A community called McGregor Gully in East Kingston, Jamaica ordered all gays to leave their community by October 30th – pegged “Gay Eradication Day.” Yeah, I know right? Wow. The homophobes said they won’t stop until their community is “gay free” and those that do not leave will have to “suffer the consequences.” Boy am I thankful to live in Vancouver.

According to Digital Journal,

“According to the residents, the main problem is a local hangout that is frequented by lesbians who ‘kiss, hug, and even touch each other.’ And the community’s anger is directed mostly at those lesbians, though any gay men who reside in the area are also expected to leave. The residents say they will not stop until their community is “gay free” and are not afraid of resorting to extreme measures, though they would not explicitly say what those measures might be.”

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In a quick reversal that shows the growing power of the LGBT community, both AEG Live and Live Nation responded to the public outcry that resulted from their news release yesterday by canceling the Buju Banton concerts. I wrote an article yesterday title, “Homophobic Lyrics: The Show Will Go On?” I think it is great the the LGBT community has such a strong voice thanks to people and organizations like L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. It’s time to stop promoting hate.

L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center has released the following statement:

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AEG Live has refused the requests of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center to cancel concerts by Buju Banton, scheduled for October 14th in Los Angeles’ Nokia Club and October 10th in San Francisco and in Philadelphia on September 12th. CEO and President Michael Rapino only responded by saying the company is “looking into the situation.”

Buju Banton is a reggae singer with songs that include lyrics that promote the brutal and violent murder of gay and lesbian people.

Here are some examples of the type of stuff he is promoting through his lyrics: “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 town of Jamaica, Buju 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 cometimes 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.”

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