Sizzla bats for Queen Ifrica as expected

Says he may also record song, interesting that he too wants to make some financial mileage from all this after all the industry has been having some slow times as music sales are slow in some quarters. Queen Ifrica has already release her song titled "Freedom of Speech" on August 20th.

also see: Sizzla Rejects Olive Branch from JFLAG from December 2012

Also see: Tolerance, when the oppressed becomes the oppressor from 2009

So now that our goodly young exuberant friends up north in Canada being JAGLA decided to go on a frolic of their own (many frolics going on these days not to mention impervious behaviours) and have landed us with another unneeded layer added to the struggle that for LGBT rights and recognition and a black eye we have to contend with, we are now being labelled as the oppressed becoming the oppressor but the Rastafarian community must also recall they too have become somewhat oppressive almost forgetting their own struggles locally and ostracism by other Jamaicans, remember the old description of "dem dutty head man"

How can virtuous ideals such as tolerance being demanded for the most part not even asked and demonstrably clear in the LGBT corner resonate with an ever cynical and hardened public let alone the religious right groups speaking of which we see the Love March folks planning another march  on September 14th. 

Let's take a look firstly at a Gleaner report today on the defence by Sizzla, another artist who has been strategically targeted in the early years of the campaign.

Claudia Gardner, Assignment Co-ordinator wrote:

WESTERN BUREAU:Recording artiste Sizzla Kalonji has come out in strong defence of fellow female singer, Queen Ifrica, who is under pressure from gay rights groups in Jamaica and Canada.

The Canada-based gay rights advocacy group, Jamaica Association of Gays and Lesbians Abroad, lobbied the Canadian government and the promoters of the Rastafest International Reggae Concert which was held at Downsview Park in Canada last week, which led to Queen Ifrica being axed from the line-up of performers at the event.

Her removal had come on the heels of her performance at the national Grand Gala on Independence Day, during which she had denounced the homosexual lifestyle.

STOP TARGETING REGGAE

But in an interview with The Gleaner following his performance during the Makalon Anniversary shown in Lucea, Hanover on Saturday night, Sizzla Kalonji, said the gay community should refrain from targeting Queen Ifrica.

"Right now dem fi just go one side and leave di girl alone," Sizzla Kalonji said. "The women (of Jamaica) must speak out against it. They should get their kids and go in the streets and protest against it, because we doing Jah works, and buggerism, we nah strengthen it."

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"There is a time and a place for everything. You know you have to deal with people respectfully and you know code of conduct and choice of words. But then again we say bun fire straight fi dat lifestyle," Sizzla added.

Sizzla also hinted that he could record a song in support of Queen Ifrica.

"Anything I mind tell I fi do I jus do it in the name of the Most High. It is a girl, and you don't know what might happen, just listen out," he said.

ENDS

The whole matter was handled poorly from the get go from the very press release from our good friends at JFLAG with over intellectualized language if there is such a thing to the ridiculing of the very release by Tony Rebel and a perceived capitulation stance (the soft apology) that has not sat well with sections of the population of younger gay advocates who in some quarters are saying JFLAG has softened. When however the historical timeline of the struggle is not made clear to those same younger folk and those overseas but what do we expect but mistakes that this case screams. There are consequences for such actions and there is talk of a boycott campaign to be launched by the same foreign based groups. A pastor has come out supposedly in opposition to homosexuality since this whole fiasco today and other so called persons concerned about freedom of speech have been making use of the airwaves that is talk radio as well. It was also interesting to see how quick some narcissistic people jumped on this one and ran to meet with the Canadian authorities not caring about the implications of such action as they do not live here. 

A pastor Stewart from the Portmore Lay Covenant Missionary group is the latest to come out in opposition to homosexuality on Nationwide radio's George Davis Live show where he hinted that the powerful gay lobby must be resisted. He also suggested that such persons need counseling (reparative therapy) and as for persons in the church itself where Christians as caught in "the homosexual trap" they need to come forwards after recognizing what is wrong and how "it" came about. He claims that there are many causes of "those feelings" in the individual. As for the innate homosexual the pastor said in the interview that such person must work with God's work. That person could not stay among the other children of God. As for whether gays are children of God he dodged the issue and suggested it is after one has accepted Christ then they can be deemed such. He said any pastor who embrace such persons knowingly is destroying that church and such persons who profess that they are born gay while in the church must be put out. I was of the opinion that the church was about working with outcasts so to speak yet this man easily creates such and prefers to preach to the converted only or those he thinks is holy.

Recent news items reflect the expected spike that come with highly publicized agitations but where are the catchment or buffers to mitigate or intervene in such? I guess the folks and JAGLA et al have not factored that into their equation.

Not to mention the numerous displacements within the last four months to also include a leading transgender figure. Let us see where this goes eh.

here is my audiopost on the subject:

Peace and tolerance

H