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The censoring of a gay love song and other content is not in line with the contest's tradition of inclusivity, says Eurovision's organizer.
The organizer of the Eurovision Song Contest barred a Chinese TV station from airing the contest's finale after China censored LGBT content in an earlier episode.
"This is not in line with the EBU's values of universality and inclusivity and our proud tradition of celebrating diversity through music," said a statement released by the European Broadcasting Union, which runs the contest, according to CNN.
Chinese broadcaster Mango TV cut two acts from the competition's semifinals in Tuesday's episode, CNN reports. One was Ireland's entrant, Ryan O'Shaughnessy, who sang a song called "Together" about love between two men; his performance featured male backup dancers acting out the story. The other was Albania's competitor, Eugent Bushpepa, whom the Chinese station considered objectionable because of his tattoos. Mango also blurred a rainbow flag held by an audience member.
In response, the EBU prevented Mango from airing the next installment of the semifinals, which took place Thursday, and the grand finale on Saturday. This year's contest is being held in Lisbon.
Mango is owned by government-controlled Hunan TV, but it wasn't immediately clear if it made the cuts on its own or at the direction of government regulators, U.K. newspaper The Independent reports. Neither the company nor regulators responded to the paper's request for comment. China in 2016 classified homosexuality as unfit subject matter for television, along with abuse, incest, and general "perversion."
Social media users in China denounced the censorship. "Isn't this a bit much?! Nearly twenty years ago Hunan TV first had a gay interview show... How are they now going in reverse?" said a message posted by the LGBT-oriented China Rainbow Media Awards on Weibo, a Twitter-style platform, The Independent notes.
O'Shaughnessy said he was glad the EBU stood up for diversity. "From the very start we've said love is love -- whether it's between two guys, two girls, or a guy and a girl, so I think this is a really important decision," he told the BBC. "They haven't taken this lightly, and I think it's a move in the right direction, so I'm happy about it."
