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VIDEO: Openly Gay R&B Artist Nhojj Live at "ALT Q Music Festival"

Catching up with the latest from Nhojj, the talented and openly gay, Guyana-born independent soul/RnB artist who made industry history when he topped the MTV Top 100 in 2010 ...

Nhojj performed a beautiful acoustic set last weekend at the 2012 ALT Q Music Festival in Chicago. Watch a clip of Nhojj performing his track "Music"—listen at iTunes—AFTER THE JUMP ...

Nhojj and his "Music" is also the subject of an inspiring new short documentary. Nhojj: MUSIC and the Word goes behind-the-scenes at Nhojj's critically-acclaimed, January 2012 concert at the Brooklyn Museum. The concert was part of the museum's "Out & Proud" series. Nhojj: MUSIC and the Word  takes on Nhojj's music, sexuality and message to create an inspiring fusion of music, biography and activism. Watch the performance and the short AFTER THE JUMP ...

"It is important to document our lives and stories as LGBTQ people," the artist tells Rod 2.0. "[The film] offers a platform on which the younger generation can stand. It also provides affirmation for our brothers and sisters living in this moment of time.  This is my motivation for the documentary and for the music I write and perform."

GUYANA: Public Consultation on Proposal to Remove Anti-LGBT Laws

The government of Guyana has announced a national consultation on repealing the nation's death penalty and its anti-gay laws, reports AP. Guyana remains the only South American nation where same-sex sex activity is illegal.

Town-hall-style meetings will be held across the socially conservative South American country. ... The government plans to analyze public opinion before deciding whether it will submit any bills to revise current laws. [...]

The government said officials also plan to meet with leaders from Christian, Hindu and Islamic communities who represent Guyana’s most prominent religions. Many religious leaders in the country oppose legalization of homosexuality.

The independent Society Against Sexual Orientation and Discrimination said it will campaign to remove what it says are extremely discriminatory colonial-era laws. "It is making criminals out of ordinary people,” spokesman Joel Simpson said, noting that under current law, two consenting male adults could face a minimum of two years in prison for having sex in the privacy of their home.

The penalties become more severe for the crime of "buggery." The punishment could be up to 10 years or possibly life imprisonment—although it's not certain how often this is enforced.

The public consultations follow a pledge made by the government after last year's historic resolution by the United Nations Human Rights Council that condemned discrimination and violence against the LGBT community.

Some Background:
Statement by the President on Historic UN  Vote
UN Passes Historic Anti-LGBT Discrimination Resolution
Guyana Will Ban Anti-Gay Reggae Singer Bounty Killer

Guyana Will Ban Anti-Gay Reggae Singer Bounty Killer

Anti-gay Jamaican reggae singer Bounty Killer is learning it does not pay to sing so-called "murder music." Last week, several concerts were canceled in England. This week, the government of the South American nation of Guyana has issued a ban on the controversial singer.

From the CaribWorldNews: "The ban comes a week after Bounty was pelted with bottles at a National Park show that was also interspersed with sporadic gunfire over a faulty sound system. Bounty`s performance was also replete with homosexual denouncements. The ban also covers also covers Mavado, another anti-gay dancehall singer known for "batty man" lyrics."

Guyana Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee tells reporters Bounty Killer, whose real name is Rodney Price, and Mavado, whose real name is David Brooks, "are being banned because they are viewed as a security risk to the country."

Two weeks ago, iTunes Canada removed "several songs with anti-gay lyrics from its online store" that included songs by Jamaican dancehall artists Buju Banton, Elephant Man and TOK.

Guyana Bans Two Jamaica Dancehall Stars [CWN]

More JAMAICA
More CRIME

Did You Read? ...

Financial Probs for Anti-Gay Bounty Killer [R20]
iTunes Canada Pulls Anti-Gay "Murder Music" [R20]
Buju Banton Concert Cancelled [Club Rimshot]
Buju Banton Busted By The Bay [Keith Boykin]
Buju Banton Pro/Con [R20]
Beenie Man and Buju Banton Cancelled [R20]
JA Gays Oppose Boycott Over "Murder Music" [R20]
Church: "Ludicrous" to Condemn Anti-Gay Violence [R20]
JA Gay Activist Attacked by Mob Seeks Asylum [R20]
JA Mob Attacks Two Gay Men [R20]
Angry Mob of 2,000 Jamaicans Attack Gays [R20]
Did Jamaican Cops "Rescue" Gays? [R20]
JA Leading Newspaper Demands Equal Rights [R20]
Justice, Jamaican Style [R20]
Bloodlust at UWI [R20]
"One Gay is Dead, What's the Difference?" [R20]
"Jamaica, Island of Hate" [R20]
Justice, Jamaican Style [R20]
Jamaican Newspaper Criticizes Anti-Gay Laws [R20]
"Gay Panic" Defense in Brutal Slaying [R20]
Who Killed Ambassador Peter King? [R20]
"Gay Panic" in Killing of Popular Priest [R20]
"Flaunting Sexual Preference May Incite Violence" [R20]