Buju Banton
charged with gay bashing

Controversial reggae artist Buju Banton is out on bail after being charged with assault on six Jamaican men suspected of being gay, reports the Jamaica Observer. Banton paid $50,000 (Jamaican) in bail on September 21 after pleading not guilty. Police allege that Banton was part of a group that barged into a Kingston house on June 24, 2004, and beat the six allegedly gay men. Banton's case will go before a judge on Friday, September 30.

Banton has drawn fire from gay rights groups worldwide for songs like "Boom Bye Bye," which activists say encourages the murder of gay people. Britain's OutRage! and other organizations have been working with record labels and concert promoters on both sides of the Atlantic to bar Banton and other performers from performing or reissuing songs that advocate homophobic violence.