U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke D-NY (Public Domain)

U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke D-NY (Public Domain)

At the “Reggae Rhythm and Blues Festival” September 4th, 2011 in Queens, New York City, U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY) welcomed homophobic, “kill LGBT” Jamaican performer Beenie Man (real name: “Anthony Moses Davis”) to the U.S. Representative Clarke is of Jamaican ancestry and represents New York’s 11th congressional district, which includes much of central Brooklyn, New York City.

You can see Beenie Man being welcomed to the U.S. by Representative Clarke in this YouTube video Beenie Man Receives US Proclamation Reggae Rhythm Blues 2011 YouTube

Representative Clarke is holding a large, framed document. As she hands it to Beenie Man she says:

We welcome you back to the United States of America. . . . We honor you. You have been an outstanding performer and you have made all Jamaicans proud . . .

It is pretty clear that the presentation is being made by the “Reggae Rhythm and Blues Festival” and the festival’s promoter, Irie Jam Media Group. On the internet, though, and particularly by Jamaican media and reggae dancehall media, it is being described as a “US Proclamation” or a “Lifetime Achievement Award” for Beenie Man.

The framed document is just a letter from the “Reggae Rhythm and Blues Festival” and promoter Irie Jam Media Group. The content and details of the letter have not been revealed or released online, yet.

U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke may not be aware that this welcome to the U.S. of the very homophobic Beenie Man, on her part, is a slap in the face to many of the LGBT people in New York City and to many people who oppose the promotion of  homophobic hatred and violence by murder music artistes like Beenie Man.

Beenie Man’s History of Hate

Unfortunately, Beenie Man has a long history of singing songs that call for LGBT people to be killed.

On December 05, 2009, Beenie Man performed in Kampala, Uganda a song titled “Mi Nah Wallah.”  In this song, he says he would like to cut the throats of all gay men. Beenie Man in Kampala, Uganda 12/05/09

Beenie Man was scheduled for the 2010 ”Big Day Out” festivals in New Zealand and Australia. These dates were canceled in November 2009, before the Kampala, Uganda concert. See  Beenie Man Pulled From Big Day Out 11/15/09

Over the years, Beenie Man has had many of his shows canceled because of his extreme homophobia  Beenie Man: Shows Cancelled 2004 – 2010

Beenie Man signed a Reggae Compassionate Act agreement in which he pledged not to promote hatred and violence. See Beenie Man’s Signed Reggae Compassionate Act Agreement March 2007 Weeks later he denied signing a RCA agreement. He certainly violated his RCA agreement in Uganda.

Beenie Man has a history of writing and performing material that calls for LGBT people to be killed.  Here are lines from some of his songs from the DANCEHALL DOSSIER

Some “Kill LGBT” Songs by Beenie Man

Beenie Man – Han Up Deh

Hang chi chi gal wid a long piece of rope

Hang lesbians with a long piece of rope

Beenie Man – Damn

I’m dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays

I’m dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays

Beenie Man – Batty Man Fi Dead   (Queers Must Be killed)

(aka ‘Weh U No Fi Do’)

All batty man fi dead!

All faggots must be killed!

From you fuck batty den a coppa and lead

If you fuck arse, then you get copper and lead  [bullets]

Nuh man nuh fi have a another man in a him bed.

No man must have another man in his bed

In April of 2010, Beenie Man was one of a number of “kill LGBT” artistes who had their U.S. work visas revoked by the U.S. Consulate in Kingston, Jamaica. The visa revocation probably had nothing to do with their hateful “kill LGBT” songs.

As of now, Beenie Man has only a visa to travel to the U.S. He has a visitor’s visa, not a work visa. He did not perform at the September 4th, 2011 “Reggae Rhythm and Blues Festival.”

But you can bet that Beenie Man, and U.S. promoters of reggae dancehall shows are trying very hard to get him a U.S. visa that will allow him to perform in the U.S.

For more information about homophobia in Jamaica and the Caribbean and murder music read Homophobia in Jamaica and “Murder Music”

If you would like to contact Representative Yvette Clarke, you can reach her by phone or email through her website U.S. Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke