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October 8th, 2009 by Shaun Proulx

teamwork

Yesterday on the show, we received a good news call. It was from Tony Jenko who is the president and CEO at Downsview Park, where Elephant Man was scheduled to perform over the coming weekend. Earlier in the day on Breakfast In Bed with Patrick and Deb, Patrick Marano and Deb Pearce had called and left a detailed protest message, live on-air, on Jenko’s voicemail. When Jenko called in, it was in response to this message and others like it; he had just moments ago cancelled the act.

We’ve been talking for a while now about these dance hall artists who sing songs of hate towards queers. They call for lesbians to be raped, they call for gay men to be set on fire. If you wish, YouTube sometime the brutual video of violence against gays in places like Jamaica, or speak to former Jamaican resident Gareth Henry who was our International Pride Grand Marshal a couple Prides back, who now lives in Toronto. He’ll tell you tales of watching friends die at the hands of ignorant homo-haters on sunny islands.

This issue is one that cuts right through me. Like Patrick and Deb yesterday, I have used my own voice on all available platforms I have, I’ve used it for the past couple of years since being made aware these artists were coming into my country, my city, and – in one of the worst cases – coming to perform their songs in a space that has been so well supported by the Toronto queer community in the past that it truly felt like a betrayal. I remember having Charles Khabouth, the owner of that particular club space, on my show, and I remember not giving him any breathing room on the issue as he stammered and tripped over his words, defending himself when you could clearly tell he knew he was wrong, and that it was transparent this boiled down to him making money, period. Since that conversation I have written about party boys who refuse to dance in his spaces now, and have made so many ongoing negative references to Charles Khabouth that I’ve even been criticized for “picking on” the guy; such is my personal passion about this issue. Publications like Xtra and fab have also taken a strong stand, adding to the vortex of protest and demanding action. When platforms like my show, the morning show, PROUD FM as a whole radio station (who no longer play songs like “Montego Bay”), Xtra, fab, my site, GayGuideToronto.com have rallied for the cause, it has inspired you, the audience to stop what you are doing and send emails and make calls. I know this, because I have been c.c.’d on dozens of letters to the government and to club owners and concert promoters.

So it was very disconcerting, and very distasteful to receive a press release from local human rights organization EGALE Canada yesterday, after the call from Tony Jenko. Specifically offensive, the first line of the EGALE release, which read: “In response to repeated calls from EGALE Canada, Elephant Man has been pulled from the concert line-up this weekend at Downsview Park.”

Seriously? Elephant Man was canceled because of EGALE? Clearly, the organization’s raison d’etre are issues like Elephant Man, but clearly EGALE’s Executive Director Helen Kennedy and her staff also feel some need right now to justify the organization’s existance. I’m not a fan of the woman, and she knows that – there’s good reason why you don’t hear her on my show anymore – but that aside, this is another strike in my book.

Dear Helen, EGALE:

FYI, EGALE Canada was only one piece of the puzzle that is the entire queer community who rose up against this latest dance hall hate, the same community that has been rising up since the issue became prevalant. This includes every queer media outlet from print to web to radio, and includes every single person who took the time in this age of apathy to actually do something. To deliberately cut the efforts of many, taking full credit yourself on a press release, a release that is issued to an ignorant mainstream media to boot, smacks of insecurity and makes one wonder we even need you or EGALE in the first place.

Meanwhile, congratulations to EVERYONE who feels passionate about this issue, who has felt incensed and horrified enough to speak out. When we achieve such victories, we do it as a community and that is what needs to be celebrated the most.

You can hear The 4:20 at … 4:20 on The Shaun Proulx Show, 103.9 PROUD FM.

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3 Responses

Barrie writes:

October 8th, 2009 at 1:13 pm

Great post. This was driven by community activism and mobilization by Proud FM and others (see yesterday’s Rabble.ca post) NOT Egale. I highly doubt Tony Jenko caved because of Helen Kennedy.

Kris writes:

October 9th, 2009 at 9:39 am

Loved this post, Shaun. The way your mind works and the way you write just draw me in and make me nod along with ya.

Anderson Didier writes:

October 9th, 2009 at 3:47 pm

It’s sad again to see this sort of nonsense on a BLOG. Talk of why an organization is needed, why Helen Kennedy is needed, who stopped the show, blah blah blah. The fact of the matter is yet again, the true story and voices behind this movement against “murder music” is lost.