Elton John concert will corrupt Tobago, Archdeacon claims

By Genevive Roberts Friday, 16 March 2007

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Ads by Google Granville Island Hotel Live In Luxurious Amenity & Comfort Close To Downtown, Book Online Now! www.granvilleislandhotel.com Top Up Trinidad & Tobago Send Mobile Phone Top Up Directly To bMobile & Digicel Online Now www.ezetop.com/TopUpTrinidad Offshore Savings Compared We Find You The Very Highest Offshore Savings Rates. Enquire Now www.OffshoreSavingsDesigner.com 120% Profit in 3 Months Learn how to Profit from the Gold New Highest Record, Start Today www.xForex.com/Personal-Training Sir Elton John's appearance at a jazz festival on Tobago next month is expected to attract tourists from across the Caribbean, the US and Europe to the island. But one man not looking forward to the performance is the Archdeacon of Trinidad and Tobago, the Venerable Philip Isaac.

The Archdeacon has suggested the singer and anti-Aids activist should be banned from the Plymouth Jazz Festival, because his presence may tempt islanders into homosexuality. In what is believed to be the first campaign to stop the singer performing because of his sexuality, the Archdeacon said Sir Elton's lifestyle did not conform the biblical teaching that a "man should not lie with a man". "The artiste is one of God's children and while his lifestyle is questionable he needs to be ministered unto. His visit to the island can open the country to be tempted towards pursuing his lifestyle," the Archdeacon told the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper According to the island's immigration law, self-confessed prostitutes and homosexuals can be barred from entering the country. But it is thought that no one has ever been turned away at immigration. A Tobagan lawyer, Anand Ramlogan, has been consulted and has confirmed there is no law criminalising sexual orientation on the island. Promoters of the Plymouth Jazz Festival said that Sir Elton would headline the event, despite the Archdeadon's comments. Anthony Maharaj, the chief executive officer of the festival, said the singer's performance should not have anything to do with his private life and insisted the show would go on even if there were protests by church groups outside the event. "Elton John is coming as what he is, one of the world greatest performers," Mr Maharaj said. "His band has performed in every country around the world. In Christian countries like Rome [sic] there has never been an objection. He is not coming here to preach about what lifestyle people should have. This country should be honoured to have Sir Elton John perform in Tobago." He said the three-day event, where Sir Elton will perform alongside the former singer of the Temptations Diana Ross; the three-time Grammy award winner Mary J Blige and the rhythm and blues singer Gladys Knight, would draw tourists from across the world to the island. Tobago is currently trying to market itself as one of the most attractive destinations in the Caribbean. Sir Elton declined to comment on his appearance at the event, though it is understood that his scheduled performance - which will close the event which runs from 27 to 29 April - will go ahead as planned, despite any planned protests from the church. Last year, he said that religion should be banned because it "promotes the hatred and spite against gays". He said: "I love the idea of the teachings of Jesus Christ and the beautiful stories about it, which I loved in Sunday school and I collected all the little stickers and put them in my book. But the reality is that organised religion doesn't seem to work. It turns people into hateful lemmings and it's not really compassionate." Alan Wardle, a spokesman for the gay equality campaign group Stonewall, said: "Most people in Tobago would be glad to see a singer like Elton perform. But I think his days as a 'tempter' are long behind him."

Homophobia and the Caribbean * Brian Williamson, co-founder of the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays, was murdered at his home on the evening of World Aids Day in 2004. * The lyrics of self-proclaimed king of dancehall Moses Davis, better known as Beenie Man, include "Well I'm think of a new Jamaica, me come to execute all of the gays". Protests against him performing in the UK last year led to the cancelling of his concert in Bournemouth. He says he is not homophobic, but that the word "gay" in Jamaica refers to rape, not consenting sex. * Many islands have laws stating homosexuality is illegal, including Guyana, where males face life imprisonment for homosexual activity, and St Lucia, where it is 10 years. * In 1999, the Cayman Islands prohibited an American cruise ship carrying 900 gay men from making their one-day stop. * The head of the Jamaica Labour Party, Bruce Golding, said during his 2006 election campaign that "homosexuals would find no solace in any cabinet formed by him" according to Jamaica's Sunday Herald. During the 2001 elections, his party used the song "Chi-Chi Man" by T.O.K. Its lyrics celebrate the killing of gay men. 0diggsdigg
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