#LITHUANIA: Skamp music video gets banned

Skamp, who you may remember participated in the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen, have just released their latest song, ‘Love me like there’s no tomorrow’. However, it’s drawn a bit of controversy in Lithuania.

The video features various couples, both young and not-so young, both opposite sex and same sex. The reason for the ban is that same sex couples kissing makes the video fall foul of a law passed by the Lithuanian Parliament in 2010, prohibiting “non-traditional family relationships”. Erica Jennings, one of the members of Skamp said ‘This song is about love. I thought it should contain all types of relationships, regardless of age or sexual orientation’.

Here is the video:

A spokesperson for the national LGBTI rights organization LGL said it was a ‘shame’ the music video was banned.

‘The refusal to broadcast Skamp’s music video is… an institutional dread over a possible violation of the law,’ they said.

‘For Skamp, the visibility of the LGBTQIA community is crucial in order to increase awareness of wide-spread intolerance and hostility targetting same-sex couples.

‘The music video does it justice.’

Skamp consists of Irish-born Erica Jennings, Malian-born Victor Diawara and native Lithuanian Vilius Alesius. They finished 13th with ‘U got style’. Victor was also part of LT United which represented Lithuania in 2006.

What do you think? Is this video offensive? And what do you think of the song? We’d love to hear your views.

Author: John Stanton

Source: Eurovision Ireland, Skamp