When it comes to queer fans, singjay Mr. Vegas says he has no qualms about taking photos but won’t invite them on stage if their behavior contradicts dancehall’s gender norms.
The Tek Weh Yourself artist went off the radar last month after Spice called him a hypocrite for criticising her embrace of the queer community, though he admitted to taking photos with transgender fans.
In his clapback on Monday, Vegas said he was waiting for the buzz around Vybz Kartel’s freedom to regularise before responding. His foremost argument was that he never said he couldn’t co-exist with members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community.
“Me never tell you seh me nah co-exist with dem people yah enuh,” he said in an Instagram livestream. “No, mi never tell you fi go out there and eradicate them. Mi never tell you if a pilot weh shaky a fly the plane, mi a go jump out… Mi never tell you seh if one of mi family member shaky, mi a go eradicate him. Mi never tell you seh if me see a shaky person a dead fi hungry, mi nah go give him food… If you waan me fi do that, a the wrong person you waan fi do that.”
Vegas said his issue surfaces when queer folks violate the gender performance that is expected in the dancehall space.
“My point weh me a try fi mek is, mi nah bring it inna the sacred place, inna the culture, inna dancehall… Mi nah bring dem ting deh inna dancehall. Yuh nah go see mi do a stage show and bring a shaky man pon the stage come do Hot Wuk or Bruk it Down – yuh nah go live fi see that because mi respect the culture.”
That was his bone of contention when Spice entertained a male fan singing the lyrics to Needle Eye at Unruly Fest in the UK last month.
Vegas said he will take photos with queer fans any day as that act unfolds away from the “sacred” dancehall space.
“Dancehall space is a place weh, it woulda coming like church,” Vegas analogised. “The pastor a seh all welcome because him waan people repent for them sins, but if him seh all welcome and some shaky people start go in deh inna tights and start act some certain way inna the church, him a go seh, ‘Fire bun.’”
Spice, who is currently promoting her Mirror 25 album, has long maintained that she cares not about a man’s sexual orientation, backing it up by performing at several pride events.
