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Friday, October 17, 2008

LGBT History Month - Stop Murder Music



Stop Murder Music is a campaign is jointly run by Outrage!, the Black Gay Men's Advisory Group and JFLAG in the early years.



The term 'Murder Music' was coined by British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell in the mid-1990s to describe the homophobic work of certain Jamaican musicians, primarily dancehall and ragga artists who called for and encouraged physical violence and murder of homosexuals
The Murder Music Campaign have accused Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Sizzla, Bounty Killer, Vybz Kartel, Capleton, T.O.K., Buju Banton and others of promoting anti-gay violence, harassment, and bigotry through their music.

Tatchell has called for laws against homophobic music and the Campaign participated in protests outside concerts. The Campaign has especially objected to lyrics which seem to support violence, including murder, towards gay men. Tatchell's campaign began in the early 1990s when Buju Banton's song "Boom Bye-Bye" was released and has continued to date. Dennis Carney, chair of the Black Gay Men's Advisory Group, argued that the MOBO Awards had a responsibility to exclude anti-gay artists because, "homophobic lyrics in music normalise hatred towards black gay men.

"Tatchell picketed the MOBO Awards ceremony to protest at their inviting performers of murder music. Tatchell received death threats and was labelled a racist. Tatchell defended himself by pointing to a life's work campaigning against racism, and stated that his statements on Jamaica were in support of terrorized black groups within Jamaica.

The Jamaican leg had JFLAG representatives such as Mark and myself translating the lyrics for the UK based advocates so they could understand our patois hence their knowledge and understanding of the ever changing descriptions that have been hurled at us in the name of opposing homosexuality.

Peace and tolerance

H

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