When did eurovision become a gay thing
The ‘gay world cup’: why LGBTQ+ audiences love Eurovision
In 1956, seven European countries – Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and West Germany – gathered in Lugano, Switzerland for the first ever Eurovision Song Competition. The competition was only broadcast in select countries, sense only a little number of viewers watched Swiss entry Lys Assia prevail the grand prize with the tune Refrain.
Over the years, the contest has become a glitzy, kitschy spectacle of both the stunning and the bizarre, drawing in over 160 million viewers at last year’s event. In 2023, Eurovision returns to the UK (last year’s runners up) on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine for the first time since 1998, a date few anticipated after years of zero success.
As well as the contest’s overall transition from miniature show to large spectacle, Eurovision has also developed a dedicated and emotional fandom over the years, many of whom are members of the Gay community.
I have always been a giant follower of the contest. Eurovision is a perfect cohesion of my have fanhood and my research interests surrounding contemporary LGBTQ+ advocacy and visibility. An international m
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This is an adapted version of a communicate I originally gave as part of LGBT History Month at the University of Hull in February 2014.
This post starts with thinking about a term that gay journalists in Britain have started to use to refer to the Eurovision Song Contest: the ‘Gay World Cup’. The comparison that Benjamin Cohen (the founder of Pink News) and Scott Mills (the BBC Radio 1 DJ who now commentates on Eurovision semi-finals) have made between Eurovision and the World Cup in recentinterviews is only one of several nicknames that imagine Eurovision as a ‘gay’ version of a ritual celebration: for a German journalist quoted in Peter Rehberg’s essay on ‘queer nationality at the Eurovision Song Contest’, Eurovision is the ‘gay Christmas’ (Rehberg 2007: 60), and one of the gay men Dafna Lemish interviewed during her explore on Eurovision fandom in Israel similarly called it ‘Passover for the homos’ (Lemish 2004: 51, £).
All these other events are mainstream social celebrations – heteronormative celebrations – that have traditionally contained very little space for lgbtq+ people and thei
Eurovision: Is the homosexual world cup giving up on its gays?
Eurovision has always been one for the gays. Dubbed “the gay planet cup”, the annual singing competition holds a special place in the lives of many Gay people, who doggedly follow every aspect of its dramatic, kitschy and camp extravaganza of self-expression. Over the years, the contest has platformed queer performers from across Europe, from Dana International and Conchita Wurst, to last year’s winner, Swiss singer Nemo, who became the first openly non-binary artist to scoop first place with their ballad “The Code”. The competition has famous marriage equality, championed inclusivity, and beamed out much-needed Gay representation across the world. Pride be damned: Eurovision is often heralded as the true peak of the gay calendar.
But that might be about to change. In April, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), who owns and operates Eurovision, announced changes to their flag policy, banning contestants and their delegations from carrying Event flags at official Eurovision venues, events or related performances. Under the fresh guidelines, contestants and their delegations may only carry the flag of t
How Eurovision became an Homosexual safe space
The contest has become a place that makes people feel more confident of stepping inside a predominantly LGBTQ+ vacuum - and it's develop something charitable organisations can use to help others, such as London Comrade, a charity that supports the health and wellbeing of the capital's Diverse community.
Its chief executive, Monty Moncrieff, believes the draw for many is seeing themselves represented and included in one of the biggest broadcasts of the year.
"Eurovision isn't an LGBTQ+ event but it's affectionately referred to as 'Gay Christmas'," explains the dedicated contest fan.
"And I think that says a lot about how it's viewed by our community. It's a amazing opportunity to hold guarded and inclusive events, and we've done several quizzes and preview nights as fundraisers for the Diverse charity I manage in places like the [famous drag venue] Royal Vauxhall Tavern."
Monty has even been approached by organisers for his knowledge and directions in making the challenge be as safe a space as possible. For example, in 2017 he went to Kyiv on behalf of the UK fan club to aid the Br
A celebration of everything camp that even Europe’s most homophobic countries find excited about. What could this be describing other than Eurovision?
Ever since its debut in 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest has become increasingly flamboyant, with sequins and glitter now an integral, if not compulsory, part of every performance. Another aspect that has become increasingly obvious over the decades is its popularity among the LGBT+ community. Coincidence? I think not!
This May, Liverpool was proud to host the 67th edition of Eurovision, after the UK’s singer Sam Ryder won the jury vote and came second overall to Kalush Orchestra from Ukraine which, for clear reasons, was unable to host the contest this year. Since LGBT+ themes and performers now construct up more Eurovision contenders than ever before, I decided to look into what makes Eurovision so gay.
Before the birth of Eurovision, international competitions had tended to focus on one thing and one thing only: sport. Muscle-bound heterosexuals competed to view who could run faster, hit harder and leap further. Eurovision provided a breath of fresh gas. It was a platform for people to depict their country and