Russia and Ukraine faced off again Saturday, after their Ukraine – Russia crisis , on the shining stage of the Euro vision Song Contest.
Tensions between the neighbors gave an added spark to the competition’s grand final in Copenhagen, Denmark, in which both nations were final entries.
On the night, however, 25-year-old from Austria was the one who was talked about and she was the one who stole the show. Conchita Wurst, the on stage drag persona of Thomas Neuwirth, was the runaway winner for a performance of the ballad “Rise Like A Phoenix.”
Wurst also refers to herself as “the bearded lady,” she says on his website.
In her private life,she calls himself “Tom” and refers to himself as “he.”
Wurst Performed in a skintight dress with long hair and a full beard and scored 290 points and became Austria’s first Eurovision winner since 1966.
“For me, my dream came true,” Wurst told reporters after the contest.
“But for society it showed me that people want to move on, to look to the future. We said something, we made a statement.”says Wurst to the reporters.
Wurst’s presence in the competition raised questions in some countries. In Armenia, Belarus and Russia — there are laws against “gay propaganda” and which was passed last year — petitions were circulated for removing the singer from competition  or edited out of the broadcast.
In Russia, Wurst’s win drew boos in some places where audiences had gathered to watch the contest.
Wurst’s manager, Rene Berto, described the win as a victory for tolerance, one of the main themes emphasized by the contest’s organizers.
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