BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – JAMAICAN Reggae empress Queen Ifrica was recently blocked from performing at a show in New York City following protest by a number of concerned homosexuals.
According to the Jamaican Observer, the Reggae entertainer, Ventrice Morgan, also known as Queen Ifrica, was pulled as headlining act at the Amazura Concert Hall in Queens, New York last Saturday (May 24) due to mounting pressure from the gay community.
The online news site also reported that manager of the Amazura Concert Hall, John Rios explained that “she is not performing...everyone else will. The show will go on though”.
Ifrica was set to perform with six other Jamaican artistes.
The manager of the facility noted that his mega club is opened to everyone as "there's no discrimination". "We're not prejudiced against anyone. I welcome the gay community and we get along with everybody," he said.
On May 23, over 200 persons protested outside the club and the organisers called for a halt of the 'Invasion of the Queens' show, which they said contributes to violence against lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals and transgenders.
The Observer stated that according to the New York Daily News, the protest was led by openly gay City Councilman Daniel Dromm.
"We don't need homophobic people like her coming to Queens to spread their message of hate," the Observer quoted him as saying.
Previously, the Rastafarian entertainer expressed her condemnation of the homosexual lifestyle at last year's Independence Grand Gala celebrations in August, which prompted Jamaican Minister of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna to express regret at the artiste’s declaration.
The online media house noted that Ifrica's management team had released a statement, which in part read: "Queen Ifrica expresses that, while she remains grounded in her morals which espouses heterosexuality, she wants to make it abundantly and emphatically clear that she does not condone nor has ever supported or advocated violence against any group or community, whether implicitly or explicitly."
Last August, Queen Ifrica was yet again pulled from a show called ‘Rastafest’ in Canada after a Canadian gay rights community protested for her not to perform at the concert.
Another Jamaican Artiste, Buju Banton, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence in an American prison on drug-related charges, had his concerts repeatedly cancelled due to gay protests throughout the United States.
