Conchita Wurst

Thomas Neuwirth was born on 6 November 1988 in Gmunden, Austria, but raised in the small town of Bad Mitterndorf, in the Styrian countryside in Austria.[1] He has stated that the mountainous area was a wonderful place to grow up, but that he faced prejudice for being homosexual: "Being a teenager, a gay teenager, in such a small village is not that much fun. I am part of the gay community and most gays have a similar story to mine."[2]

From an early age he recognised that he was different from other children, initially believing that this was because there was "something wrong" with him.[3] He occasionally wore a skirt to kindergarten and then school,[3] although subsequently felt that he could only be happy doing so in the attic of his home. Aged 14, Neuwirth moved to Graz to attend school, with a focus on fashion.[2] His fashion icon was Victoria Beckham.[4]

Neuwirth performing in 2007

In 2006, Neuwirth took part in the third edition of the Austrian TV show Starmania, finishing in second place (Nadine Beiler placed first). One year later, Neuwirth founded the boyband Jetzt Anders!, but the group disbanded during the same year.[5]

It was after this that Neuwirth developed the drag persona of Conchita Wurst, a bearded woman. In the German language, "Wurst" means "sausage", although Neuwirth relates the choice of last name to the common German expression "Das ist mir doch alles Wurst", which translates as "it's all the same to me", and "I don't care", stating that the name emerged from the first meaning of that expression.[6] The name "Conchita" meanwhile had been adopted from a Cuban friend of his.[6] In an interview he also explained that conchita is Spanish slang for vagina and Wurst is German slang for penis.[7]

Neuwirth asserted that the inclusion of the beard as part of the Conchita character was "a statement to say that you can achieve anything, no matter who you are or how you look."[2] The inclusion of a beard as part of the drag look was not unique, having been pioneered in the 1970s by The Cockettes in San Francisco and the Bloolips in London.[8]

Conchita's first appearance was on ORF's show Die große Chance in 2011, where she achieved 6th place.[9] In 2012, she competed in the Austrian National Final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 and came second.[10] Conchita then appeared in the ORF show The Hardest Jobs of Austria, working in a fish processing plant, and in Wild Girls, in which a group of candidates had to survive in the deserts of Namibia together with native tribes.[11]

Conchita in March 2014

On 10 September 2013, Austrian national broadcaster ORF announced that it had selected Conchita to represent Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in May 2014.[12] In March 2014, Conchita's song was revealed as "Rise Like a Phoenix",[13] with bookmakers placing her entry as one of the ten favourites to win.[2] Despite Eurovision's reputation for campness, Conchita's performance was designed to be serious and in good taste, and she was one of just a few performers to appear onstage alone.[14] Although individuals who identified as LGBT had appeared on Eurovision before – most notably Israel's Dana International, who won in 1998 – Conchita's appearance was described by the New Statesman as the "most genderqueer yet".[8]

Conchita's selection proved controversial and attracted criticism from conservative groups, particularly in Eastern Europe, thus highlighting the continent's regional divide between east and west on the issue of homosexuality.[2][8] In Austria, four days after ORF announced its decision, more than 31,000 people had clicked to 'like' an "Anti-Wurst" page on social networking service Facebook.[15] Petitions emerged in Russia and Belarus calling for their respective national broadcasters to edit out Conchita's performance from the televised contest; the Russian petition asserted that Eurovision had become "a hotbed of sodomy, at the initiation of European liberals".[2][16][17] Conservative Russian politician Vitaly Milonov urged Russia's Eurovision selection committee to boycott the competition as a result of Conchita's inclusion, describing her performance as "blatant propaganda of homosexuality and spiritual decay" and referring to her as the "pervert from Austria".[18] Armenia's entry for the contest, Aram Mp3, stated that Neuwirth's lifestyle was "not natural" and that he should decide whether he was a man or woman. Neuwirth hit back: "I told him I don't want to be a woman. I am just a working queen and a very lazy boy at home." Aram subsequently apologised, stating that his prior comments had been intended as a joke.[2]

Reacting to these sentiments, the New Statesman commented that "a vote for Wurst is another vote against Russian homophobia and transphobia, and a win would send out a strong message of defiance eastwards",[8] while the International Business Times called on readers to vote for Conchita to upset homophobes.[19] Highlighting statements such as these as evidence, Spiked declared that many Western European commentators and politicos had adopted Conchita as "a symbol of everything that makes Western Europe superior to the East" and that she had thus become part of a culture war against both Russia and "the so-called bigots and backward types" in their own nations.[20]

Conchita holding the Eurovision trophy after winning the contest

At the second semi-final on 8 May, Neuwirth, as Conchita, qualified for the final on 10 May. At the finals held in Copenhagen on 10 May 2014, she won the competition with 290 points. This was Austria's first Eurovision win since Eurovision 1966.[21][22]

Points allocated to Austria in the ESC 2014

Conchita's entry gained high scores from Western European countries as well as some in the East, such as Georgia and Ukraine.[14] However, the levels of support for Conchita varied across Europe: on average she received 4.4 points out of 12 from the post-Soviet states (excluding the Baltic states), 6 points from the other ex-socialist states, and 10.5 points from Western Europe, Scandinavia, Greece, and Israel.[23] Commenting on this, political analyst Alan Renwick of the British University of Reading asserted that "Even in those countries where the ruling elites are often highly intolerant, the wider population might be readier to accept that different people might be different."[23]

Upon being awarded the trophy, Conchita held it aloft and proclaimed "We are unity and we are unstoppable".[14][22] She later confirmed to reporters that this was a message meant for politicians who opposed LGBT rights, including President of Russia Vladimir Putin, whose administration had implemented a law restricting LGBT rights in June 2013.[22]

On returning to Austria, Conchita was greeted at the airport by a crowd of over 1000 cheering fans, many wearing fake beards and singing "Rise Like a Phoenix".[22] To journalists, she expanded on the message of tolerance which she had championed at Eurovision: "It was not just a victory for me but a victory for those people who believe in a future that can function without discrimination and is based on tolerance and respect."[14][22] President of Austria Heinz Fischer asserted that it was "not just a victory for Austria, but above all for diversity and tolerance in Europe".[22] A local radio station celebrated by playing "Rise Like a Phoenix" on a loop 48 times over four hours.[22] The UK's Eurovision commentator Graham Norton commented on the socio-political significance of Conchita's victory: "it seems like Eurovision has done something that matters just a little bit".[14] Greek singers and former Eurovision entrants Helena Paparizou and Anna Vissi expressed their liking of the song and Conchita's appearance.[24][25] Vissi also compared the latter to Italian singer Mina's similar appearance as a bearded woman on the cover of a 1981 album of hers, to critically highlight that "[it is] 2014 and we still cannot accept statements of diversity."[26]

Conchita performing at London's gay superclub Heaven in May 2014

Following her victory, Conchita became an icon for Europe's LGBT community.[4][27] Vienna's tourist board hoped to use Conchita to encourage more gay holidaymakers to visit the city, using her image on the Facebook page "Gayfriendly Vienna".[28] The Week stated that she had become "a serious figure of hope" for some LGBT people living "under the shadow of officially-sanctioned intolerance" in various European countries,[29] while British trans activist Paris Lees commented that across Europe she inspired "millions of people" and stood up for "everyone who has ever been made to feel ashamed or afraid for being different."[30] LGBT rights groups in Serbia and Croatia criticised the tone with which their national broadcasters referred to Conchita, deeming it offensive and homophobic; Serbia's RTS subsequently issued a letter of apology.[23]

In Russia, "Rise Like a Phoenix" topped the internet download chart two days after the competition.[31] Fans of Conchita and LGBT rights activists applied to hold a Conchita Wurst March of Bearded Women and Men through Moscow, Russia, on 27 May, a date commemorating the 21st anniversary since the legalisation of same-sex sexual activity in the country. Officials from the city's security department rejected the request, citing a wish to "respect morality in the education of the younger generation" and to prevent violent clashes between marchers and anti-gay demonstrators.[27] Russian singer Filipp Kirkorov, who helped write the Eurovision song "Shine", called on Russians to respect Conchita's victory, saying: "it was the song that won, and in my opinion it was a beautiful song."[32]

Criticism continued to be made following Conchita's victory. Volkan Bozkır, then chairman of Turkey's foreign affairs committee, remarked "thank God we no longer participate in Eurovision".[33] The leader of Poland's opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jarosław Kaczyński, said that "Very disquieting things are going on in Europe, things that show decadence, downturn and we would like to reverse this trend."[34][35] The spokesperson of the Law and Justice (PiS) party stated that "Conchita Wurst is (...) a symbol of Europe I don’t want. My Europe is based on Christian values."[35] Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin posted on social networking service Twitter that the result "showed supporters of European integration their European future: a bearded girl."[22] Russia's opposition politician, the ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, proclaimed "There's no limit to our outrage. It's the end of Europe", later adding that "Fifty years ago the Soviet army occupied Austria. We made a mistake in freeing Austria. We should have stayed."[22][27] Deputy leader of Russia's opposition Communist Party, Valery Rashkin, announced that "The last Eurovision results exhausted our patience... We cannot tolerate this endless madness", calling for the foundation of an alternative, The Voice of Eurasia, in which Russia and its neighbouring allies could compete.[36] The Russian Orthodox Church condemned Conchita's victory, with Vladimir Legoyda, chairman of the church's information department, describing it as "yet one more step in the rejection of the Christian identity of European culture", reflecting an attempt to "reinforce new cultural norms".[37] A social media campaign involved Russian men shaving off their beards in protest at Conchita's victory; those taking part included broadcaster Andrey Malakhov and rapper Aleksander "ST" Stepanov.[38]

Patriarch Irinej of Serbia asserted that the May 2014 flooding (mainly in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina) was "divine punishment" from God for Conchita's victory.[39] Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro also blamed Conchita's victory for the floods.[39] Irish television presenter for the BBC and former Eurovision BBC commentator Terry Wogan described that year's performance as a "freak show".[40] Reacting to these critics, Conchita stated "It's so ridiculous! For me a perfect world would be when we don't have to talk about sexuality, where you're from, what you believe. Is this the worst thing in the mind of the politicians?"[3] She stated her desire to perform in Russia for the country's LGBT community, "To tell them that they are not alone. The whole community around the world is standing behind them. They have to trust that if they open their mouth, then we can change something."[3] To a reporter from The Observer, she commented: "It's funny that these people think I'm so powerful. I've figured out over the years, you can only hurt me if I love you; if I don't know you, I really don't care. There are people who want to kill me and I'm always like, 'Well, get in line, darling.'"[4]