To the Editor,
Upon reading "Anti-gay lyrics in the past, or so they hope," I was taken aback by the apparent level of ignorance among members of the Concert Board and the LGBT community at Tufts. Concert Board chair Alice Chiou said she was "honestly surprised" by the fact that Beenie Man's lyrics have included instances of homophobia. To me, this indicates that she and her co-chair, Sheena Harris, know very little about music, let alone the artists they book. After significant coverage by mainstream media outlets over the past year or two, it should not come as a shock that Dancehall music is often homophobic. (Additionally, I find it interesting that a Dancehall act was selected to headline a Hip-Hop show, but that is neither here nor there.) The individuals in charge of booking concerts should ideally listen to enough music to know what they are talking about. Based on their quoted statements, it appears quite possible that Chiou and Harris have never actually listened to a Beenie Man record. Stop reading press kits and listen to some music, please.
Secondly, I am equally surprised that LGBT director Dona Yarbrough and QSA co-coordinator Sean Locke were completely ignorant to Dancehall's culture of gay-bashing. As soon as I heard that the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall" would be performing at Tufts, I envisioned a sea of rainbow flags at LGBT rallies and protests, yet there was no reaction. Thursday's article on Beenie Man reveals that even at a supposedly progressive and hip institution such as Tufts, there exists a profound ignorance to very basic and easily attainable facts. I would expect Concert Board executives to be well-versed in music, as I would expect LGBT representatives to be familiar with issues that impact their community. Am I the only person who's got a clue?
Patrick Mangan
LA '06
