Coalition seeks ejection of reggae stars over anti-gay lyrics
Last Updated: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 | 5:04 PM ET
CBC News
Gay and lesbian rights activists are calling for the deportation of two controversial reggae artists scheduled to perform in Toronto in the coming days.
Jamaican singer Elephant Man, whose real name is O'Neil Bryan, arrived in Canada last week for a series of dates across the country and is scheduled to perform at Toronto club Kool Haus on Friday.
Fellow Jamaican performer Sizzla, whose real name is Miguel Collins, is scheduled to perform at the same club on Oct. 5.
Both artists have been criticized by gay rights groups in several countries for preaching violence against homosexuals in their music.
A coalition entitled the Stop the Murder Music campaign has called on Immigration Minister Diane Finley to deport the two performers.
"Homophobia has always been an issue, but because of [their] lyrics over the past 10 years — the period we're looking at — they've continually sang songs calling for [gays] to be killed, burned, drowned and basically stoned to death," group spokesperson Akim Larcher said in Toronto Tuesday.
Subsequently, he added, "We've noticed an increase in mob violence."
The group has voiced its concerns to the Hate Crimes Unit of the Toronto Police, members of which are expected to be in the audience Friday for Elephant Man's concert.
In late 2004, Sizzla was barred from entering the U.K. for several concerts and was among a group of reggae artists who were being investigated by Scotland Yard for inciting murder through their lyrics.
Elephant Man and Sizzla were also among a list of reggae and dancehall artists targeted by gay and lesbian activists worldwide that year for what they say was the promotion of homophobia.
Also in 2004, Canadian organizers cancelled two concerts for Grammy Award-winning dancehall artist Beenie Man because of his "controversial lyrical content."
He was also removed from an MTV Video Music Awards-related concert and saw other U.S. and European performance dates cancelled. He later issued an apology for "those who might have been offended, threatened or hurt by my songs."
Share Tools
FILM REVIEW: Men in Black 3 by Eli Glasner May. 25, 2012 11:40 AM Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back in the action sequel Men in Black 3, a third instalment of a series now 15 years old. Though new addition Josh Brolin manages some amazing mimicry as a younger version of Jones, the story doesn't measure up to the weird and wonderful charms of the original, says film reviewer Eli Glasner.
Top News Headlines
- Everest victim's family asks for government help
- The family of a Toronto woman who died in pursuit of her lifelong dream to climb Mount Everest is asking the Canadian government to help pay the cost of bringing her body back to Canada. more »
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- Raw stories about bullying emerged when a video booth was set up inside a Quebec high school. more »
- Foreign investment review threshold rising to $1 billion
- The federal government is raising to $1 billion the amount of foreign money that can go into a Canadian company before the investment is reviewed. more »
- Double-lung recipient dances on Ellen show
- Organ donation advocate Hèlène Campbell of Ottawa made her second appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, but her first since undergoing a double-lung transplant. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Sotheby's Canadian art auction sets records
- Sotheby's auction of Canadian art produced a sale total of $3.55 million Thursday night in Toronto, with record prices for several Canadian artists, including Paul-Émile Borduas, whose Froissement Multicolore sold for $663,750. more »
- Shakespeare's Winter's Tale gets African reboot
- A Nigerian theatre company is performing an African reboot of The Winter's Tale, one of the lesser known tragicomedies written by the Bard, in London as part of the London Cultural Olympiad. more »
- Elton John cancels Las Vegas concerts over illness
- Elton John is suffering from a serious respiratory infection and has cancelled three Las Vegas performances on doctors' orders. more »
- Double-lung recipient dances on Ellen show
- Organ donation advocate Hèlène Campbell of Ottawa made her second appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, but her first since undergoing a double-lung transplant. more »
Q Blog
Toni Morrison on her two selves May. 25, 2012 12:26 PM Jian speaks with the celebrated African American author and academic about her two conflicting selves, and her new novel, Home.
CBC Books
Talking about war May. 25, 2012 12:09 PM The public conversation around war has always been complex and thorny. How does Canada's military approach differ from that of other countries? Are we a society of peacekeepers or warriors? These are some of the questions that Noah Richler explores in his new book What We Talk About When We Talk About War.
- Reclaiming the dead on Mt. Everest
- New mom among dead in Aylmer triple stabbing
- Employment Insurance review boards to be scrapped
- Workers' EI history to affect claim under new rules
- Conservatives move again to have robocalls suits tossed
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- SpaceX capsule captured by Canadarm2
- Coffee prices get jolt in jittery economy
- Gatineau police to question man in multiple homicides
