Abstract
Some homophobic lyrics in rap and reggae incite hatred and violence, agree campaigners
Along with misogyny, homophobic lyrics have long blighted some rap and reggae music. Eminem and Buju Banton, among others, have found themselves in the firing line for their incendiary anti-gay hate music, ranging from rap songs containing insults like “faggot” to tracks that overtly glorify and encourage the murder of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Homophobic hate speech is wrong, regardless of whether it is expressed by a bully in the street or by a singer. People are regularly prosecuted for racist insults but not for homophobic ones – at least not if they are big-name reggae and rap stars. No artist has, as far as I know, been arrested for singing or recording anti-gay hate songs. Is this a matter of double standards?
In 2004, together with the LGBT rights group OutRage!, the Black Gay Men’s Advisory Group and J-Flag, the Jamaican LGBT rights movement, I launched the Stop Murder Music campaign. We campaigned for the cancellation of concerts by eight Jamaican reggae dancehall singers whose lyrics and public pronouncements incited the murder of LGBT people. They justified and encouraged the shooting, burning, hanging and drowning of “batty men”. According to J-Flag, the release of these tracks coincided with a spike in homophobic violence. We did not oppose them because they were homophobic, but because they said LGBT people should be killed.
Police in Jamaica and the UK ignored calls for some singers to be prosecuted on charges of incitement to murder. In contrast, racist remarks – even ones that involve no violent threats – invariably result in a prosecution. Why is racist hate speech treated differently from homophobic hate speech?
When it comes to homophobia and other hate speech, I draw the line at incitement to violence. This is against the law – and rightly so. No one should be expected to live with violent threats. It intimidates the victim, making them afraid to speak out, thereby subverting and preventing free speech.
Incitement to homophobic hatred is now a crime, in line with racial and religious hatred. This is a bad move. As much as I deplore any form of hateful music, and believe it should be discouraged and condemned, it is not as bad as discrimination, harassment, threats or violence – all of which are qualitatively worse and are rightly criminalised. There is no need for separate legislation against hate speech. Prolonged, extreme anti-gay hatred is potentially harmful to individuals, and anti-harassment laws are appropriate measures to combat this hatred.
ABOVE: Vybz Kartel, who had his MOBO nomination withdrawn in a row about homophobic lyrics
Credit: Everynight Images/Rex Features
One of the main problems with anti-hate laws is defining what constitutes hate. Unlike incitement to violence, hate is much more subjective. The line between hate speech and merely unpalatable viewpoints is hard to draw with certainty, clarity and consistency. This is also true when it comes to homophobic music. When does a bigoted rap song spill over into criminal hate speech? Who decides? How is hate defined? The state should not be given the power to decide on these matters, not least because these decisions are potentially open to abuse. In 2009, two anti-war protesters were prosecuted after they insulted British soldiers for their role in the Iraq war. They were convicted in 2011 on public order offences. Yet, for many, the protesters, who shouted insulting remarks at the crowd that had gathered to watch a military parade, were merely practising their right to free expression.
Incitement to homophobic hatred is now a crime, in line with racial and religious hatred. This is a bad move. There is no need for separate legislation against hate speech
Christian street preachers have also been victims of over-zealous prosecutions. They have preached that homosexuality is immoral and that gay people will go to hell. I oppose their views, but I also oppose their prosecution.
Peaceful protests against hate speech have at times been criminalised, as if they themselves were a form of hate speech. In 1994, I was arrested for saying the homophobia and sexism of the Islamist extremist group Hizb ut Tahrir was akin to the bigotry of the Nazis. In another case, in 2008, a teenager was arrested for calling Scientology a dangerous cult. In both instances, it was deemed that our protests were insulting and had caused offence.
Criminalising intolerant and objectionable views is the slippery slope to censorship. At best it is a short term fix
I don’t believe that being spared offence is a human right. I’m offended by misogynistic clerics but I don’t think they should be prosecuted for holding a viewpoint that I find detestable. Putting up with a degree of offence is the price we pay for a free and open society.
Free speech is one of the hallmarks of a democratic society. It should only be restricted in extreme circumstances. Criminalising intolerant and objectionable views is the slippery slope to censorship. At best, it is a short-term fix. It is also counter- productive. It risks making martyrs of people with bigoted opinions and deflects from the real solution to hate speech: information and debate to counter hateful ideas. A better solution is to promote education that rejects hateful ideas.
To “immunise” young people against homophobic lyrics and hate speech, education against all prejudice – including racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia – should be a compulsory subject in every school; starting at primary level, with no opt-outs for independent, religious or free schools. Parents should not be given the right to withdraw their children. Lessons in equality and diversity will promote understanding and the acceptance of difference. Learning should include an annual examination, and results should be made available to future potential employers and educational establishments. This would ensure that pupils and teachers take these lessons seriously and would, over time, combat bigoted ideas, creating tolerance, respect and community cohesion. There would be no need for hate speech legislation.
People aren’t born homophobic. They become homophobic. Education can prevent hate. Prevention is better than punishment.
Homophobia in the music industry
Founder of Justice for Gay Africans and film critic
Topher Campbell sees himself as someone who tells stories through his artistic work rather than as an activist. He announced he was gay to his friends when he was 15 and to his mother at the age of 20.
He recalls hearing music by artists such as Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel, two rappers notorious for their homophobic lyrics and their promotion of violence against the LBGT community, booming out of sound systems in some of London and New York’s gay establishments.
Understanding the cultural context in which music is produced is crucial, and homophobic language doesn’t feature only in black rap music, he says. He also believes that there can be a distinction between those who use terms like “batty boy” as homophobes – and those LGBT people who have begun to reclaim such words.
Like Peter Tatchell, Campbell draws a line at lyrics that promote violence against and even murder of LGBT people, but the idea of banning homophobic language in music does not sit well with him. As soon as something goes underground, he fears, resentment can result – ultimately generating more homophobia. “You also have to recognise that the history of banning black people is very emotive. I don’t want to be banned from having relationships or from calling myself queer or gay.”
He believes the music industry is inherently homophobic and is more concerned with selling records and maintaining images than worrying about the impact of words.
Increased awareness, more conversation and good education will help curb the use of abusive language in music, he says. “The cause and effect of words is very important, especially in the Twitter-infested, Facebook-dominated world we now live in. This is what most excites me: you can either go ‘we’ll ban all this stuff, it’s really horrible and must be kept off social media’ or you can find a way of understanding it, appreciating it, and changing it.”
Campbell praises the Stop Murder Music campaign, a joint work of activism from several LGBT groups that ultimately led to the Reggae Compassionate Act, a declaration signed by several artists in 2007 following on a campaign led by gay rights group Outrage!. The act was signed by Baju Banton, Sizzla and Capleton, who had all previously released anti-gay tracks, as did Beenie Man.
But he feels that it wasn’t until white campaigners came along that people really started to listen to the arguments about homophobic language in reggae and dancehall music.
There’s a lot of racism in the gay scene, both in Britain and America, he says. This stems, Campbell thinks, from the privilege enjoyed by white gay men that sets the agenda for activism around the world. There’s a mainstream respectable gay positioning which has absolutely nothing to do with the African-American experience, the black African experience or the black European experience. This has resulted in a narrative that does not take into account the culture of black societies, he says.
“I reject absolutely and whole-heartedly the idea of these big loud voices coming from Europe or America [and talking] about how the global south should live their lives and how music should happen.”
©Alice Kirkland
