Finland's Eurovision entrant planning gay marriage protest

Finland's entrant to this year's Eurovision Song Contest is planning a "surprise" at the end of her performance on 18 May to make known her support for gay marriage.

Same-sex civil partnerships have been recognised in Finland since 2002 but gay marriage has not been legalised.

The country's Eurovision entrant Krista Siegfrids will be performing her song "Marry Me" at the annual contest, which takes place this year in Sweden.

The audience at a Eurovision concert in Amsterdam last week were stunned when the 27-year-old singer locked lips with one of her female backing dancers during the performance.

Political gestures or lyrics are not allowed in entrants' performances under Eurovision Song Contest rules.

However, Siegfrids said in the Independent on Sunday: "Homophobic people are angry with me for doing this. But I'm planning a surprise at the end of my performance. It's live on TV, so nobody can stop me."

She added: "I don't think 'Marry Me' is political. It's about love and tolerance. But gay marriage is not allowed in Finland and that's wrong. I wanted to make a statement about that."