Selena Gomez won't be going through with her plans to tour Russia, after her visa request was denied by officials in the country. Although Russian officials haven't commented on the exact reason why her request to enter the country wasn't granted, it is widely believed that her stance on same sex marriage and homosexual relationships might be at the root of the country's decision.

Selena Gomez live
Gomez was due to perform four shows in the former Soviet states this month

According to Billboard, who first reported the story on Thursday, 19 September, Gomez was scheduled to play in Minsk, Belarus on Thursday, followed by performances in Kiev, Ukraine on Sept. 21, then in Russia for shows in St. Petersburg on Sept. 23 and Moscow on Sept. 25. However the singer scrapped all four dates from her tour schedule, with her next show now taking place at the end of the month in Dubai, before she heads back to the states for a full tour of the country.

A vocal supporter of gay rights, her concert organisers believe that her barring from the country comes down to the controversial new Russian law that bans "propaganda on nontraditional sexual relationships" towards minors. Fearing that Gomez might use her time on stage to promote equality, it seems as though the 'Come and Get It' singer has fallen foul to the same ruling that has hindered Madonna and Lady GaGa from entering the country for their own stance on same sex relationships. It is thought that her cancellations in former Soviet states Belarus and Ukraine are based on the same reasoning.

Selena Gomez performs
Her stance on gay rights are thought to be at the bottom of her visa mix-up

Gomez's representative team have yet to comment on the exact reason why the singer has been denied permission to the former-Soviet country, although a report from the Russian-language RIA Novosti stated that her visa-failure was down to "bureaucratic" reasons. The report said, "But it turned out not so simple in our country. Problem is not us, the problem is - in the bureaucratic moments."

Selena Gomez
The singer will begin touring in North America next month