Drag Queen Conchita Wurst Wins Eurovision
Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst was the clear winner at this year’s 59th Eurovision Song Contest performing her song “Rise Like a Phoenix”.
In a sign of how the contest mirrors larger social and political trends, Wurst’s ballad “Rise Like a Phoenix” was an instant hit with the live audience, but was sharply criticised by social conservatives in Russia and Eastern Europe who see the campy annual event as a sign of the decadent and morally corrupt West.
“This is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom,” said Conchita Wurst, the persona adopted by Thomas Neuwirth, 25, adding that, “we are unstoppable.”
After Ms. Wurst, the Common Linnets of the Netherlands, a country duo, placed second, and Swedish pop star, Sanna Nielsen, third.
