Eurovision Drag Queen Faces Backlash From Russia

<p>Austria's entry into the 2014 Eurovision faces a massive backlash ahead of her performance in the world's biggest music competition.</p> <p>by Newsdesk | 27th April 2014</p><p></p><p> </p><p><img src="http://www.thegayuk.com/communities/8/004/009/928/388/images/4609107374.jpg" width="460" height="307" alt="Conchita Wurst (Eurovision)" title="Conchita Wurst (Eurovision)"/></p> <p></p><p>Anti-gay petitioners in <a href="http://thegayuk.com/magazine/4574334751/tags/Russia">Russia</a>, <a href="http://thegayuk.com/magazine/4574334751/tags/Armenia">Armenia</a> and <a href="http://thegayuk.com/magazine/4574334751/tags/Belarus">Belarus</a> have called for <a href="http://thegayuk.com/magazine/4574334751/tags/ConchitaWurst">Conchita Wurst</a> (real name Tom Neuwirth) to be banned or edited out of the televised event, which will be broadcast across Europe.</p><p></p><p>The bearded drag queen is already in the top 10 of favourites to win, with her song Rise Like a Phoenix.</p><p></p><p> </p><p><img src="http://www.thegayuk.com/communities/8/004/009/928/388/images/4609107373.jpg" width="460" height="307" alt="Conchita Wurst | Thomas Ramstofer" title="Conchita Wurst | Thomas Ramstofer"/></p> <p></p><p>Last year <a href="http://thegayuk.com/magazine/4574334751/NEWS-Turkey-Cancels-Eurovision-Broadcast-Over-Gay-Kiss/5701809">Turkish National broadcaster TRT was rumoured to have cancelled their broadcast of the 2013 Eurovision </a>because of a lesbian kiss between two women in Finland's entry Marry Me. <a href="http://thegayuk.com/magazine/4574334751/EUROVISION-Gay-Kisses/5712297">There were in fact two gay kisses in the 2013 show.</a></p><p></p><p>The last time Austria won the Eurovision competition was in 1966, with Udo Jürgens, who sung Merci Chérie.</p><p></p><p></p><p>According to sources the petition reads: </p><p></p><p>'Austria will be represented in the Eurovision 2014 by the transvestite contestant Conchita Wurst who leads the lifestyle inapplicable for the Russians. The popular international competition that our children will be watching has become a hotbed of sodomy at the initiation of the European liberals. Russia is one of the only European countries that has managed to maintain normal and healthy family values based on love and mutual support between MEN and WOMEN. That is why we are against the Eurovision 2014 to be broadcast in Russia…'</p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.thegayuk.com/Eurovision">Read more Eurovision News</a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> </p>