Colorado
activists want Banton concert scrubbed

A group of Boulder, Colo., gay activists are calling for the cancellation of a Wednesday night concert by Buju Banton, a vehemently homophobic reggae artist who advocates the murder of gays.

Boulder Pride, the largest LGBT advocacy group in Boulder County, is planning a protest if the concert at Boulder's Fox Theatre takes place. According to a Boulder Pride press release, the group alerted Fox Theatre's general manager, John Caprio, this weekend of Banton's antigay past, which includes being charged with an attack on six gay men. Caprio intends to go ahead with the concert, said Boulder Pride's interim executive director Michael Mills.

"Our community will not tolerate this type of violent hate speech celebrated onstage," Mills said in the release.

Boulder Pride also alerted the concert's sponsors, Wahoo's Fish Tacos and the Boulder Weekly, of Banton's homophobia. Both withdrew their sponsorship.

"To their great credit, Wahoo's Fish Tacos and the Boulder Weekly have acted promptly and efficaciously in light of troubling new information," said Mills in the statement. "Their response shows them to be true friends of the LGBT community."

Last week, a Bloomington, Ind., club manager canceled a Banton concert once he learned of Banton's hate-speech-riddled lyrics.

Boulder is still reeling from a July hate crime against a gay man who was circulating petitions in support of domestic partnerships. (The Advocate)