Reggae Calls Truce With The Gay Nation?
This summer, four of dancehall's biggest names put ink to paper in the most significant signing of recent years. Instead of creating a ragga super-group or joining Snoop Dogg's label, the quartet of Beenie Man, Sizzla, Capleton and Buju Banton pledged to cease performing anti-gay lyrics by signing the Reggae Compassionate Act, a peace treaty brokered by Stop The Murder Music, the anti-homophobia pressure group launched by Peter Tatchell in 2002.
Among other things, the controversial Act states that "Artists of the Reggae Community respect and uphold the rights of all individuals to live without fear of hatred and violence due to their sexual orientation." (See their signed documents here)
Cynics argue that the artists have been swayed more by lost revenue than by liberal criticism--Tatchell's campaign having reportedly cost dancehall acts £2.5 million in touring revenue. Yet it is hard to see the move as anything other than a step in the right direction, even if only symbolically.
The issue of homophobia in Jamaican music is hotly contested, with fans asserting the artists' right to speak in authentic (ie. intolerant) voices and academics including UWI's Dr Carolyn Cooper arguing that lyrics are typically misunderstood. Meanwhile, gay rights groups claim the songs have led to real-life murders, both of gay men and heterosexuals mistakenly identified as gay. International controversy first broke over Buju Banton's 1991 single, "Boom Bye Bye," the violent lyrics of which have lost none of their power to shock.
Since the United Nations calls Jamaica the third most violent place on earth and Human Rights Watch names it the "worst" country for anti-gay violence, the signing of the Act is clearly no small matter.
It is worth noting that, not so long ago, Jamaica seemed a more tolerant place. King Kong's 1988 song, "AIDS," advised listeners to avoid the disease by sticking to one partner, mentioning gays and bisexuals in a compassionate context, and Kingston tabloid X News printed same-sex personal ads until fairly recently.
But Jamaican author Patricia Powell has written eloquently of how the island became less gay-friendly in the wake of AIDS, and the recent upswing in homophobia parallels the general emboldening of Christian fundamentalists that currently threatens to split the Anglican church.
As in the American bible belt, Jamaican attitudes towards same-sex relationships are deeply rooted in religion. Jamaica is said to have more churches per capita than any other nation (over 16,000 when last counted), and a preponderance of Pentecostalism means many on the island adhere to a literal interpretation of the Old Testament, while Sizzla, Capleton and many of their peers follow the radical "Bobo Dread" variant of Rastafari, which preaches fundamentalist values. Small wonder, then, that their lyrics have often echoed the sentiments of Leviticus.
In any case, although Elephant Man, Vybz Kartel, Bounty Killer and TOK have thus far refused to sign the Act, more open-minded performers, such as Tanya Stephens and Cecile, have taken the even bolder step of publicly defended the rights of all, including those whose sexual preference does not match their own.
The battle is joined. But we won't be saying Boom Bye Bye to homophobic reggae just yet.
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