Get used to it

Has anyone seen one of the above posters/billboards? Well, perhaps only if you live in the UK, as they have only been used over here, to my knowledge. The posters by Stonewall are part of a campaign that seeks to tackle homophobia, in particular homophobic bullying in schools. Excellent strategy and I like the unapologetic message of the poster.

Oddly enough, only a day or two after I put up my recent post on Brokeback Mountain - leading to lots of very interesting debate from you, my fellow bloggers! - I saw one of these billboard posters on my way home from the gym! (About 5 minutes walk from my house no less). Strange that I'd been talking about the area in which I live as being a less than gay-friendly one. Hopefully messages like this are going to make a difference or at least get people to sit up and think!! However, sad to say, the poster/billboard has since disappeared. Is it too much for the neighbourhood to deal with?

Then this morning on the bus to work, just before Tulse Hill I saw another of the very same posters underneath a railway arch. Good, good! But underneath the "Get Over It!" part someone had written in clear graffiti: "Boom bye bye". This was a clear reference to a song by jamaican rapper, Buju Banton, in which he advocates the shooting of gays - just look at the lyrics:

"World is in trouble
Anytime Buju Banton come
Batty bwoy get up an run
At gunshot me head back
Hear I tell him now crew

(Its like) Boom bye bye
Inna batty bwoy head..."

In case you weren't aware, "batty bwoy" means "bum boy" and is a term of abuse for gay men, often used by black people. And no prizes for guessing what "Boom bye bye" means. Absolutely disgusting and I actually feel pretty bad about posting up such words on my blog... Fortunately at the time of the song's release, it was met with much protest and Mr Banton hasn't exactly made himself popular in certain circles as a result, being banned from performances in some venues.

Yes the song was released over ten years ago. It would seem that ignorance and narrow-mindedness still prevail.