
ago.
Now,
he
only
has
four.
“I
think
a
lot
of
the
credit
goes
to
grassroots
community
activists
that
have
said
we
don’t
want
this
glorification
of
violence
against
our
community
in
our
community,”
she
said.
One
such
activist
is
Scott
Noxon
in
Pennsylvania,
who
owns
the
Pittsburgh
Eagle,
a
gay
bar.
Noxon
mobilized
protests
by
contacting
national
gay
rights
organizations,
as
well
as
local
gay
rights
groups
where
Beenie
Man
was
originally
scheduled
to
appear.
He
set
up
an
e-mail
address,
stopbeenie@aol.com,
to
get
the
word
out.
And
he
even
threatened
an
act
of
civil
disobedience
to
prevent
the
appearance
from
taking
place.
“I
know
two
big
guys
who
drive
tow
trucks,”
Noxon
said.
“We
were
prepared
to
tow
old
cars
and
drop
them
off
in
front
of
the
entrance
of
the
venue,
and
then
leave.”
Other
groups
that
prominent
in
protesting
Beenie
Man
include
the
Chicago
Anti-Bashing
Network,
and
the
British
group,
Outrage.
Across
the
ocean,
Beenie
Man’s
calls
for
murdering
gays
are
being
taken
seriously
not
just
by
gay
rights
groups,
but
also
by
legal
authorities.
According
to
the
British
newspaper
the
Guardian,
police
in
England,
along
with
the
Crown
Prosecution
Service
and
a
leading
barrister,
started
meeting
Aug.
16
to
discuss
whether
charges
could
be
brought
against
him
over
his
lyrics.
“It’s
a
difficult
investigation,”
Chief
Superintendent
Clive
Driscoll,
the
officer
leading
the
police
inquiry
told
the
newspaper.
“I
have
no
wish
to
stop
someone’s
freedom
of
speech.
But
by
the
same
token,
I
would
not
want
offenses
to
be
missed.”
Beenie
Man
is
not
the
lone
Jamaican
artist
to
advocate
violence
toward
gay
men
and
lesbians.
A
slew
of
similar
artists
such
as
Elephant
Man,
Bounty
Killer,
Shaba
Ranks,
all
have
similar
anti-gay
lyrics
in
their
songs.
Singer
Buju
Banton
is
being
sought
for
taking
part
in
a
gay
bashing
in
Jamaica.
