!!! UPDATE! !!!


LIFEBeat, an organization that bills itself as "the Music Industry Fighting AIDS", has scheduled a benefit concert [REGGAE GOLD LIVE Tuesday July 18th 2006 at Webster Hall in NYC] featuring, among others, reggae artists Beenie Man and TOK.

Beenie Man advocates hanging lesbians [in "Han Up Deh," he sings, "Hang chi chi gal wid a long piece of rope."], while T.O.K. is apparently more in favour of burning [see these lyrics from "Chi Chi Man" by T.O.K]:

From dem a par inna chi chi man car
        Blaze di fire mek we bun dem!!!! (Bun dem!!!!)
From dem a drink inna chi chi man bar
       Blaze di fire mek we dun dem!!!! (Dun dem!!!!)

A Note on Jamaican language Many Jamaicans speak “patois” or Jamaican creole in addition to Caribbean Standard English. A "chi chi man" is a derogatory term for a man who has sex with men (and a 'chi chi gal' would be a woman who has sex with women) and in these verses quoted here the listener is being urged to kill (by burning alive) anyone who is seen in a car with a (presumed) LGBT Person or anyone seen going into a bar (presumed) to be frequented by LGBT Persons.

When Keith Boykin contacted LIFEBeat Executive Director John Canelli to find out why an anti-AIDS organization would book performers who have openly called for the murder of gays and lesbians, Canelli explained, "It's a tough decision . . . . Look at the numbers of people getting infected. My job is to save lives."

Tell that to Jamaican gay activist Lenford "Steve" Harvey, or any of the other gays and lesbians who've been victims of anti-gay violence in that country.

Black GLBT Bloggers are leading the effort to get LIFEBeat to realize that it's not OK to promote artists who encourage murder, and that doing so for an event that is allegedly a benefit in support of people with AIDS is an incredible slap in the face.

To support this effort first become informed, read these comments by the Black GLBT Bloggers and then follow their suggestions on various ways YOU can help.

• Donald Agarrat


• Keith Boykin


• Clay Cane


• Jasmyne Cannick


• Steven Claiborne


• Terrance Heath


• Andre Lancaster


• Frank Roberts


• Pam Spaulding


• Bernard Tarver

X-Posted from darkrosetiger on queerpoc

From "Arts & Entertainment: Has the World Gone Mad? A Call To Action" 10 July 2006 by Jasmyne Cannick member Black GLBT Bloggers

So what can you do?

Send an email, fax, or make a phone call to the following people demanding that they either rescind the invitation to Beenie Man and TOK or demand that those two artists make a public statement prior to the concert disavowing their homophobic music and remarks.

I'm sure you would agree that we've come too far in the struggle against AIDS to allow vicious homophobia to go unchallenged in the public sphere.

Contact Information:
LIFEbeat, Inc. (http://www.lifebeat.org/)
630 Ninth Avenue (between 44th and 45th Streets)
Suite 1010
New York, NY 10036

Telephone: 212.459.2590
Toll-free: 800.AIDS.411
Fax: 212.459.2892

John Cannelli, Executive Director, x101, (jcannelli@lifebeat.org)
Sarah Peters Manager, Operations, x119, (speters@lifebeat.org)