TODAY IN GAY HISTORY: Men in Russia shave their beards in protest to Conchita Wurst’s Eurovision win
13th May 2020In 2014, Drag Queen Conchita Wurst won the Eurovision Song Contest with her epic hit, “Rise Like A Phoenix” which prompted a backlash from some in Russia – despite Conchita not representing Russia in the competition or being a Russian national.
Unlike other drag queens, Conchita Wurst’s look involves a full beard, which proved a little too controversial for some.
Wurst, real name Tom Neuwirth, was the subject of much hate-mongering from online trolls in Russia, Armenia and Belarus. One top Russian politician even called the contest a ‘sodom show’ after the DQ’s appearance.
Numerous men in Russia started a hashtag on Twitter and other social networks called #ProveYoureNotConchita in which they displayed their freshly shave off beards in protest to Conchita’s win.
However, “Rise Like A Phoenix” did climb the iTunes chart to claim the Number 1 spot in the Russian iTunes’ chart despite the adverse reactions.
