Man to Man, Gal to Gal…dat Wrong: an Analysis of How Sexual Prejudice Is Reflected in Jamaican Popular Music

Abstract

This research analyses sexual prejudice in sixteen dancehall and reggae songs-two musical genres indigenous to Jamaica. The analysis provides us with insights on the lenses through which some Jamaicans view same-sex relationships and how sexual prejudice is normalised and justified. In this sample of songs, homosexuality is presented as (1) a violation of gendered norms, (2) sinful, (3) unnatural, (4) a threat to society and ( 5) a foreign lifestyle. The presentation of homosexuality as a foreign lifestyle suggests that antigay prejudice could be related to fears of neo-imperialism and could be a means of rejecting ideological intrusions from the West.