"As long as the artists respect the agreement, we will honour our commitment to stop our campaign against them," the 3 gay rights groups, J-FLAG, OutRage! and the Black Gay Mens Advisory Group (BGMAG), had announced when Capleton, Beenie Man and Sizla put their signatures to the bottom of the Reggae Compassionate Act (news of 24/06/2007 and 01/08/2007).
It already seems that the fight is about to resume: earlier this month, Peter Tatchell, an activist with OutRage!, regretted that some of them (in this case Beenie Man and Buju Banton) had already gone back on their commitment.. Calling it "nonsense", Peter Tatchell reaffirms the validity of the signatures gathered by manager Eddie Brown. This attitude makes them look "dishonest" and "in bad faith". He attributes this backtracking to the local reactions of fans, who were visibly disconcerted.
But even if the artists signed for financial reasons (the Stop Murder Music campaign, which has lasted three years, is said to have cost the various singers more than 3 million euros in fees), the goal has been achieved and Peter Tatchell is pleased to see the number of homophobic songs played on radio and in concert in free fall. The media coverage, Tatchell adds, has raised public awareness and fostered debate.
With their authenticated signatures in their pockets, the groups are now turning to Elephant Man, T.O.K, Bounty Killer and Vybz Kartel (whom Tatchell describes as the "moral equivalents of neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan"), on whom the campaign is expected to intensify. Calls for a boycott have already been issued.