Should we care about dancehall acts & rumours of gaydom?

I say yes in a sense as effeminacy, hyper-masculinity and related aesthetics come fresh to mind for me on the back drop of public homophobia. 

With the tired ass homo-sensationalism that is spewed from mainstream print/electronic media these days one would at a glance want to ignore them just for some sanity but when one examines the fact that these dancehall acts inadvertently end up becoming "role models" for young ones especially we cannot ignore their alleged "back door" shenanigans coupled with our national psyche towards machismo, male homosexuality and especially effeminacy (the proof of you being a battyman). 

Rumours have always surrounded some acts in the business for years with Elephant Man in particular, this post was generated on his latest troubles as in recent days ZIP 103FM reported on April 24 that:

"Earlier today, a number of local websites have been reporting that Dancehall artiste Elephant Man was allegedly caught in his pool with 6 members of the gay community.

It has been alleged that the artiste was caught by his gardener at about 11pm last night after hearing some female voices coming from the pool house.

Reports are that when the gardener went to investigate to make sure there was no intruder on the premises, he saw what he claims to be a bit of blood on a white sheet before the door.

He claims to have entered through the door and saw men dressed in female clothing and a man fitting the description of the artiste.

However, there has been no official report of this incident and all efforts to contact the artiste have been unsuccessful.

So, keep it ziplocked as we seek to bring you more on the developments of this story."

ENDS

Now he plans to sue the station as reported by the Star News, funny too that the Star itself missed this one and was first by ZIP FM instead as they usually are the ones to break such suss as it were in the feverish bid to sell papers, we all know that once it's a gay themed story as a headline the papers fly off the shelves. They published this today:

Ele upset over gay post - Plans to sue local radio station

Following an article posted on the website of a popular local radio station, dancehall artiste Elephant Man says he intends to take legal action.

The article, headlined 'Elephant Man caught with gay men in his pool', alleges that Elephant Man's gardener walked in on the artiste who was at the time sharing the company of men dressed in female clothing.

News of the controversial post quickly began to spread to several websites, the post itself receiving over 2,000 hits in less than an hour on the local radio station's website.

When contacted by THE STAR for comment, Elephant Man in a clearly upset tone of voice said, "How can a radio station like that put that on a website? Elephant Man is suing for bad publicity. How can a man like me wey have 35 pickney, be involved in things like that? How dat drop een? Look how much real fish out deh wey dem fi guh talk bout," he said.

The artiste also refuted claims that the radio station made any attempt to contact him before posting the article.

tarnish mi image

"Nuhbody nuh contact mi from there (the radio station). Bout dem try get to me and it nuh work. How you (THE STAR) contact mi and get me? And mi nah contact dem because a dem violate mi so a dem fi contact mi. Somebody there don't like Elephant Man and a try tarnish mi image," he said.

According to Elephant Man, he has not been to his house on the hill for over a year and he does not have a gardener because the house is under renovation. He revealed that he was in the process of making preparations for his daughter's birthday celebration and was not even in the area.

"You cannot get up and put things like that pon a website bout a artiste when yu know inna yu heart sey nuttin nuh guh suh. Suh when me sue dem, nobody nuh sey me wicked because dem get up and a mislead mi fans, a big luuu ... how that come about?," Elephant Man said.

As for his fans, Elephant Man says, "jus gwaan hol' di faith cause nuttn nuh guh suh. Suh jus gwaan pray an God wi see mi tru."

ENDS

As dancehall acts maintain the status-quo of hyper-masculinity, gangsterism and related aesthetics in the public eye through their music behind closed doors is another matter and this case though not confirmed to be so should not be simply overlooked, the gentleman in question has several anti-homosexual songs in his repertoire and has faced some strong opposition via the stop murder music campaigns over the years. Lest we forget he was accused by another dancehall act in 2009 of being a "fish" a colloquial term for gay man and that created a fire storm between the two, whether it was designed to attract attention to themselves as a form of manufactured controversial to raise visibility is another matter, second tiered DJs tend to go after more established ones to get attention by raising controversial accusations as a part of marketing gimmickry.

See: Elephant Man called a "Fish" in dancehall rivalry

But to promote hate and deadly prescriptions for perceived homosexuals especially for those who are effeminate as that is the marker used to identify and out them is one thing but to practice the same behind closed doors is sheer hypocrisy. Can we now begin to deduce after all these years that even the producers, artistry repertoire agents and song writers only seek to play on the national homo-negative psyche to make millions at the expense of us relatively out gay and bisexual men via local standards who are secure in the knowledge of our own sexuality? then we are punished by homophobic violence and a tacitly supporting religious right movement.

"Gay" is just too girly, downlow is better to hide in.

This could be another arm of the cold war or struggle between the down low sections of the MSM populations who deny their own identity or at least refuse to label themselves gay as it comes with too much weight that challenges Jamaica's understanding of masculinity. In the Star article it proves thus where Elephant Man is reported to ask how he as man could have 35 children and be involved in homosexual acts? so the "stud factor" is to be the determinant marker for proof of heterosexuality, that one can impregnate women at a whim and that is enough to show one is not gay. Be fruitful and multiply I suppose.

Down-low as cool in media ............... 

Sadly the gay/bi and increasingly mainstream entertainment industries themselves have also helped to fuel this down-low phenomenon as OK by presenting it as normative in a sense and giving it credence while associating masculinity as the major qualifying agent to hit it and run, merging it with gangsterism and smoothing it over with music predominantly rap. Even so called gay rappers come with this over-hyped image of masculinity but with a same gender loving twist but it wouldn't be rap if it got all effeminate themes as its core as is seen in the house music or ballroom scenes.

Some questions to ponder:

1) Where will the double standards end?

2) How many more hints to dancehall acts must we continue to have similar to this?

3) Have we forgotten the allegations of major names in the business on the so called Ambassador Peter King tapes? ......... that today have remained hidden from the public's scrutiny

4) Is the public not phased by this allegation to Ele given that it is an open secret that hyper-masculine types are involved in homosexuality?

5) Do we have to wait until a video or photos turn up before we just get the truth and hence live it?

Then there is the business of psychological control associated with power differentials and masculinity or projected "strength" over another, dancehall acts amass to themselves plenty of adoration and are in awe by their followers and sometime large all male entourages separate and apart from the female groupies. It would not surprise me to learn that sexual contact also occurs between those male populated groups and any popular star. The unbridled power that these stars are awash with can lead to anything in my view just at a layman's glance when compared to how quickly some of these same hyper-masculine types also are ready to get down in a "gay for pay" transaction yet openly deny being gay when confronted or in a group setting so as not to look or deflect any perception of such in the slightest. 

Stories of persons hanging around at recording studios as well for that chance to be with certain stars or to even get an opportunity to voice a track are an open secret in the music world. These same gay for pay brothers (usually between other hyper-masculine types) also do so as payback for protection or access to the star in question, to be seen with a popular star brings prestige and some would do anything for that. 

The same sex contact in hyper-masculine terms however from my experience is not as romantic or subtle, a bit impersonal and not as cuddly as gay or bisexual men who do not have the pressure of living a lie to others everyday and are in the public's gaze or are innately attracted to each other. They tend to also act out the aura of hetero normative dominance in sexual roles and even positions, certain parts of the body must not be touched when it comes to the dominant partner as any act that seems to even allude to a passive hint is resisted and can lead to a violent reaction which can explain or slightly confirm the gay on gay violence with disastrous consequences that sometimes play out in the public domain. Some men will literally dictate how the act will be conducted and insist on no anal touching, fondling or caresses. He is not a woman. Questions of orientation come in here versus control, desire and adaptation following same sex experimentation hence using it to make money as well or gain material wealth.

Effeminate allure

As to Ele's supposed romp with drag queens this can be a representative hint to those hyper-masculine brothers who prefer a kind of behavioural bisexual element where feminized aesthetics in a man is the aphrodisiac that is derived from the otherwise hidden same sex attraction. We may never know the truth of this or the other allegations of other acts that turn up every now and again but it certainly has brought the discourse about thugs on the downlow.

It was only in February of this year we saw a prominent area leader finding his alleged same sex activities landing him in trouble and the down low matters coming to light as would be gang members had to "give up the booty" to qualify for membership.

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Gay/bi celebs locally all got to come out one day sooner or later or else exploitation or victimization will continue as this latest episode seems to allude to.

Peace and tolerance

H