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Selena Gomez doesn't seem like the kind of performer who would make a political stance in a foreign country, but Russian officials have canceled her visa request over concerns that she would denounce the country's strict anti-gay laws while on tour there. Authorities are reportedly on edge after Lady Gaga and Madonna openly defied Russia's ban on public support for the LGBT community during tour stops last year.
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Gomez was scheduled to perform in St. Petersburg and Moscow later this month, but concert promoters told The Moscow Times that government officials had "tightened the visa regime," indirectly affecting the young pop singer's planned tour.
"Not a single person is going to visit us if the Prosecutor General's Office starts disputing something or looking for guilty parties," one promoter said.
The "Come and Get It" singer also scrapped her appearances in Belarus and Ukraine.
Despite Russia's seeming reluctance to admit pro-gay musicians, openly gay Elton John said he would perform there in December.
