Exquisitely hirsute gender non-conformist Conchita Wurst belts out her song “Rise like a Phoenix,” representing Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen, Denmark. She’s a bold choice for the country, and one that’s not without controversy. Four days after the Australian national television and radio network ORF announced its decision, more than 31,000 people liked an “Anti-Wurst” Facebook page. In October, the Ministry of Information in Belarus received a petition calling on BTRC, Belarus’ state network, to edit Wurst’s performance out of its Eurovision broadcast. The petition claimed that the performance would turn Eurovision “into a hotbed of sodomy” (as if it already wasn’t). Since then, similar petitions surfaced in Russia and other Eastern bloc countries to edit her out of the competition during their country’s broadcasts.
Whatever. Conchita can certainly sing, and she more than holds her own against the other contestants. She’s not treated as a joke, her act isn’t campy, and her beard isn’t some gimmick. It’s just who she is. And maybe this will put to rest all those irritating “Has Kim Kardashian Grown a Beard?” joke headlines.
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