So, the Internet was buzzing for a millisecond over homosexuality and it’s place within the frameworks of Sikhi…

Here’s how it started:
1) A friend of mine sent me a link to a perspective on Homosexuality in Sikhism. It was by a crew of fellas called Singhrow out in the UK. The video, in my opinion (IMO), was half exclusionary of gay folk around the world. I’ve always banked on Sikhi to be inclusive of ALL people…marginal, fat, ugly, beautiful, ignorant, straight, …and even gay..etc. The video is right in stating that in Sikhi, you’re supposed to be moving away from lust, and maaya…etc. I agree with that being a sentiment within the frameworks of the religion. However, IMO, the video went on to vilify gay people. I felt as though it was completely unnecessary to call gays unnatural, and “oogly-woogly” as they put it. All things being said, I felt very heated as a human being, hip-hop artist, gay individual, and someone who was instilled with principles to defend himself. I took it upon myself to do a track about Singhrow’s video…Ill post the lyrics:

“Mirror Daggers”

You aint no guru, interpreter and bilingual in English and Spiritual/
Telling me my love compass is effed up/
That im counter-human cause I mirror-dagger/
And it results in no seeds, heed the statistics/
A new orphan every 15 seconds/
I could save a life or two, wake up my brejin/
Adoption can be seva too, I don’t need a/
good Power Universal Self Savior/
Y?, you f**** try to vilify/
The cards that I was dealt in this life/
Genetic or developmental, no one knows/
So ima stay I wayne, I love to see my people/
Living in love, you cite God, but God ain’t visit/
No one since I made this is beat, it’s Sikh, beautiful in my blasphemy, you’re bold to speak but disabled comments on your page you p***y.

This bwoi cant effin speak two sentence without sayin, you feel me? You get me?

Yeah I got you, a couple counter arguments/
In defense of the most persecuted/
More dogged than black Hijabi immigrants/
I don’t need an indoctrinated puppet/
Telling me what’s really what in the accent/ of the colonizer/you’re grafting king james on eastern shit brah/and you see these shades of love between bed bugs, and drosophila/dolphins and lions/and your pops probably got down with a lickle Maasti B/how you gonna interpret life to exclude me?/ it’s heinous/ judge me on any other quality, just know this/ im live when I dive into sex like Greg Louganis/

Nah nah nah, this boys patwa came out, he was like wha gwan?

To the rest of the world, grab your etch-a-sketch a draw your own conclusions/I hope it has 2010 years of contusions/yall glamorize the bullet wounds/but how many LGBT have been DOA off a hangin in Iran/ a gunshot in Jamaica/complicit European conquest spreading hate across the globe/like a GaGa tour/kaa kaa pours all his energy, into dividin heads like Bhai Mati Das/what the bumbo raas?

My track came off hard and it was supposed to, it was done in the spirit of hip-hop. And that’s cool and all. But as time passed on, and people started to love me for stepping up as a gay individual, and people also started threatening me and my physical safety, I felt strange. The love is all good, I can eat potato chips ALL day. The hate was novelty at first, cool by the 2nd and 3rd messages regarding me dying in the UK, and by 4th and 5th…I didnt need the negativity in my inbox. So, I’VE TAKEN MY LINK OFFLINE. My point was made, I got enough hits to reach people, and I stood up for an oppressed people. Taking the link offline was a minor concession as my boy Vijay put it.

2)

BEFORE I took the link offline, I got a message from sarbat.net, and queer/sikh website advocating homosexuality in the religion. They wanted to do a short piece on me, my song, and I don’t know, all things gay under the sun. Now this is a message to my queer folk…YOU ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING FOR GAY PEOPLE IF YOU STICK TO GAY PEOPLE. Me, an openly gay artist, doing an interview on a gay website, on a gay issue…. what boundary is that pushing? Not a damn one.

So, I was trapped between having thrown a stone for the gay community at Singhrow, and being attacked with threats from people who might feel strongly about Singhrow. I asked for it. Although witty in some respects, my track DID diss the brothers father…I later came to know he hasn’t seen his father since he was 3 Years Old…. :S…my bad.

3)

Before I hollered at sarbat.net, I decided to reach out to Singhrow. I mean, who is sarbat.net in this case? Nobody to me, I need to reach out to the people I threw a stone at first (take a lesson Israel).

Fateh Brothers and Sisters,

I wanted to reach out personally, and let you know about a few things going on on my end. First, this website called sarbat.net has contacted me wrt “Mirror Daggers” and wanted to do an interview and article on me. Sarbat.net is a website that tries to reconcile Sikhi and homosexuality, a mountainous task at best.

Although, I commend them for taking up that challenge, I myself align with NO groups be it gay, straight… I thought you all should be privy to my response which I have not yet sent….

————–

Thank you for your comment and respect for my track ‘Mirror Dagger”. It’s great that you would like to do an interview, and short segment on me and my track counter Singhrow’s video.

However, as an individual, I make it a point to not align myself with any group. I feel that if I were to participate and put myself on your website, it would give the impression that sarbat.net and I have similar agendas.

I am however very touched that you all reached out.

Singhrow has a right to have his/her/their voice(s) heard as well. I will propose that you, as an organization reach out to them, independently of me, and ask them for an interview, youtube discussion, or three way recorded phone conversation. I can participate where we can come to consensus, at least between Singhrow and I on the status of my humanity as a gay individual. Hopefully, we can decide on something that will make Sikh youth more worldly, and all encompassing people?

My ultimate goal is the non-selective self-empowerment of all people, including gays. Being a gay artist, on a gay website, on a gay issue, is not pushing any boundaries, so im not down with that idea. However, if we could mutually come to an understanding, that would be the most uplifting thing we could do as a people.

sk

——–

If you all agree to an open discussion on this topic, I think it would be a massive step forward on the issue. I think you guys to amazing work, and are soldiers to the death which is what we need. You have to understand though, that there are marginal people out in the world, such as myself, that only want to lend a hand. To be excluded from your framework is a bigger system doing it’s worst to divide us.

I won’t apologize for my track, I feel it’s high time someone from the Gay community stepped up. I have much to loose. Why would a gay person reach out on a hip hop track?

As for my language in the track, I can explain myself, but it’s in the info. All I can say is I said a few personal remarks in the spirit of hip hop.

I would like to hear your thoughts on that? There has been an overwhelming amount of support for me and my stance on this. BUT, im not in the business of vilifying you all either. If I can do anything to raise awareness, and help you guys do positive work within the community, i am down 110%.

sk…

PS. I will even produce a positive Sikh Unit (your music project) joint as a gesture of mutual understanding
________________________________________

4)
Singhrow before they got this email from me, did a response video. It was pretty harsh, but word is it’s been taken down, or the link is still active or something…not sure. But, you know what? it was interesting. Singhrow have a desire and passion for educating young people. I respect that. The content of that education is definitely under scrutiny. The question is DOES THE END JUSTIFY THE MEANS? should we care, as gay people, what singhrows stance is on homosexuality, if they’re doing so much positive work in the end? …. look at Christian missionaries in Africa. We can gripe and complain all we want about Christians covertly converting beautiful Africans…but I don’t see any other aid group from a religious background making as much noise as Christian groups in Africa. They ARE bringing water to them, and food etc. The Education is under scrutiny, BUT the end is needed…..MAYBE.
To this I tip my dastar (figuratively) to Singhrow. In terms of their stance on homosexuality…. this is what Singhrow offered me….

“Mans have got nothing personal against gays – we feel sikhi rejects it that’s all (not rejection as kill or sumting that’s Islamic shit as in we cant be amritdharis and take drugs , it don’t mean u kill druggies etc). you got have replied in a better way in a more educational way, because we was not offensive and just said a view bro.”

I didnt feel right earlier on, because I DID call him a pussy. And I did so in the spirit of hip hop, but if I wanted to bring about change, I could have made a track, not insulting directly, and cutting out the pussy talk. I was angry as a gay person, and I feel no one in the gay community has ever done it THIS way. I hope singhrow can appreciate that.

They went on to say:
we get responses from gays on that video all the time thanking us etc as some gays feel we said right things, we do have gay punjabis helping us on various projects, we also have meat eaters etc, but we shouldnt have to change our stance. listen you can be gay, do ur ting, but it doesnt mean majority of the people will accept homosexuality in sikhi. …
it has cuased division, minor , its done. me personally think its all waste of time, but i can understand our sevadar reacting way he is, but minor from Singhrow this is end of it all. we aint gonna put nothing else out on the situation. theres much bigga things going on. but in singhrow there is 9 sevadars and we back it for eachother to max so we had to show him support on this. thats what brothers do. he is the hot headed one anyway lol but he gets good reaction from the druggies etc on the street cos he lived that life the longest etc so he will go on about it for a bit and dat, trust he aint homophobic etc none of us are we just think sikhi rejects that attitude. minors safe….

—————–

Singhrow has the right to their religious attitudes. Im in no position to criticize them in the way that I did, seeing how I dont align myself with their views.  I realize that now, BUT, I think people should know that I WILL defend myself and gays at large. We are a real people, and it is one of many communities I belong to.

There ARE much bigger things going on, but for me, I cant sleep on homosexuality. In terms of religion, I proposed it in my track and I will solidify here: There is no difference in the lust of Hetero’s and Homosexuals except in preference. If you’re goal is to rid yourself of lust, more power to you. Do NOT vilify the gay community OR people for having a sexuality. All arguments ive heard so far are pathetically wrong. People seem to think that gay people are sex/drug maniacs, and that being gay means having your drive on nitro’s and THUS is against Sikhi. This isn’t the case. It’s the lust, NOT the preference.

I couldn’t believe how many ignorant attitudes I saw on facebook status’s towards me being gay. I can still merk most of you as a musician, emcee, singer, and Speech-Language Pathologist…I dont need yall, fuck yall.

BUT, I did witness the most love I have ever got from people as well….shout out to my family, my fellow artists, Humble the Poet, Lighter’s crew, Veej, Deep, and EVERYONE WHO DEFENDED ME when I couldnt possibly have answered to EVERY post NOR articulated “me”.

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On a brighter note, I went to my first Native Pow Wow yesterday. It’s an event where native people from the Iroquois nation pay respects and thanks to all that’s around them. There’s traditional dancing and music….I wasn’t gawked at like I was in Boston….they infact have very smilar likes and attitudes as a collective as my background…..

The dopest thing is that they don’t believe in addresses, so “the man” can’t come eff them up further. They use PO boxes..lol. ….I thought that was rather clever.

We saw the token anthropological white women, getting into the music and clapping, when you’re not supposed to clap at all.

I ate a traditional native taco (?!) …uhh, yeah, a taco….

but, all in all, it was a beautiful experience to see these people who’s history includes one of THE worst genocides in human history, do their thang….

BIG UP MANDEEP SETHI (new sikh…..i didnt even know)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QESkgplKjvY

Posted on Saturday, July 10th, 2010 at 10:28 AM under Uncategorized.
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