Good morning;

I am fully aware that this email will not make a whit of difference regarding the appearance of Buju Banton at your clubs, but I am compelled to register my disgust. Not necessarily on my behalf (though I do find his music repugnant) but on my loved ones behalf. Many of my closest friends, you see, are gay. In addition to being gay, they are also wonderful friends, loving aunts and uncles, dedicated citizens and incredible people. So when someone comes along advocating death and torture for my loved ones, I have what I would like to think is a normal reaction and automatically fly into defensive mode. Normally this means little as these nut jobs are typically confined to Kansas. However, this current nut job is traveling the United States under the auspices and apparently tacit endorsement of an institution I have patronized in the past and had (until now) planned on patronizing in the future. Specifically, the House of Blues.

As I said, I know this email will not shift your response to allowing this vile human to headline at your clubs, but it will shift my spending. More importantly, it will hopefully shift the spending of my friends (who represent your sweet spot demographic of childless high income 30 to 40 year olds). Maybe it will sway some of them, maybe it wont.

But I know that cannot stand idly by where an organization that created itself to celebrate a music created and refined during a period of ignorance, discrimination, violence and terror (specifically, the Blues) is headlining someone who advocates those same repulsive tactics. You should be ashamed of yourselves, of your hypocrisy, and of your obvious disregard for the community at large.

I would like to say I wish you luck, but I cannot bring myself to overcome my anger at your actions.

I’ll bet anything that a few of these concerts will be canceled or very poorly attended. Some might even be picketed.

Check your local LGBT centers to find out what you can do before the concert comes to your area.