Beenie Man claims ‘I am not homophobic’
Controversial rapper Beenie Man has told The Independent newspaper that the true meaning of his lyrics have been misinterpreted due to cultural differences.
Mr Man claims that in Jamaica the word ‘gay’ is synonymous with rape, and that unlike the consensual homosexual relationships found in England, the only ‘gay’ relationships that exist in Jamaica are young men who are forced into gay sex by poverty.
He claimed that 95% of the young men attending his ‘Beenie Man Foundation for Troubled Youth’ had been sexually molested by older men.
In a rambling and incoherent series of statements, Mr Man went on to claim that as a Rastafarian and believer in the Bible, he hates no-one, but admitted that the thought of two men together disgusts him.
Last month groups of black gay and lesbian bloggers and activists protested about the artist’s inclusion in a HIV/AIDS benefit organised by LIFEbeat, a music industry AIDS organization.
After three days of complaints, the concert organisers cancelled the event and apologised. Two years ago he was also dropped from the MTV Music Awards over concerns about his lyrics, which explicitly call for the execution of gay and lesbian people.
