Beth Ditto Vs. Katy Perry

06/02/09 2:22pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" has drawn praise and condemnation from many in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community, and The Gossip singer Beth Ditto is the latest person to slam her and the track.

Ditto told British gay magazine Attitude she abhors Perry and "I Kissed A Girl," which she called a "boner dyke anthem for straight girls who like to turn guys on by making out or, like, faking gay."

"I hate Katy Perry," Ditto said. "She's offensive to gay culture, I'm so offended."

Ditto didn't stop there and pretty much accused Perry of using the gay community to make a buck.

"She's just riding on the backs of our culture without having to pay any of the dues and not being actually lesbian or anything at all."

Last year, Pink took Perry's song to task and said it "trivialized being gay" and her gay friends had been offended by it. It's also been labelled "lezsploitational." Other critics have derided Perry's music for being "homophobic."

On the other hand, the track has drawn ire from the right wing and evangelical Christian groups for allegedly "promoting" homosexuality. Perry's mother, Mary Hudson, who is an evangelical minister, called her daughter's music "disgusting."

Perry has claimed the track is autobiographical and she actually did kiss a girl.

The Gossip's fourth album, Music For Men, will be released on June 23 through Columbia.

The follow-up to 2006's Standing In The Way Of Control was recorded by producer Rick Rubin (Metallica, Weezer) at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, Calif. You can hear first single "Heavy Cross" on the band's MySpace page.

The Gossip will tour Europe this summer and have these dates scheduled:

July 3 Gdynia, Poland @ Babie Doly Airfield (Heineken Open'er Festival)
July 4 Arras, France @ Grand Place (Main Square Festival)
July 4 Caen, France @ Beauregard Festival
July 5 Cergy, France @ Base De Loisirs De Cergy-Pontoise (Furia Sound Festival)
July 8 Hultsfred, Sweden @ Hultsfred Festival
July 10 Liege, Belgium @ Les Ardentes
July 11 Aix-Les-Bains, France @ Esplanade Du Lac (Festival Musilac)
July 13 Barcelona, Spain @ Razzmatazz
July 15 Turin, Italy @ Spaziale Festival
July 17 Grafenhainichen, Germany @ Ferropolis (Melt! Festival)
July 18 Angouleme, France @ Ferme Des Valettes (Garden Nef Party Festival)
July 19 Southwold, England @ Henham Park (Latitude Festival)
July 21 Nyon, Switzerland @ Paleo Festival

Perry has these dates lined up:

June 5 Moscow, Russia @ Olympic Stadium (Muz TV awards show)
June 9-10 London, England @ O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire w/The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
June 11 Brighton, England @ Brighton Dome
June 13 Crans-Pres-Celigny, Switzerland @ Caribana Festival
June 14 Zurich, Switzerland @ Volkshaus Zurich
June 16 Paris, France @ Paris Olympia w/The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
June 17 Lyon, France @ Transbordeur w/The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
June 19 Scheessel, Germany @ Hurricane Festival
June 20 Cologne, Germany @ Palladium w/Ladyhawke and The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
June 21 Tuttlingern, Germany @ Southside Festival
June 23 Milan, Italy @ Idroscalo Park
June 25 Barcelona, Spain @ Palau Sant Jordi (U18 Festival)
June 26 Madrid, Spain @ Palacio De Deportes De La Comunidad De Madrid (U18 Festival)
June 28 Lisbon, Portugal @ Campo Pequeno
July 2 Nibe, Denmark @ Skalskoven (Nibe Festival)
July 4 Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter Festival
July 5 Arras, France @ Grand Place (Main Square Festival)
July 6 Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg @ Rockhal
July 9 Istanbul, Turkey @ True Blue Open Air Venue
July 11 Balado, Scotland @ Balado Airfield (T In The Park)
July 12 Naas, Ireland @ Punchestown Racecourse (Oxegen Festival)
July 25 Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena at Boston University
July 26 Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
July 28 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
Aug. 2 Houston, TX @ Verizon Wireless Theater
Aug. 4 Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/No Doubt and The Sounds
Aug. 12 Brisbane, Australia @ The Tivoli
Aug. 14 Melbourne, Australia @ Forum Theatre
Aug. 17 Sydney, Australia @ Enmore Theatre
Aug. 21 Glasgow, Scotland @ Barrowland Ballroom
Aug. 22 Staffordshire, England @ Weston Park (V Festival)
Aug. 23 Chelmsford, England @ Hylands Park (V Festival)
Aug. 25 Birmingham, England @ O2 Academy Birmingham w/The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
Aug. 26 Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England @ O2 Academy Newcastle
Aug. 30 Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
Sept. 4 Salem, OR @ Oregon State Fair
Sept. 5 Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Festival

Here are the songs on Music For Men:

"Dimestore Diamond"
"Heavy Cross"
"8th Wonder"
"Love Long Distance"
"Pop Goes The World"
"Vertical Rhythm"
"Men In Love"
"For Keeps"
"2012"
"Love And Let Love"
"Four Letter Word"
"Spare Me From The Mold"