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Buju Banton Concert to Draw Large Gay Rights Protest Tonight in Hollywood
Photo by a trying youth via Flickr
Photo by a trying youth via Flickr
When you write lyrics that say, in essence, that "faggots" should "get up and run" because "they have to die," it's fair to say people will get upset. Adding that you will shoot them in the head and "burn them up bad" doesn't help either. But that's part of Buju Banton's “Boom, Bye Bye” song, which has prompted gay rights groups to effectively pressure promoters to cancel 16 concerts across the country. “Banton is unrepentant and completely unapologetic for continuing to perform a song that glorifies the murder of LGBT people and for fostering a culture of hate against LGBT people in his home country of Jamaica” explains Lorri L. Jean of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. “It’s outrageous and unconscionable that clubs would book and profit from someone like him.”
A concert scheduled for last night and booked by Live Nation at Club Nokia was quickly canceled last month after the center urged the community to speak out. And the Sunset Entertainment Group, which owns Green Door, Ritual and Pig ‘n Whistle, also canceled Buju's show at their Cabana Club property in Hollywood. But sometime between the cancellation and tonight, the show was rebooked, according to the center.
"The Center has been trying to establish a constructive dialogue with Buju Banton over the past few weeks, but this is the first time the situation has actually come down to a protest of one of his concerts," explained Thomas Soule, the center's spokesperson.
Representatives at SEG could not be immediately reached for comment. The protest is planned for 8:30 p.m. at Cabana on Ivar Avenue, south of Sunset Blvd.
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