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Counseling Student Must Follow Ethics Code
May 17, 2012
In December 2011, a three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision and rejected the claim of Jennifer Keeton. She believed that her First Amendment rights were violated when Augusta State University required her to treat LGBT people in a respectful and nondiscriminatory way. ...
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Buju Banton’s Shows Cancelled Across Nation, Scheduled to Play Richmond
Last week, the LA Gay & Community Center sent out this press release announcing the cancellation of Jamaican reggae artist Buju Banton’s shows in several cities by Live Nation and AEG Live:
Through his music, Banton promotes a culture of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, singing in his most notorious song “Boom, Bye Bye” that “faggots get up and run” when he comes, that “they have to die,” and that he will shoot them in the head or “burn them up bad.”
“In his home country of Jamaica, Banton and his fellow performers of ‘murder music,’ have helped to create and sustain a culture in which violence against LGBT people is not only tolerated, it’s sometimes celebrated,” said L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center Chief Executive Officer Lorri L. Jean. “The Center is an ardent supporter of free speech and artistic expression, but we cannot–and will not–tolerate speech in any form that promotes violence against LGBT people.”
Tickets are still available to some of these shows through Ticketmaster including a date scheduled for The National on September 26.
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5 Comments
I am glad this is being flagged. The violence in Jamaica against LGBT folks is truly awful. MCC has a group there that has to meet underground, and keep changing their meeting place, due to the violence. Several were killed last year — chased by mobs that were not stopped, and sometimes encouraged, by the police.
I do not know this singer, but if he is spewing this hate we need to call him on it.
AEG Live has done the right thing and has canceled Banton’s shows they scheduled (but, why were they scheduled in the first place). Freedom of speech is important, but not when it impedes on the rights of others and promotes violence against any groups. Buju Banton is scheduled to play at the National, if you check their site: http://www.thenationalva.com, you can that he his coming a few shows after LGBT comedienne Margaret Cho. I planned to attend the Margaret Cho show, but feel as if it may be necessary to withhold my support for The National if they do not see the necessity of canceling their booking of Buju Banton. You can find The National online on Facebook, Myspace. I can only find the boxoffice phone number
804-612-1900
Address: The National
708 East Broad, Richmond, VA 23219
I think it is important that the LGBT in Richmond take a stand against the promotion of anti-gay and lesbian speech in our area. The National team needs to know how we feel about this issue.
This is a site, a Jamaican site, that posted the lyrics of a Buju Banton song in effort to bring notice to the violent language and treatment that gays and lesbians face around the world, but in Caribbean culture specifically.
The song is called “Boom Bye Bye” and in it Banton calls for “Batty Boys” (Caribbean slang for Homosexual Men) to be shot in the head.
http://www.jamaicancaves.org/boom-bye-bye-lyrics.html
You can find the song on Youtube, even. If you want to hear how offensive the message truly is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIUZlzd37sI
You should mainly contact the parent company Rising Tide Concerts…
http://www.rtconcerts.com/
757-622-9877
info@rtconcerts.com
This is so sad. The artist mad this song over ten years ago. This is just for entertainment purposes. I love him and should not have to risk seeing him in concert over other peoples thoughts and feelings. He is human just like evrybody else. When do we as a nation begin to forgive and forget?