No Rock And Roll Fun

TIT FOR TATCHELL: Aw, sweetgwen, we're having to stick up for Peter Tatchell again. Last Thursday's op-ed pages in the Guardian gave space to Dotun Adebayo to take a pop at Tatch and defend the roster of homophobic acts that come from Jamaica. He suggests that protesting outside the Mobos might not be the place to try and make the Jamaican government aware of the rampant homophobia in its nation, which misses the point terribly - Tatchell wasn't crusading (this time) against the brutality against queers in the Caribbean, he was protesting against the Mobo Awards giving prizes and kudos to acts who sing about murdering gay people. Under which circumstances, the choice of location was pretty smart, you'd have to say.
Adebayo continues " And I doubt Tatchell has the balls to go to Jamaica shouting: "I'm glad to be gay." Actually, you're probably wrong - since Tatchell has attempted to arrest Robert Mugabe, he's nothing if not a man to never back down from a challenge. And, besides, why would he need to fly to Kingston, when his protest at Canary Wharf led to a bunch of reggae fans throwing insults and violence at him?
Then, the piece becomes farcical, with a logic that runs 'Jamaica has both constitutional and cultural hatred of gays. These artists come from Jamaica. Therefore they should not be upbraided for reflecting that homophobia." So, recalling the wonderful night when Shabba Ranks was pilloried and humiliated on The Word by a razor-sharp Mark Lamarr, we're told "It's not only accepted but expected of a ragga MC. Ten years ago, ragga MC Shabba Ranks was asked on British TV to show his hand on the issue. Shabba took out his bible and began quoting scriptures, knowing that he could not return to Jamaica otherwise. On that occasion, Tatchell called for Shabba Ranks' music to be banned on Radio 1. It was, and the young Jamaican, who was then embarking on what would have been a lucrative career, disappeared from view, though at home in Jamaica he was hailed as a hero." So, what? We're meant to be upset that Shabba blew his chance because he found it easier to pander to queerbashers than his potential market? (Not that we should let the claim that the BBC banned Ranks pass anyway - they may have been less keen to include the works of man filled with hatred in their shows, but the idea that he was put on some sort of list not to be played is laughable. Indeed, Ranks appears on BBC Radio's beginner's guide to reggae, a feature on the site for Mark Lamarr's show - irony buttie, anyone?.)
"Tatchell would be better off taking the stance of Boy George, one of several gay men and women attending the Mobo awards. Boy George understands that it's not about reggae, not about Jamaicans and not about black people." No, Dotun, Boy George knows its all about having your picture taken at a swish awards do and bugger the buggers. See, your argument that Tatchell should write to the High Commission, and get the Jamiacan government to change the law, and then everything will be fine, is powerfully flawed. A government should only be the expression of it's citizen's beliefs, and if Jamaica is such a place that Buju Banton is forced to issue a denial that his US record company has apologised to gay men on his behalf - for fear of his life, as you claim - then there's work to be done. One way of getting the message across is to make it clear that calls to slaughter gay men in song are unacceptable; if it means that artists lose out on the chance to sell records worldwide, then so be it. Maybe that may persuade them to examine their consciences. A nations music can reflect the worst of a country, or it can help educate. Boy George applauding the nomination of murderous shite won't change anything. Maybe Peter Tatchell holding a placard on a windy street won't, either. But its clear who's making the more effort.