Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst won Europe’s annual Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night — causing Russia to see red.
Wurst’s victory in the singing event was nothing but “blatant propaganda of homosexuality and spiritual decay,” Russian legislator Vitaly Milonov fumed.
Milonov was undoubtedly also unhappy that Wurst beat Russia’s entry in the televised sing-off, which sparks huge rivalry among European countries every year.
In Russia, which passed a law against “gay propaganda” last year, and in other Eastern European countries, including Armenia and Belarus, petitions had been circulated calling on the organizers to boot Wurst from the contest — or at least edit him out of the broadcast.
Loud boos echoed in some Russian cities where crowds had gathered to watch.
Political observers viewed the Russian reaction as an example of the rift between progressive liberals in Western Europe and the conservative, traditional east.
But for his part, Wurst — who was born Thomas Neuwirth and calls himself the “bearded lady” — said he was proud to bring Austria its first Eurovision victory since 1966.
“I can only say, ‘Thank you for your attention!’ If this is only about me and my person, I can live with it,” the 25-year-old said in a reference to his critics. “You know, I have a thick skin. It’s just strange that a little facial hair causes that much excitement.’’
In a dig at Moscow, he claimed, “Eighty percent of the autograph requests that I get are from Russia and Eastern Europe — that’s what’s important to me.”
Wurst — which means “sausage’’ in German and is also slang for “Who cares?” — won for his performance of a song called “Rise Like a Phoenix.”
His victory came a day before pro-Moscow rebels declared a resounding victory in a vote on self-rule for eastern Ukraine. Organizers there said 90 percent of voters in the referendum were in favor of closer ties with Russia.
Another contestant in the competition also had a political agenda.
Singer Mariya Yaremchuk said days before the event, “My main position is that I’m proud that I’m Ukrainian and everything I do is for the Ukrainian people. I’m not standing alone on the stage. There are 46 million Ukrainians behind me.”