Pepsi sponsors anti-gay concert in Uganda

I absolutely agree with you that Pepsi went into this with a straight forward mindset of simply promoting the concert of a popular artist.

It's a healthy process however to cause them some PR pain so maybe next time they won't give money to the first ignorant, homophobic artist that comes along just because he or she is topping charts somewhere.

And that is exactly what Pepsi said. I dont know if most of the people that have already started their Pepsi boycott read the pepsi response, but I do cut them a little bit of slack in this situation. I cant say much about other things that have happened involving Pepsi and homosexuality cause I know nothing of them.

Haha, no. It's in Uganda, but the argument is about corporate sponsorship and Beenie Man, an artist from Jamaica. Maybe next time....

You know what I think is a worse sin than being a homosexual, being a person who comments on Current about homosexuality being a sin. Judge not lest ye be judged.

What skeletons are lying in your closet? Plenty I am sure. God considers all sins to be equal, if you follow the Bible. God considers homosexuality on the same level as telling a white lie.

I think it's unnecessary to tell people that they have sinned via one's opinion. I do not think it's unnecessary if someone asked what they thought of something and then they said they believe it to be a sin. God does not look upon lying in the same manner because lying has degrees and certain digressions are ok.

If you're talking to me you didn't hear what I said and anyway your comment is a ridiculous assumption about anyone.

No, I wasn't talking to you at all. You didn't even post this article... why would I be talking to you?

Anyway, it was part joke, part reference to latent homosexuality, and machismo theory. So- no it isn't ridiculous.

I thought you were talking too me because you comment was just one comment below mine and because I didn't see who else you would have most likely been talking too. Anyway, my mistake.

i feel like i should take offense to your discomfort, but i can't and there's no reason to. you are completely fair in your comments. even i'm uncomfortable with very feminine guys. i find the term 'unnatural' is a bit harsh but oh well. i can see it. as long as no one violates the rights of anyone else, discomfort is the least of society's worries.

Thank you for your nice comment. But there's one thing gay people say that I honestly don't understand and you mentioned it. Although gay people have the right too be who they are, how can they say that gay sexual behavior is not unnatural? It seems obvious that the female and the male bodies were created to physically compliment one another if you know what I mean? Also procreation is only possible between the opposite sex. I don't think it can be denied that this is not the case between two males and of course procreation is not possible. So while I accept the right for the gay person to be who they were born to be and function how they were born to function I can't accept the premise that their sexual behavior is at all natural. Whether you are gay or not I would like too hear what your take is on this situation since you were kind enough to give an opinion earlier.

I was going to comment earlier this morning when I read your post wayseeker, but I too realized that you were entitled to your discomfort and you were quite fair.

But now that you have asked more about it, from someone else of course, I feel like commenting on your questions. But before I do that let me say that what I sense coming from what I am reading is that you have an issue with homosexuality because you assume that sex is for procreation, mostly? Am I correct that you think that?

WS....how can they say that gay sexual behavior is not unnatural?

Jubal....What makes something natural or unnatural? Does an orchid become unnatural when a botanist causes a new manifestation of an orchid to occur because he cross pollinates two kinds of orchids that would never in the natural world be in contact in order to create a new kind of orchid? What is considered natural and unnatural is heavily influenced by values that are informed through religious or philosophical belief. Just because the penis fits into the vagina for the purpose of procreation doesn't mean that the penis or vagina cannot experience pleasure by some other means. A penis can penetrate a mouth as easily as it can a vagina or even an anus, or a tongue can penetrate a vagina or even an anus. (Keep in mind we aren't talking about whether you can get a disease or not, you can from any form of penetration if you don't know the status of the other individual and you don't use barriers for protection. Birth control pills don't stop STDs or STIs) In my personal experience, since I have had and still do have sex with other males, I can answer from there about why I do not think that homosexual sex is unnatural. First of all, not every single person in this world, regardless of their sexual orientation, is going to procreate. If that were to happen, the world population would increase exponentially more so than it does now. Of course you have all those people in mostly third world countries having babies by the dozen that makes up for all those people only have one or none. But in my experience of having sex with both females and males, there are obvious differences in the way things are done when it comes to penetration, because men don't have a vagina to penetrate, but they do have a mouth and an anus.

In having sex with females I have had all the types of penetration that there are. I have used my tongue to explore the female body from head to toe. All expressions of sexual activity with a female seem natural to me because I feel that everything works well when I do it with someone I am attracted to. If I am not attracted and I feel like I am forcing myself to go through the motions, it seems very unnatural to me.

In having sex with males again I would say that I have had all the types of penetration that there are; including being on the receiving end and giving end of anal penetration. Again I have used my tongue to explore the male body from head to toe. All expressions of sexual activity with a man seem natural to me, except those that I would consider or many people call FETISHES. FETISHES to me, whether with a man or a woman, homosexual or heterosexual seem unnatural to me. Examples of FETISHES are Leather, Black Latex, S&M, B&D, watersports, scat, blood, dressing as a child, Furries, cock and ball torture, vaginal piercings on the labia and wearing a chain or leash, piercings of the genitalia or nipples. This is not a comprehensive list of FETISHES but they are the ones that come to mind that gross me out, personally. Perhaps a little bit of pain from like spanking a bottom I can tolerate, or using toys that don't cause damage, or even handcuffs and blindfolds can be exciting.

But what does seem perfectly natural to me is how well my body fits with both females and males regardless of the sexual position.

Just because the penis fits into the vagina for procreation doesn't mean that is the only natural human connection.

jubal - If I thought the only reason for having sex was to procreate I would have fathered a large number of children by now. It doesn't bother me at all if you liberally engage in sexual activity except for some fetishes which you see as "unnatural". You see some fetishes as "unnatural" and I see gay sex as "unnatural". Because you have a well developed intellect you intellectualize a great deal which I suppose you are aware of. But at this point I prefer to simplify by simply saying that I am a man who is attracted to women and not other men. I'm certain that that is not unnatural. You are sexually attracted to both men and women and you find that not to be unnatural but you do find certain fetishes unnatural. As far as I'm concerned the most important thing about us is who we are and what we represent as a person and I sense you are a smart refined person with a wide range of interests and activities. At the risk of sounding a little corny and of oversimplifying I'll quote the title of a best selling book of the 60's. "You're OK and I'm OK"

http://www.labournet.net/world/0712/coke1.html Coke business practices aren't exactly kosher either. In fact they might be worse http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Transnational_corps/Stop_Killer_Coke_Colombia....

I commend Change[dot]org and Pepsi for acting quickly. Change organized a petition and only got 539 signatures before Pepsi sent an email clarifying the situation all within 24 hours of the concert. Pepsi has some decent damage control, although they might be sincere.

fuck that! pepsi and beenie man lost my respect already... time to move on!

"and where does it say it was a specifcly "anti-gay" concert?"

It's called 'spin'. Folks around here enjoy spin.

he's known to be homophobic and anti-gay. So no one could've said it was a surprise. But the concert was in no way meant to be about anti-gay as the article tries to state. Its really a poor article and it is all about spin. As the comments you can see that Pepsi's reputation is seriously tarnished, even if Beenie man wasnt to their liking. I bet someone got fired....

Thats an interesting quote. I would be more inclined to understand Beenie Man if the quote in the article didnt say "cut the throats of ALL gay men." If he was really against the rape aspect, thats one thing. But I don't think he is.

"In 2007, it was reported that Beenie Man had signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, a petition organized by the Stop Murder Music campaign, agreeing to renounce homophobia and desist from writing and performing lyrics promoting violence against gay people. He later denied that he had signed the act, stating 'We don't need to kill dem. We just need fi tell the people dem the right ting because I not supporting a gay lifestyle because it's not wholesome to me.'" He seems to go back and forth on the issue of killing them but definitely doesnt support homosexuality.

Hmmm, thanks for that perspective it does change things a bit. In an island as poor as Jamaica, and as intolerant, it would seem common for the children to be exploited especially because of the repressed sexuality of some of the citizens. Just a theory, but in the US and Europe all of the priests involved in molestation, etc, probably didn't enter the priesthood to become predators....

He went on to say that he didn't think a normal gay lifestyle was wholesome which is not great, but is at least free from intolerance and violence.

"Nobody jumps all over these major companies in the US and in Europe that sponsor concerts full on content about murder, drugs, crime, and sex so why jump on Pepsi for sponsoring a concert that runs hand in hand with the countries (Uganda) rules and beliefs. C'mon Son!"

Good point. It seems that people have some double standards in place.

homosexuality is not gross; homophobia is gross. I do hope you are able to grow out of your ignorance and bigotry.

Not all reggae artists talk this way about gays. and the fact that you think homosexuality is icky sounds like a personal problem that you are projecting on to people you don't even know. Steel Pulse is a good example of a positive message.

Also:

Saying all reggae is homophobic is equivalent to saying the same for Hip-Hop. True there are talentless hacks that think lyrics about violence, bigotry and hatred are "poetic" but most of these so-called MC's would wet themselves in a battle against guys like Jurassic 5 and the Flobots who rap with there brains and not with their cacks.

Newsflash, there has been alot of the shittiest reggae I have ever heard coming out in this past decade. It's hardly worth even listening to lately. You dont hve to threaten to kill people to be masculine.

Since when was bigotry considered a belief that was worth respecting. C'MON

Sorry Ali55, gay lifestyle isn't exclusive to America. IN FACT, America is behind the curve when it comes to acceptance of homosexuality.

Practically every country in the European Union and most of the countries in South America recognize and give the same rights to homosexual couples as they do heterosexual couples. Gay marriage is widespread now throughout the so called Western World.

wow! what a load of retarded ignorance from a very sad little man (and probably a closet homosexual)
i'm sorry to say that i wasted 2 minutes of my life reading your sickening bile!

Excuse me, but since when did spreading hate become a form of expressing creativity? I'm a graphic designer, if I made a poster calling African American people the "N" word. Would you be as forgiving?

ps. i think YOU'RE gross.

Evalon77-While I wholeheartedly disagree with Ali55, you making a poster with the N word is saying nothing about his point that the concert was in a country where the words were supported by the law and the vast majority of people. The N word in the US is not either of those, so it would be extremely controversial (though in my opinion it would be your right as an artist as long as you weren't saying "Kill N**" or inciting a riot). Back when the N word WAS supported by law and the vast majority of the people, there weren't too many people calling foul and you could have your poster because there were print ads for "N***" tobacco and Jigaboo cartoons, etc. We still have "Aunt" Jemima and "Uncle" Ben Rice which were common pejoratives for black adults instead of calling them Mr. or Mrs.

I certainly get your point though, and understand your anger, especially at what you see as the hypocrisy and at the very least, the irony, of an intolerant black man who should be empathetic to a persecuted group.

That being said, I still find it kind of funny when people are more angry at blacks' intolerance than whites. I'm guessing you were, because there were other nasty comments that didn't provoke this response. If you look throughout U.S. History, equal rights seems to equate with the equal right and propensity to be an asshole. The Irish and certain Eastern Europeans were seen as near N**s when they poured into the U.S. As they began to obtain equality and they had the opportunity to look down on Blacks and Jews. Jews, after the extreme example of antisemitism in Europe began to see more sympathy in the U.S., and they were then more free to openly assimilate and look down on blacks and Hispanics (look at New York real estate records to see this more clearly). I wonder if homosexuals will have a group to be intolerant towards, or will the cycle stop???

TO Ali55: I just was wondering how you feel now that Uganda (thanks to three right wing extremists purporting to be experts representing you) is about to pass a law to put to death all gay people. Sounds a little like what happened in another country by a hate-filled, egotistical dictator years ago who didn't think a group of people (gay) should live, then it was the Jews, and so on, and so on. When does hate end? It ends when people like you stop saying the things you do and start listening and empathizing with people who are oppressed. How would you be feeling right now if you had a gay brother or sister living in Uganda and they couldn't get out and you couldn't get in? And if you got in, you'd be branded as gay?

True, but Pepsi is the choice of a new generation.

Hahah, you don't you hate white guys in in a white suits? I think it's generally a bad fashion move...made famous by a White guy on Miami Vice and a Latino one in Scarface. And homophobic rap is colorblind as well-latino Reggaeton artists, Eminem has made millions, etc. I feel your pain though, man...it will be okay.

So, before today you were just hating them for no reason?

Actually I didn't actually hate them, I disliked intensely the taste of Pepsi.

hahaha.. me too jubal

and drink coke instead? bwahahahahahaha they are even worse!

Nothing would make me switch to a cola brand other than Pepsi.

oh good mojo. nice. better you get diabetes and pollute the earth with toxins as well as hate than grab a juice. awesome for you.

I am not sure how I could boycott crap that I wouldn't buy in the first place.

We've been trying to tell you yankees that for years :)

Yes, killing South American Coca Cola union organizers is WAY better than Pepsi sponsoring a concert with a homophobe (both are horrible)

Touche

O man, I guess I should have known Coke would be the kind of company to screw its own labour base. How else would it serve the insatiable needs of the American public with high high quality (sarcasm) and low low prices (indifference)!? Allright, I take it back screw soda in general RAWR!

It sounds more to me like it was a regular concert that contained some anti gay performers. Pepsi just isn't that stupid. They are thoughtless enough to not pay attention to who they are hiring to perform though.

You said it all! People like that are insecure. It's all just crazy!!

I personally doubt pepsi even knew who beanie man was when the hired him.

bombastinator is correct, according to Pepsi's official response.

I would have to say I agree with Atalanda_Cameron on this one, as who you are referring to is a specific type of and not all African Americans. Although if anyone has stats on tolerance of GLBTs by race I would like to see them. On a side note, statistics supporting your claim would make the statement a little better.

@Atalanda_Cameron Well you might if you had an actual study to back it up, but then it is a question of the particulars of the study. "polled African American men said.." for example. He's not quoting anything though and making such a sweeping judgment that actually crosses national and cultural boundaries does come across as ridiculous and bigoted.

Just to idly guess what he might He may be thinking:

he could for instance be thinking of some studies from the 90's that looked at the differences in homosexual behavior amongst various groups of American men. IIRC a film called "on the down low" was based on this stuff. This was only about certain predominantly African American groups of urban males in the 90s though. The phenomena was cultural rather than racial.

There have also been recent things in the news regarding a couple of African countries and Anglicanism in regards to the schism between the Episcopalians and the Anglicans. This is also still not generalizable outside of it's country of origin.

I can see how conflating these two pieces of information could lead a person to that conclusion but to do so would be a serious mistake. This is how bigotry works.

At the same time, I remember the black voting block that actively voted because of the potential of having a black president voted overwhelmingly in contrast with the rest of the democratic demographics on legalization of gay marriage.

Black people in this country are notorious for being very religious.

That being said, the black people we have in this country are unique to this country. They aren't anything like the black people in the rest of the world

Can we not even compare cultures anymore in this country? Credit Figaro stated that African Americans are largely religious. Is this a 'racist' comment? Obviously if there is a group of individuals who are largely attached to the Christian faith, they will not be that accepting of homosexuality. While maybe UrbanGypsy's comment was not structured properly, it was a cultural reference, not a race-related one. Maybe if people stopped being so touchy about everything that comes out of a person's mouth, we could bring ourselves together. Instead, we'd rather point fingers and call a person 'stupid' or 'racist' without even knowing the individual. Seems like a witch-hunt to me.

From a recent episode of community: "I think 'not being racist' is the new racist".

@Smallgod-did anyone call anyone else racist? I think Atalanda was saying not to generalize a whole race of people. Ever see Real Housewives of Atlanta? (lucky you if no), half of the "wives" are black gay men, and they are very out of the closet and comfortable within the community. That is what I am used to, and I'm African American if it wasn't clear.

@UrbanGypsy-Comparing African Americans with Africans is about as relevant as comparing white Americans to their British and German ancestors. For better or worse there is no longer much of an ideological and cultural link aside from our color. Carribeans have maintained a much more homogenous African culture, but you could also attribute their intolerance to the religion that was pushed on them as a means to control them during colonialization.

It seems accurate to say that the African-American populace generally does have strong ties to the church. That being said, the myth that "the blacks" ruined gay marriage for Californians has been debunked. The significant OLDER population of blacks that voted overwhelmingly for Obama contributed to it, as did the OLDER population of whites, but the numbers of black voters in California was actually less than previously anticipated.

Hey guys sorry if I sounded racist. I thought I was stating something more or less well known.

I based my comment on what I knew. Here's a pod about a Gay policeman in Jamaica from Current itself (Just as an example): http://current.com/items/89341432_gay-jamaican-cop.htm

I mentioned the part about African Americans here in the US mostly because they tended to go out and vote the most against gay marriage. As was noted, the African American community was one of the most supportive of the reversal of gay marriage in California.

smallgod also mentioned the "down low" culture among gay African American men here in the US. This is what I base my comments on. Maybe I made a sensitive comment (like all comments about minorities and racial groups). But as he mentioned it was more of a cultural comparison.

And I think we should not forget the culture of hostility against gays that is present in this country in Rap and Hip Hop music which is popular among many African Americans. I do not think that it was inaccurate to say what I did. I don’t mean to sound racist, but its inevitable to sound like that when commenting truthfully about such a sensitive topic.

To Atalanda and lilysol,

I think I will disagree a bit with both of you on the African American community here in the US. Members on Current tend to be more progressive than most and I think both of you are no different.
I would probably say that Ali55, whose comment you'll see if you scroll down the page a bit is more representative of the mainstream African American views on gays. What do you think?

Talking about anything that concentrates on the African American community in a critical way is taboo for the most part (especially when the criticism doesn't come from another African American).... but I will do it nonetheless because I think it is something that is not talked about in this country.