Finland's Same-Sex Kiss Triggers Turkish Blackout

MAY 15 2013 · 12:25

Krista Siegfrids · "Marry Me" · Finland · 2013 Placement: 24 · Score: 13 · Language: English · Composers: Krista Siegfrids, Erik Nyholm, Jessica Thompson, Kristofer Karlsson · Venue: Malmö Arena · Host: Malmö, Sweden · Type: political statement · Broadcast: streaming era Siegfrids performs the bubblegum pop wedding song in a white minidress, four bridesmaids in pink behind her. At the final chorus the bridesmaid closest to her leans in and kisses her full on the mouth. It's deliberate, choreographed, and held for the full bar. The Malmö Arena cheers. Turkish state broadcaster TRT cuts the feed the moment the kiss begins and doesn't return until the song ends. China's state broadcaster edits it out in post. Context Finland had proposed the staging months earlier with explicit reference to Finland's then-pending marriage equality debate. Turkey announced it was withdrawing from Eurovision entirely the week before the contest, citing 'moral concerns' including the kiss and the Big Five financial structure. Turkey has not returned as of 2026. Legacy Finland passed marriage equality in 2014, partly credited to the visibility of the performance. Siegfrids' kiss is cited alongside Dana International 1998 and Conchita 2014 as a Eurovision LGBTQ+ milestone. Turkey's absence remains one of the EBU's longest-running diplomatic sore points; Turkish broadcaster TRT cited the 2013 kiss in a 2019 interview explaining the withdrawal. Mythology Fan archives claim the kiss wasn't in the Melodifestivalen-equivalent UMK final performance — it was added specifically for the Eurovision stage once Siegfrids knew TRT would broadcast.