Fri 13 Nov 2009 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Pressure is beginning to mount on the Associate Minister for Immigration to step in and refuse entry to outspokenly homophobic reggae singer Beenie Man who has been contracted to perform at January's Big Day Out. Labour MP Charles Chauvel Gay Labour MP Charles Chauvel has has today formally requested that Hon. Kate Wilkinson exercise her discretionary powers to deny Beenie Man the temporary visa he will need if he is to work as a paid entertainer. The performer, whose real name is Anthony Moses Davis, and whose songs have included lyrics such as "I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays," is believed to hold a Jamaican passport and therefore does not have visa-free entry to New Zealand. A spokesperson for the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Labour says temporary work visa applicants must satisfy "good character requirements as stipulated by current policy. Ineligibility may result from previous convictions and/or prison sentences, past deportations, terrorist activities or the possibility of crimes against the Crimes Act or Drugs Act while in New Zealand." Beenie Man has reportedly been denied entry to the UK due to his homophobic lyrics. However, an immigration consultant says there are other criteria by which Beenie Man could be denied entry. "The Minister can refuse entry to anyone who might damage New Zealand's international reputation," says David Cooper of Malcolm Pacific Immigration, "or to someone who could incite public disorder." It is on the basis of this latter criteria that Chauvel has approached the Associate Minister. "I ask that you decline an entry visa on the grounds set out in... the Immigration Manual, which notes that 'people will normally be refused entry to New Zealand if they...are a threat to security or public order in New Zealand,' says Chauvel. He quotes a statement issued yesterday by gay Greens MP Kevin Hague to the effect that "music that denigrates gay men and lesbians in the most extreme way imaginable sends some very powerful signals both to young gay and lesbian people but also to their peers." "It is now well-documented," says Chauvel, "that many young lesbian and gay people suffer violence, harassment, lowered self-esteem and the consequent health and social problems that stem from the denigration that many of them experience." Big Day Out's New Zealand promoter, Campbell Smith, says he was unaware of Beenie Man's history of urging people to kill gays when the booking was made by the Big Day Out's principal office in Australia and is now trying to clarify the matter with the singer. He has acknowledged that the Australians knew about the singer's controversial reputation when the contract was signed.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 13th November 2009 - 11:25pm