Eurovision contestant Conchita Wurst battling backlash from home country

THIS Austrian drag queen is a Eurovision frontrunner — but he’s facing a backlash from his own country.

1998 Eurovision Song Contest winner Dana International. Could Conchita repeat her success?

COULD bearded beauty Conchita Wurst take out the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest this weekend?

Wurst is the stage name of 25-year-old Austrian singer Thomas Neuwirth, who performs in drag and is one of the most eye-catching candidates among a diverse bunch at this year’s Eurovision.

Wurst has faced ridicule and negative reactions since Austria’s state broadcaster announced that it would send a drag queen to Copenhagen for this year’s contest, but she’s promised to do her country proud.

“I will not make Austria look silly,” Wurst says.

While Conchita has just under 40,000 fans on her Facebook page, almost the same number of people have joined the Facebook group ‘NEIN zu Conchita Wurst beim Song Contest’ (‘NO to Conchita Wurst for Song Contest’).

People who post homophobic comments on the anti-Conchita page on Facebook or have signed a petition against the artist in Belarus simply reveal their own intolerance, she says, stressing that she wants to spread a message against discrimination.

Austrian Eurovision contender Conchita Wurst. Picture: AFP

In 2007, Neuwirth won second place in a major Austrian TV talent show, but his career didn’t take off after that.

Four years later, he transformed into Conchita Wurst and became one of the finalists in a different talent show.

Now Wurst is bound for a third contest in Copenhagen, but her goals go far beyond that. She would like to win an Emmy one day, she says.

She will perform her song Rise Like a Phoenix at this weekend’s competition. Bookmakers don’t fancy her chances of taking out the top spot — Armenia’s entry Aram MP3 is seen as the competition favourite with his track Not Alone — but Eurovision has form when it comes to embracing trans contestants. In 1998, trans Israeli artist Dana International took out the comp with her camp dance track Diva.

1998 Eurovision Song Contest winner Dana International. Could Conchita repeat her success?

Originally published as Eurovision contestant Conchita Wurst battling backlash from home country