LGBT Activists Declare Solana Beach a “Hate Free Zone”
Morgan Hurley, Copyeditor
Syd Stevens, a long time San Diegan, webmaster and national activist, was incensed one bright, fall day this past September. That is the day he learned a new video version of Buju Banton’s extremely controversial anti-gay reggae/dancehall rant Boom Bye Bye had been rereleased under the guise of a compilation DVD called Camp Fire 2007.
“I took it quite personally,” he said. In his ensuing research, Stevens found the DVD had been released for sale in early December 2007.He also learned that Banton was in the midst of a tour in the U.S. and that, concert promoters AEG and Live Nation had just cancelled all upcoming dates with the musician due to the swirl of controversy and societal pressure surrounding him.
All of this became a personal call to action for Syd. Taking the lead from Peter Tatchell’s internationally known STOP MURDER MUSIC campaign, Stevens took his webmaster expertise, pulled out all his contacts obtained through years of national activism, and launched his own website for the cause.
The website, cancelbujubanton.wetpaint.com was established to not only help get the word out about Buju Banton’s hate-mongering speech, but more importantly to coordinate protests, instigate closures and to chronicle Banton’s beleaguered Rasta Got Soul tour throughout its remaining days in the U.S..
He has not been disappointed at the results. So far, 16 dates have been cancelled, three have been rescheduled, and dozens more have been protested, with future dates being affected every day. There is a media firestorm following this musician to every city he stops in and it all centers on his hateful lyrics and speech, but he won’t make a statement.
The 36-year-old singer’s management says he is a changed man from the streetwise 15-year-old Jamaican boy who wrote Boom Bye Bye. In the song Banton blatantly calls for the burning and even killing of gay men, and the song’s title is often used even today as a hate mantra in his homeland, where homosexuality is still a crime. In 2007, two prominent Jamaican gay rights activists were murdered, and the unruly crowd that gathered outside the crime scene chanted “Boom Bye Bye”. Banton was also convicted of participating in another hate crime beating himself, but the charges were later dropped.
In recent years, Banton (real name Mark Myrie) has joined the Rastafari movement, which is known to offer a non-violent and very spiritual tone to traditional reggae music. His lyrics have seemed to take a more socially aware turn since then, but despite all the controversy, proof exists that he has continued to sing parts of Boom Bye Bye on tour and use the word “******” to incite the crowd at his shows. In addition, there is considerable controversy regarding whether he did or did not sign the Reggae Compassionate Act (RCA) of 2007, or if he ever will.
Stevens is not convinced.
“I don’t believe he’s changed, that he’s reformed,” referencing a video on the web. The video was taken of Banton a couple years at a concert and shows the performer clearly stating “there is no end to the war between me and faggots.”
Although Stevens acknowledges that Banton claims these comments were directed at the national activists who have haunted him for years (impacting sales and concert dates), Stevens continues, “his typical response to the press is to not respond, or to say he is a victim of a strong gay rights group. We are just an all-volunteer, grass roots movement here.
“He claims he is not profiting (from Camp Fire 2007) but his picture is on the cover of the DVD box. It’s not okay to sell antigay tirades and hate material in the U.S. We will fight it every step of the way.
“We need to get him on video, on the public record, so there are no doubts, and so we can hold him accountable. We’ve stated our case; it’s all up to Buju at this point to clarify himself.”
This Saturday, Buju Banton is scheduled to play at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach.
A longtime supporter of the local gay community and a staunch promoter of gay artists on its stages, the Belly Up management took the uproar over Banton’s billing very seriously, but have no plans to cancel the event.
Last Wednesday, Syd Stevens was part of a delegation invited to lunch with the Belly Up management and staff to address the issues. The three hour discussion went well according to Stevens, even though they didn’t see eye-to-eye and the delegation’s long term objectives of canceling the concert were not met.
“The show will go on” Stevens opined, “and they are aware that there will be protesters. All we (the delegation) ask is that the protesters focus on Banton and not the Belly Up Tavern, who remain our friends. Their perspective is that Buju has played there before without incident, and their position is that he has changed.
“They are trying to do the right thing and are working to act as a bridge between our community and Buju’s management to get an interview with the Union Tribune, which we were unable to accomplish. So, if something greater can come out of this, I will withhold my judgment.”
One of the more positive results of the luncheon was that Belly Up management has asked for advance notice of other anti-gay acts so they can be more aware of the impact their bookings have on the community in the future.
Noting that other business owners along Cedros Ave are very concerned about the upcoming events, Stevens attempts to assure them. “We will declare Solana Beach a Hate Free Zone on Saturday.”
On Tuesday night a group of LGBT leaders in San Francisco met with Banton at his hotel. This meeting was coordinated based on demands made by management of The Rockit Room, the venue where he was scheduled to play later in the evening. If there were no meeting, there would be no show. Baton and his handlers finally obliged and met with the delegation for about 40 minutes.
This was the first time Banton has ever met with any gay activists in the United States, but Stevens feels the meeting fell short. “I don’t think the San Francisco delegation asked the right questions, “he said. “We still need a direct statement or promise on video that he will never use the word ****** on stage again.”
The Belly Up has promised to take action if Banton does anything unethical during his show on Saturday night. Stevens and his husband, Will, plan to be there in the audience to make sure they keep their promise. They’ll be there to mingle with the protesters, but once the show starts, they will be in attendance on the inside, in order to “witness, watch and observe.”
Wendy Sue Biggleson, a longtime local activist, is helping to coordinate the protest. “This is to be a peaceful, positive protest. Buju stands for hate speech and it needs to stop. Please have your signs reflect this message and the fact that we want Solana Beach to be a No Hate Zone.”
Biggleson is requesting that local San Diegans who wish to carpool to the event meet-up at The Center parking lot at 6:30 P.M. since parking in the area of the Belly Up is always at a premium.
The protest will take place starting at 7 P.M. across the street from the venue in a small parking lot so as not to disturb and out of respect for, the other businesses.
“They didn’t book Buju Banton,” she said. Questions can be directed to her at
WSUEB@aol.com.
Posted in
Gay Rights,
SDGLN |
http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=15499In response to his history of violent homophobia, Buju Banton’s seven-city nationwide tour was cancelled just weeks ago by promoters, Live Nation and AEG Live. However, he is still scheduled to perform at Belly Up Tavern on Saturday, Oct. 17.
Buju Banton’s 1992 song “Boom Bye Bye” included lyrics encouraging violence against gays, and he is alleged to have participated in the beating of gay men. While Banton purportedly signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, pledging not to perform homophobic songs or make homophobic statements, he has since denied doing so.
The San Diego LGBT Community Center has written to Belly Up Tavern to express its disappointment in their decision to allow the Oct. 17 appearance of Buju Banton.
“As we approach the 11th anniversary of the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, it becomes clear that, although we have made progress, we still have a long way to go. Until the day arrives when no student has to hide who they are out of fear of being bullied and no human being has to be afraid to walk openly down the street out of fear of being attacked because they’re LGBT, ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of our community will, and should, continue to be a top priority for anyone who cares about basic human rights,” said Delores Jacobs, CEO of The Center.
The Center has encouraged community members to call Jeff Keeping, Belly Up general manager at 858-481-8040 or e-mail him at
jkeeping@bellyup.com. For information on where Banton is scheduled to perform next, visit
cancelbujubanton.wetpaint.com. Hi Beth:
lol...wow! Not sure exactly what to say about this one... First, who is Chris Goldsmith?
and I just quickly went through the email and posted comments within the message in red as a response.
Please forward to whomever you wish..
Thanks...Will On Mon, Sep 14, 2009 at 1:53 PM, Beth Bennett <
beth@bellyup.com> wrote:
Beth Bennett, Director of Marketing & Special Events
Belly Up Tavern, Wild Note Cafe & Pacific Coast Grill
143 S. Cedros, Suite T Solana Beach, CA 92075
858.481.8040
www.bellyup.com
*Come celebrate your next special event with us! Ask me about group sales.
Beth,
I think the fact that the people that wrote this letter call Phil and Steve “cowards” without knowing anything about them points to why this particular group may not be as effective in their battles as they would like (as does their damning judgment of you before knowing your true position). Well, given that no one that I know has gotten a response, until now, to any of our messages except through you (Beth) and Eric still bears witness to their cowardice... (again, strong language but still the perception) and then to get this insulting email on top of it doesn't make it any better...
It’s that same kind of rush-to-judgment attitude and unsubstantiated name-calling that seems to be driving the whole conversation about Buju Banton, and when you are talking about canceling a show, or boycotting a venue, then the threshold should be higher than what we have been seeing here. People are condemning someone based on limited information and heresy hmmm, YouTube speaks volumes, as well as Gay Activists around the world that have been documenting this particular artist for a number of years. Peter Tatchell, among others, has been following this and is who negotiated the "Raggae Compassionate Act" (and yes, it was a real pact!!) and has a lot to say on the subject
... and rush to judgement? Hardly!! it took me quite some time to come to this conclusion re: Banton and think that I mentioned several times to both Beth and Eric, as well as in my email, that I didn't believe BellyUp to be homophobic and I still want to believe that...
and even use a court case in Jamaica where he was acquitted as proof of his guilt. I understand that the court system in Jamaica is biased against gays, and that being acquitted in no way means that he is innocent, but it also does not mean he is guilty. I used this as only one of several examples. It is his management that pointed out that he was acquitted of the charges but being acquitted does not mean you are not guilty which is why I used the example of OJ Simpson (given his fame and wealth he seemed a logical example) and therefore not a huge reach...will I refrain from using that example in the future, yes...
Comparing him to OJ is another huge reach that demonstrates a lack of understanding of the contexts involved in this issue and costs them a lot of credibility. As does the insistence that Buju is a hate-monger when there is quite a bit of evidence that he is not (start by looking at his website). Really?? you are using his website as evidence that he is not a hate monger? I find this quite humorous! I simply used YouTube to see his actual words! And it doesn't reflect a person who has changed his attitudes about gays... How many times do you have to use the word "******" before it goes from being quaint lyrics in his music to becoming homophobic hate speech? Again..."...there is no end to war between me and ******!!..." BUJU BANTON'S OWN WORDS!!!
I’m not saying that I fully understand Buju Banton, I’m just saying that none of the people that have urged us to cancel this show have really shown a true depth of understanding about him either...they are just reacting to, and perpetuating, sound bites. I would only suggest that this is not the case. Buju Banton is the one who has refused to meet personally with LGBT activists on the issue and only speaks to the matter at his performances. And when he does, he insists on refering to all who object to his music as "faggots"!!
And we live in a "sound bite" world now, where people are afraid to compose a long letter or email and so rely on "quick" sound bites, as Mr. Goldsmith calls it. I think, from my previous email and this response, you can see that I am not one of those people. Am I an expert on Buju Banton? No, but I have done a good deal of research on my own on the matter and have developed my conclusions as to the mans' true character based on that research. This is something that we all do and what Mr. Goldsmith is doing in this email as well.
It’s this kind of hysteria, this casual dispensing of judgment based on unsubstantiated accusations, combined with the all-or-nothing, “you’re with us or against us,” attitude that alienates many folks that could otherwise be potential allies in this battle against bigotry.... and might be why they are lamenting the fact that they are fighting the same battles over and over. I know the truth as to why we fight the battles over and over, its because I know that this is a multi-generational struggle. Minority rights were not won in 25 years, or 100 years, in fact it is a struggle that still goes on on one form or another to this day. But your patronizing tone is duly noted! And it will continue further until we can convice enough people that intolerance of Gays and Lesbians, in songs or actions, is not acceptable...EVER!
If you put aside the threats and the boycotts, (no threats here, and boycotting is the only power that most folks such as myself have to use and not one that I bandy about frivolously)
this could be a great opportunity to have a serious discussion about how to deal with the widespread biases you find in the lyrics and statements of many popular artists in all genres of music (and other art forms) and when is it best to engage and when is it better to disengage. Sounds like a great idea, perhaps the BellyUp would host such a "TownHall" on the issue and invite all that want to come!... Would be even better if Buju Banton was present but highly unlikely...
Mel Gibson has espoused anti-Semetic garbage....should his movies be boycotted? YES!! I have not seen a single one of his films since the "anti-Semitic" rant that he had...
Should he be banned from appearing at the club if he were in a band? that is a valid question, it would depend if he used words on stage like "******" or any other vile words that my Jewish, African American, Hispanic friends would find as hurtful and cutting to the core as "******" is to me and most lesbians and gays.
I would say not. I think there has to be some allowance for personal growth, dialogue, context, in deciding whether someone should truly be blackballed. I could not agree more, given all of the evidence of LGBT resistance to Buju Banton and his music, you would think that he would make the attempts that Eminem made to "bridge" the divide. It seemed 2 years ago that Buju was making amends when he signed the "Raggea Compassion Act" (http://www.petertatchell.net/popmusic/reggaecompassionateact-bujubanton.htm) Then his management team (which is himself as he IS his management) denied that Buju Banton signed the agreement and continues to use hateful words like "******" and "batty boys" which is how "faggots" are refered to in Jamaica.
In some cases it’s easy, in others it’s not as clear. If Eminem was blackballed then the biggest healing moment between the rap and gay communities might never have happened. The campaign was started to blackball him, it was only then that he began to reach out to the gay community!
Even between like-minded people there are always differing points of view about the best way to achieve mutually-agreed goals. But it’s important to stay together and realize that, while there are differences, there are also many areas where we do agree. For example, we all agree that artists who advocate hate and violence should not be given a platform to perform at the Belly Up and we all agree that if Buju’s performance is not what he says it is, then he should not be booked back at the club. My question is: if he doesn't say anything homophobic at the BellyUp performance this time, but does so at another venue are you going to ignore that? or does it simply come down to how he "behaves" at this particular performance on this particular day??
It also sounds like we all agree that the Belly Up is a place that historically does not discriminate, but rather supports, gay and lesbian artists and their clientele. Yes, at least by appearances...
That is a lot of commonality and I don’t think the Belly Up should be cast as an enemy just because we don’t do things exactly as one person thinks we should. Never said you were the enemy, just that there should be repercussions for bad decisions!
Where we disagree in this one instance is whether or not we should violate our contractual obligation to this specific artist, based on concerns that were raised after the show was confirmed. The background here is that Buju has played the club before without incident (without perceived incident is what you mean to say! do you have a tape of his performance taht we could review? did he not utter the words "batty boy or ******" during the entire performance?) ,
and there are many reasonable people (including many within the gay and lesbian community) that do not feel that this show should be cancelled. Yes, but you are suggesting that because I do not agree with that decision that I am somehow "unreasonable!)
To the contrary, there are people (again including gays and lesbians) who feel that Buju is actually about positive messages even in spite of his controversial song (“he’s not about all that” is a comment from one young lesbian I know in Atlanta that is very much into reggae music and does not think we should cancel the show, for example). hmmm, you site one or 2 (maybe a few) gays and lesbians that you know and yet when dozens (and more when you consider the nation wide effect of this anti-hate movement) have come out against allowing this artist to perform you think us unreasonable? Again, how can he (Buju Banton) put forth a completely "positive" message when he is using language such as "faggots" and "batty boys"??
Further, we have already said that we share the concern here and have made a promise to the artist (and to our local community) that should this show be anything other than what it is supposed to be then we will not book him again. I think that if you had left it at this, then many of us would have had less of a problem and would simply hold you to your promise. Additionally if you had said that due to "contractual obligations", as mentioned above, that you "must" allow him to perform that this might have had some impact on the situation, however this email suggests that it's because you feel like "we"(the LGBT community) are being "unreasonable" and demanding it and "bullying" you around that you are going to be stubborn and not move.
And we have offered a free ticket to anyone that is concerned about this show to come see it for themselves.
I have already accepted this offer for me and my husband but have not received any confirmation...
We would hope that this approach would be, if not appreciated, at least respected to the extent that we are not cast as an enemy.
Again, you are not the Enemy and we do appreciate the offer! I do not consider Buju, per se, the Enemy but his speech is reflective of his unwillingness to make amends on the matter, unlike Eminem!
This letter today threatens to boycott us and says they will encourage others to do the same as if, by driving us out of business, homophobia will be erased throughout the world. But that is obviously not the case, and we also have an obligation to the artists that perform here, one that we take very seriously, to support them and not rush to judgment against them.
I do not remotely believe that I or anyone else could drive you out of business, but as a patron (having been many times) I would think that you would go out of your way to at least appear like you feel for us and our situation instead of this degrading email response that you have chosen to send out!! Shows a compete lack of customer service skills that I am, frankly, embarrased for you!
We have done a lot of research on this issue
(please site your research - other than Buju Banton's Gargamel Music website that is!),
and talked to a lot of people, and based on the information available to us we don’t think that canceling this show is the appropriate response to the concern raised..... and we are not going to change our opinion based on threats (very few people ever do). Again, what is your definition of a threat? By saying that I will not patronize your establishment is somehow inappropriate of me to say? Do I not, as a patron and consumer, have the right to encourage others to listen to my concerns and then to base there own decisions on the experience that I have had with you folks?
But that does not mean we support hate-mongers, or that we are “cowards,” (Again, I am getting this email through Beth Bennett and no one that I am aware of has received any notification of anyone of authority there) my use of the words "cowardly" seem to still hold true as there has been no real attempt to contact me or any person within the LGBT community. Please correct me if I am wrong, as I am more than willing to apologize if I say something inacurate.
and it certainly does not mean that we should be subject to a boycott. by this kind of reactionary email, I believe that you ARE providing the amunition to a Boycott! and I do not want that because I want to continue to come to BellyUp... This could have been handled so much better than it is.
All the energy that is going to be spent in attempt to close one of the few independent music venues in the county could certainly be better spent elsewhere in more effective service of the cause and we hope that people will realize that and not join in this unfair call-to-arms against us.
As mentioned before, we have spoken to many people in the gay and lesbian community and have not found the same level of concern overall that we are hearing from those in the community that are contacting us in such a heated way. Thats because most people have no idea who the heck Buju Banton is and his use of derogatory words ("faggots" "batty boys" etc) during his performances. I too was indifferent to this particular artist until I started looking for myself. That is why I have instructed everyone I know to do there own investigations before coming to conclusions. This is what I mentioned to all of the folks that I sent the previous "Open Letter" email out.
These conversations include people that are members of our own families, employees, and other people we know personally and professionally both in the gay and lesbian community and the music community at large (and, no, we are not going to give out their names and phone numbers so that they can be subjected to the same calls that we are getting). Who is asking for there names?? I only know of one person that Beth mentioned and yet she is the only one within your organization that voted to cancel the performance! Additionally I encouraged all that felt as I do to call BellyUp or email and that is, I feel, quite fair, would you not agree?
It’s true that we are also starting to get more and more emails about this from people we don’t know, but they are all filled with the same kind of distasteful name-calling and unsubstantiated (or plain false) statements that discredit anything of value that they might be trying to say... and a larger volume of this type of letter will not change our opinion, so once again the energy spent here is being misplaced. ahhh, but you spoke about the dialogue, is this not what we are now having and so is it not effective? And name calling is, perhaps, distateful for sure, however if a persons lyrics are homophobic, should we not call the singer homophobic? if he refers to gays as "faggots" should he not call him anti-gay? and if the owners of your organization hide behind lesser entities within the organization, should we not refer to them as cowardly? And if a venue, such as yours, allows a perceived homphobic artist to perform, is it unfair to say that the organization tolerates homophobia?
Our hope is that this vitriolic campaign against the Belly Up will end and that we can agree to evaluate Buju’s performance based on facts and come to a more informed decision after he plays. (Beenie Man is also playing at Cane’s soon, and I’m sure there are several other performers, actors, writers, religious leaders, etc that could also use the same kind of scrutiny). yes, word has come to us that Beenie Man is performing at Canes and that is being addressed by others, I simply felt closer to the BellyUp because I has been there several times and I have been to Canes only once!
But regardless of what the authors of this letter decide to do against us, we will continue support the cause of eliminating homophobia and hatred in the world even as they try to damage our livelihood over a disagreement about the best way to achieve that goal. I think you might put a dent in the homophobic movement if you were to encourage Buju Banton to meet personally with Gays and Lesbians here in San Diego while he is here and to host this at the BellyUp!. And to simply say that we are "damaging your livilihood" is a huge over-statement I would say. Boycotts are an American tradition now and have brought positive results in the past. It is by far more efective, as I'm sure you know, to large corporations than to smaller organizations such as yourself.
With Phil and Steve’s permission, please feel free to share this with the author of this letter and ask them to forward it to the same email list that they used to send out their “open letter.”
Thanks again for another rant on my part. I was sure that I would not get another response from BellyUp and am, frankly, shocked of this condescedning, patronizing and insulting email written by "Cris Goldsmith", whoever he is. After speaking to me on the phone, Beth and Eric, I have to imagine that you can sense that I am a reasonable person. I hold no grudges and more often than not, look for the good in people. If I ever sensed that Buju Banton had indeed changd, then I would be the first to admit that and would voice that openly. It is my hope that the dialogue will continue on this particular issue, but the decision is really up to BellyUp. Let's have a true dialogue instead of insulting emails.
Respectfully...
Will Widick
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