Chinese Homophobia

China Is Banned From Airing Eurovision After Censoring Performance With Gay Theme

By Anna Codrea-Rado

Ryan O’Shaughnessy, left, of Ireland, performing during the 63rd annual Eurovision Song Contest at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal, on Tuesday.

LONDON — The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest will not be shown in China after two performances were censored in a local broadcast.
The European Broadcasting Union (E.B.U.), which organizes Eurovision and licenses broadcasts around the world, terminated its contract with the Chinese channel Mango TV after Ireland’s performance was cut, and other sections were blurred to obscure details, when the first semifinal aired on Wednesday.
The singer Ryan O’Shaughnessy, representing Ireland, sang a sentimental breakup ballad, “Together,” which featured two male performers dancing and holding hands. 

This section of the competition did not feature in the broadcast in China.
The state-funded news outlet Global Times said that the Chinese broadcaster also blurred images of the rainbow flag, an L.G.B.T. symbol, waved in the audience during Switzerland’s performance. 

The BBC News website showed a still from the broadcast in which the flag had been obscured.
In a statement, the E.B.U. said that Mango TV’s actions were “not in line with the E.B.U.’s values of universality and inclusivity and our proud tradition of celebrating diversity through music.”
In a video on Mango TV’s online catch-up service, a tattoo on the right arm of the singer Eugent Bushpepa of Albania was obscured. 

The image of the drummer on the same stage was also blurred from the neck down. 

In January, China’s media regulator banned tattoos from appearing on television.
The Eurovision Song Contest, known for its campy and over-the-top performances, has a large gay following around the world.
“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,” Mr. O’Shaughnessy said in an interview with the BBC.
On Twitter, fans welcomed the decision. 

One user tweeted, “Good to see the EBU deciding to stop Chinese TV showing #Eurovision after they refused to show the Albanian and Irish entries.”
Another said, “If my Catholic hereditary homeland accepted love is love I think China can show two gay guys dancing in 2018.”

Recently, Chinese censors have pushed back against the growing visibility of lesbian, gay and transgender people online and in the media, reflecting the Chinese Communist Party’s drive to instill politically orthodox values.

Last month, Sina Weibo, one of China’s most popular social media sites, deleted posts reflecting gay culture as part of a “cleanup” drive. 

But Sina Weibo quickly reversed its ban after an outpouring of criticism.
The Eurovision grand finale will air on Saturday from Lisbon.