Bearded drag queen wins Eurovision, pissing off Russian homophobes

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      Drag queen Conchita Wurst (the stage name for 25-year-old Thomas Neuwirth) won the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 for Austria.

      Wurst won in Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 10 with the ballad "Rise Like a Phoenix".

      The bearded, genderfluid star, who received congratulations from political leaders, told the press that the win was "not just a victory for Austria, but above all for diversity and tolerance in Europe".

      Wurst (which means both "sausage" and "who cares?" in German) does not identify as transgender like the Jewish pop star Dana International, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998.

      However, backlash has arisen from Russia (where antigay legislation has been the focus of much international criticism, particularly during the Sochi Winter Olympics) with politicans and audiences speaking out against Wurst.

      "There's no limit to our outrage. It's the end of Europe," nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky stated on Rossiya-1 state television.

      Russia came seventh in the competition.

      Comments

      2 Comments

      Hellion

      May 12, 2014 at 9:17pm

      Russia is absolutely right. This disgusting creature does truly represent the end of Europe!

      Russia now has full moral justification to invade and liberate the rest of Europe from this degeneracy.

      And they won't meet with any resistance other than collective shriek and wail, accompanied by "moral outrage"!

      Curious

      May 13, 2014 at 1:56am

      Why mention Dana International's religion? What does that have to do with the story?
      You didn't mention Thomas Neuwirth's religion.