UPDATE: Wow. Less than two days after we launched this petition asking Selena Gomez to speak out for LGBT Russians at her upcoming concerts there, Russian authorities yanked her visa. She was forced to cancel the performances just four days before the first was scheduled to take place. 

The Russian government appears to have been worried -- as a result of our petition -- that Selena would speak out for LGBT rights. Needless to say, this set off quite the media firestorm. Click here for a roundup of the coverage.

Next week, Selena Gomez is scheduled to perform two concerts in Russia -- one of the most anti-LGBT countries in the world. I want her to stand on stage and speak out for Russia's LGBT community.

Singer Selena Gomez is a talented, award-winning pop superstar with a Top 10 album and multiple hit singles under her belt, as well as a worldwide following of devoted fans. But her life hasn’t been entirely charmed: Gomez has revealed on numerous occasions that she was the victim of bullying while in school.

Next week Gomez is scheduled to perform two concerts in Russia, a country that’s currently bullying and persecuting its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens. Under that country’s new “gay propaganda” ban, it is now a crime to publicly acknowledge the LGBT community, say that gay relationships are equal to non-gay ones, organize an LGBT pride parade, or even simply hold a rainbow flag. This and other anti-gay laws are legitimizing an alarming surge in hate-motivated beatings, torture, and murders of LGBT people across Russia.

Selena Gomez knows all too well what it’s like to be bullied, and as an international pop star she has a unique platform – and a special obligation – to join other celebrities like Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Cher in speaking out against the Russian government’s bullying of LGBT people. By speaking out, Selena can let LGBT folks in Russia know that we stand with them, and that they are not alone.

Please sign this petition to ask Selena Gomez to stand up for Russia's LGBT community when she’s in Russia next week.