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L.A. Venue Silently Rebooks Banton

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Jamaican Reggae star Buju Banton, whose upcoming performance in Los Angeles was initially canceled after outcry over his homophobic lyrics, may be slated to perform Thursday night.

A woman speaking for Hollywood's Cabana Club told Advocate.com on Thursday that the event had yet to be confirmed -- five hours before the scheduled start time, 9 p.m. However, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center has announced it will be holding a silent protest in front of the club on Thursday.

Banton met with a group of LGBT people in the Bay Area earlier this week to address his violent, antigay lyrics. Michael Petrelis, one of the activists in attendance, called the meeting "civil and productive."

U.S. tour dates for Banton have been canceled in Chicago, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, and Minneapolis due to homophobic lyrics in songs like "Boom, Bye Bye," in which he calls for the torture and murder of gay men.

"Guy come near we," he sings, "then his skin must peel / Burn him up bad like an old tire wheel."

Banton has long been opposed by LGBT activists because of his antigay lyrics and alleged behavior. In 2006, he was acquitted of charges that he assaulted a group of gay men in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica. In 2007, he signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, in which artists vow to refrain from singing antigay lyrics or making homophobic statements, but he later denied that he took the pledge.

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