Ireland’s Eurovision video entry, “Together” by singer-songwriter Ryan O’Shaughnessy, features a gay couple dancing down the street after leaving Dublin’s Temple Bar.
The Eurovision Song Contest is in its 63rd edition and will be held in Lisbon, Portugal for the first time this May. 43 countries are set to participate.
RELATED: Eurovision Song Contest Bans Russia For Annexing Crimea in 2014: VIDEO
While countries in the extremely popular international contest are not obliged to broadcast the videos for the songs, they are obliged to broadcast the stage performances, which often take their cues from the videos.
It’s not known if O’Shaughnessy’s stage performance will feature a dancing gay couple, but some are already speculating that Russia may object to that given its ban on “gay propaganda”.
O’Shaughnessy laughed in the face of the possible ban, tweeting: “The Russians are now threatening a broadcasting ban because of my video for ‘Together’. Anti-gay propaganda regime at its finest! Hilarious if you ask me.. #IDareYou”
Watch the video below:
Since first taking part in the Eurovision in 1994, Russia has become one of the competition’s most successful participants with one winner and a number of second and third placings.
However, last year host country Ukraine’s secret services banned singer Yulia Samoylova from entering the country because she had toured in Crimea following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
