Yahoo – AFP,
Sim Sim Wissgott, 11 May 2014
Conchita Wurst poses with the trophy after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 Grand Final in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 11, 2014
Conchita
Wurst poses with the trophy after winning the Eurovision Song
Contest 2014 Grand
Final in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 11, 2014 (AFP
Photo/Jonathan Nackstrand)
|
Conchita Wurst poses with the trophy after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 Grand Final in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 11, 2014
Vienna
(AFP) - Austria's bearded transvestite crowned Eurovision queen Conchita Wurst
returned home Sunday to a jubilant welcome, vowing to use her newfound fame to
promote tolerance.
"This
will remain an issue for a long time and I fear I won't see the end of it in my
lifetime," said Wurst, who captured Europe's imagination at this year's
edition of the song contest.
"It
will be my life's work and I gladly take it on," the 25-year-old drag
queen, who is also known as Tom Neuwirth, told reporters in Vienna.
"Yesterday
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."
Wurst's
participation in the contest had sparked controversy ahead of the finals in
Copenhagen, with petitions running in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine for her to be
dropped from the competition.
Her win was
also greeted by an outpouring of scorn from Russian politicians and stars.
But at
Vienna airport, the waifish singer was greeted Sunday by a jubilant crowd that
went wild when she stepped into the arrivals terminals in a flowing pale pink
skirt and jeans vest.
At least
1,000 fans -- some of them wearing painted beards on their face, including
women and children -- had been waiting for hours, playing Wurst's anthem
"Rise like a Phoenix" non-stop and singing along at the top of their
lungs, while waving Austrian and rainbow signs and banners that read "We
love you!" and "Conchita Queen of Love + Tolerance".
Surrounded by
an international media scrum, she lifted her Eurovision trophy in the air and
smiled to the cameras.
"I
don't really feel vindicated (against her critics). I believe everything
happens for a reason," she said afterwards.
She
insisted she was no "ambassador of tolerance... I'm just doing my little
bit. This is what I was given and I feel it's my duty as an artist to work in
that direction."
After her
win on Saturday, Wurst cried out: "We are unity, and we are
unstoppable."
"That was obviously meant for certain politicians whom we all know," she explained in Vienna. Asked if she meant Russian President Vladimir Putin, who last year signed a law banning "gay propaganda", she replied coyly "among others".
"That was obviously meant for certain politicians whom we all know," she explained in Vienna. Asked if she meant Russian President Vladimir Putin, who last year signed a law banning "gay propaganda", she replied coyly "among others".
'It's the
end of Europe'
Wurst's
unusual persona sparked a backlash from eastern Europe and her win saw an
outpouring of anti-gay anger from Russian politicians and stars on Sunday.
Deputy
Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin tweeted that the Eurovision result "showed
supporters of European integration their European future: a bearded girl."
Russian
nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky meanwhile predicted: "It's the
end of Europe... They don't have men and women any more. They have 'it'."
But Wurst
retorted that parents should just tell their children: "He's a young man
who wears women's clothes and he wants to show that you don't need to be made
fun of for that.
"I
think if you say that, kids will understand. Children are far more mature than
you might think," she said.
Austria
erupted in joy Saturday as Conchita brought the country its first Eurovision
victory in 48 years.
One local
radio station played "Rise like a Phoenix" on loop 48 times over four
hours on Sunday in honour of the win.
Further
afield, stars like Lady Gaga and Boy George have also tweeted their support for
her.
Cracking
jokes, the "bearded lady" as she likes to call herself charmed the
media crowd.
"I'm
always asked when I first realised that I'd won. Next week I think," she
said with a flutter of her long fake eyelashes.
Related Articles:
Eurovision win for Austria drag queen sparks anger in Russia
Bearded Eurovision drag queen draws controversy
The Netherlands is surprise second in Eurovision Song festival
Conchita Wurst: “This night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. You know who you are! We are unity and we are unstoppable!”.
Related Articles:
Eurovision win for Austria drag queen sparks anger in Russia
Bearded Eurovision drag queen draws controversy
The Netherlands is surprise second in Eurovision Song festival
РПЦ категорически против бородатых мужиков в платьях! pic.twitter.com/b1TLmsRI4s
— Рустем Адагамов (@adagamov) 14 mei 2014
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