BEENIE MAN BOOTED FROM NEW ZEALAND’S MUSIC FESTIVAL OVER GAY-RIGHTS ISSUES, TO BE REPLACED BY DIANA KING!

Beenie Man

Controversial Jamaican reggae star Beenie Man has been dropped from the line-up for next year’s Raggamuffin festival amid questions about his homophobic attitudes.

After concerns were raised by GayNZ.com about Beenie Man’s previous homophobic lyrics and comments, Raggamuffin organisers offered him a chance to publicly state his support for the gay community and retract his past lyrics.

Raggamuffin spokesman Brotha D says Bennie Man failed to answer questions about his current stance on the gay community and based on that, he’s been dropped from the line-up.

“We took the concerns of the gay community very seriously and sought to address them with Beenie Man,” Brotha D said.

“Raggamuffin is a family festival and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender or sexuality.

Diana King and her partner in 2013.

“After being made fully aware of his past comments and lyrics, and continued homophobic attitude the Raggamuffin team made the decision to remove him from the festival line-up.”

Beenie Man was pulled from the line-up for the 2010 Big Day Out following a similar outcry.

Beenie Man has been replaced by Jamaican reggae and fusion artist Diana King, who was the first Jamaican artist to publicly come out as gay.

Raggamuffin takes place on February 20 at Trusts Arena in Auckland.

Other acts on the bill include UB40, The Game and Macy Gray.