After a Chinese station Mango TV edited out a LGBT+ content, Eurovision Song Contest administrators blocked the station from airing the finale of the international song contest. Inside China, the censorship brought a significant amount of social media backlash.
According to CNN, the European Broadcasting Union responded to the censoring by stating “This is not in line with the EBU’s values of universality and inclusivity and our proud tradition of celebrating diversity through music.”
Mango TV selectively cut out LGBT+-related content last Tuesday.
A pair of performances in particular. Albania’s entrant, Eugent Bushpepa, was cut from the airing due to his tattoos, which the Chinese broadcasters found problematic. Additionally, a rainbow pennant in the audience was blurred from view by the broadcast. Also, Ireland’s competitor, Ryan O’Shaughnessy, sang a tune about men in love. He was accompanied by a collection of dancers who performed the story. The tune was called “Together.”
This year, the Eurovision contest was hosted by the city of Lisbon.