New York – Clarence Patton, the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project's Executive Director issued the following statement after learning that a concert with planned performances by Dancehall artists Beenie Man and TOK, who have incited violence against gays and lesbians in their lyrics, had been cancelled. The event was to benefit LifeBeat, the music industry's leading AIDS charity:
"We were greatly dismayed that LifeBeat, which has such a powerful mission, initially elected to include in its lineup artists that actively and generally without apology or a stated intent to change their messaging advocate violence against lesbians and gay men. At the Anti-Violence Project, we have long seen the way in which the AIDS pandemic has been used in the US and around the world as further justification of violence against our community.
Additionally, assertions made by at least one LifeBeat representative that 'almost everyone in that segment of the industry is homophobic, so it would be difficult to find someone who isn't,' were incorrect and ultimately insubstantial. Even if that statement were true, there remains a distinct difference between a generalized distaste for a community - homophobia in this case - and actively encouraging the violent beating and immolation of its members as Beenie Man and TOK have.
Just this week, the bodies of two murdered lesbians were found in a roadside pit in Jamaica. Here in New York City, the LGTB community spent much of June - Pride Month - mobilizing in response to a number of incidents which left victims hospitalized and neighborhoods on-edge. This is clearly not the time to turn a blind eye to rabid homophobia.
And while we're pleased that LifeBeat, following the lead of a number of other organizations and venues around the world in recent years, made the choice to re-think its decision to provide a forum for those who have actively called for violence against a population so impacted by the AIDS pandemic, it is clear that there remains a tremendous amount of work to be done between LifeBeat, and LGTB and anti-violence organizations.
We find LifeBeat's concern about possible "violence" from those unhappy with scheduled performers baffling given that the focus of the scores of calls and e-mails received by our organization in the last several days focused on opposition to and concern about the violence espoused by performers scheduled to be at LifeBeat's own event.
Nevertheless, we see this entire episode as an opportunity to do just what LifeBeat indicated in its earliest responses to the community uproar over their concert plans: educate and create dialogue. This is now the time for LifeBeat to build stronger connections with the LGTB community to ensure that the tacit or active endorsement of violence against LGTB people is not given for the sake of AIDS awareness."
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In 2005, the Anti-Violence Project served over 2,000 victims of violence. AVP's annual reports on hate and domestic violence can be accessed online at http://www.avp.org/.
According to Anti-Violence Project statistics, the organization on average receives a call about a new anti-LGTB incident every 12 hours, and a call about a new anti-LGTB assault every 36 hours.
The Anti-Violence Project is the nation's largest service agency for victims of bias crimes against the lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and HIV-affected communities. Since 1980, AVP has provided counseling and advocacy for tens of thousands of survivors of bias-motivated and domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, HIV-related violence, and police misconduct. AVP documents incidents of violence against and within LGTB communities, educates the public about the effects of violence, against or within our communities, and works to reform public policies impacting all lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and HIV-affected people.
AVP provides free and confidential assistance to crime victims through its 24-hour bilingual hotline (212-714-1141).
