LGBTQ’s Ban on Rastas and Their Lyrics
Everyday people are constantly consuming some form of media whether it be on television or radio, in newspapers and magazines, or just streaming on the internet. Through this media exposure, people are constantly seeing images and hearing messages that help interpret the world around them through different lenses. Many times these messages and their influences can be positive and others can be seen as negative depending on who is viewing or hearing them. In this essay I will be discussing the music industry, specifically the hip-hop/rap as well as the reggae music industry and how the two have dealt with the social and political backlash due to artists’ anti-gay lyrics in songs which explicitly discriminate against gays and lesbians.
The Media’s Gay Agenda
In 2008 I graduated high-school, applied for college, and voted on a bill which would allow same sex couples to marry and have the rights like heterosexual couples. This was a monumental leap forward for the gays and lesbians who had been struggling with their identities and place in society for decades. But as the bill was still in its planning stages I came to realize that the media may have been in on this gay agenda. A paper published by the International Communications Association researches and analyzes just this and comes to my very finding that MTV (Music Television) Network had a hand in the gay rights movement and there is evidence to show that they were actively participating in spreading the message to young adults that gay rights are human rights and that they should be recognized. Through different shows and even commercials they aired were promoting gay culture and society (Kachgal, 2008).
LGBTQ Community Bans Freedom of Speech
Although the gay marriage bill did pass here in the United States, there is still homophobia in the country and there are still Americans who do not agree with it. Celebrities in the hip/hop/rap industry like rapper mogul Eminem expressed anti-gay lyrics in his music when he first got into the music industry. With songs like “Stan” and “Rain Man” Eminem detests gays and lesbians and violently kills them in his songs. In 2013, he was cited by gay rights groups and LGBTQ community because of his free expression. He was even told numerous times that he would be censored and not be able to perform his music by his label.
An article published in Salon Magazine in 2013, stated that Eminem was being homophobic and that Eminem is a political actor and that he needed to watch his language and hateful messages because he stirs up society in the wrong way (D’arrio, 2013). But although Eminem was getting backlash for his music from mainstream media, the bigger audience praised his creativity and say that his music shines a light on many different issues and pushes the envelope on issues most affecting society.
Reggae Artists Get Deported
Hip-hop music itself has always been criticized for its anti-gay lyrics and culture, but another genre of music which has been scrutinized is reggae music. Artists like Beenie Man, Sizzla, Capleton, and Buju Banton have been called out for their anti-gay lyrics on several occasions and have been banned from the US due to this. Bennie Man was banned in 2012 for his lyrics and other artists the year after (Jenkin, 2012). Some said that the artists should have understood that they can’t go into another person’s land/neighborhood and expect to just say and do what you please.
According to Peter Tatchell, one of the leaders of the ban and deportation of the Jamaican artists, stated in his article “Change Your Tune?” that Jamaica is the most homophobic place on earth. The article reports that homophobic lyrics in reggae music influence hatred and violence in society. He further states that homophobic hatred is a crime and should be seen along the same lines as racial and religious hatred (Taschell, 2014).
After being cited for violent hatred and discrimination in their lyrics the eight reggae artists left to go back to Jamaica but have returned in the past year only after signing a peace treaty of a sort with the LGBT community leaders saying that they did not promote killing of any peoples or orientations. Some say this move by the reggae artists was a cop out because reggae music stems from the Rastafarian religion which finds the activity of homosexuality wrong and immoral and sees heterosexual couples as procreators and as a means for survival. To many, these artists were simply spreading the word of their religion and culture, but because of mass media and journalistic views against them in the mainstream media their music was just seen as discriminatory.
LGBTQ Community Urges Forced Education
In his article, Taschell continues to list reasons why homosexual hatred and expression should be seen for it’s negative influence on society, but also says that mere censorship won’t “serve the purpose to suppress homophobic attitudes.” That forced education against all prejudices including racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia should be taught in all schools without the parent’s right to refuse.
Taschell is not alone in this venture to stop discriminatory music, as activists from his Stop Murder Music Movement continue to work towards this same goal. Activists on many continents and in many countries, even Jamaica, are discouraging venues and sponsors from promoting these artists and they are organizing boycotts and protests during performances by the reggae artists. Those who support the artists say that the Stop Murder Music Movement’s tactics are just attacking the musicians just because of their freedom of speech and that the artists have rights in the first amendment of the constitution.
Even as these activists continue to spread their word that homophobic freedom of expression is wrong and should be stopped by any means, it seems the public does not mind listening to these artists. Reggae artist Buju Banton’s song “Boom Bye Bye” has been viewed over three million times on Youtube since 2007 and that number continues to increase. In this song, Banton speaks of killing gays by shooting.
It seems that when it comes to homophobia in music, the mainstream media tends to side with political views and agendas. In 2008, the research by D’Darrio states that the U.S. newspapers and media outlets framed much of their news around homosexual agendas in order to pass the gay marriage bill and gain free access for gays and lesbians alike.
The TakeAway
Although I agree with Tatchell on the fact that education needs to be taught on homophobia, racism, class-ism, sexism, and many other “isms-skisms games” I do not agree that this should be forced upon people or societies. The main reason for these issues to arise is the fact that people are not educated on the reasons for the homophobia in the first place. Furthermore, there was and still is no research or evidence that these artists’ lyrics actually had a direct connection to violent acts in society or towards individuals.
The fact that Rasta people have a religion backing their culture and society should not mean that they should just be banned. If there is freedom of expression in the US it should be free for all even if they are celebrities or major icons. The fact that the media can have such an influence on society’s views towards such personal parts of life is astonishing. How one person’s lyrics can get him in trouble but another person’s face to face discrimination can just be left alone is interesting. Although the reggae artists have signed this agreement, I don’t think this changed their views on the matter. Once again, the politics of Babylon have silenced an otherwise proud community.
