LGBTQ visibility in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision has been a platform for LGBTQ visibility since the 1990s.
The Eurovision Song Contest has long been popular with LGBTQ audiences, and since the 1990s its organisers have made deliberate efforts to welcome those fans. Over the years, the event has included openly LGBTQ performers, songs referencing same-sex relationships, and drag acts, while also drawing criticism and censorship from some nations and political factions. The first openly gay artist to compete was Iceland’s Paul Oscar in 1997. That same year, Katrina Leskanich, who won for the United Kingdom as the lead singer of Katrina and the Waves, later came out. In 1998, Israel’s Dana International became both the first trans performer and the first trans winner of the contest. Since then, several other openly LGBTQ artists have taken the trophy: Conchita Wurst—the drag persona of openly gay Thomas Neuwirth—won for Austria in 2014; openly bisexual Duncan Laurence triumphed for the Netherlands in 2019; Serbia’s 2007 winner Marija Šerifović came out as a lesbian in 2013; Sweden’s two-time winner Loreen (2012 and 2023) came out as bisexual in 2017; Victoria De Angelis of Italy’s winning band Måneskin (2021) is openly bisexual, while bandmate Ethan Torchio has described himself as “sexually free”; and Switzerland’s 2024 winner Nemo is the first openly non-binary artist to win. As European attitudes toward same-sex attraction have shifted, some past participants have come out years or decades after their Eurovision appearances. Belgium’s Bob Benny, who competed in 1959 and 1961, publicly came out as gay in 2001. Switzerland’s 1973 entrant Patrick Juvet came out as bisexual in 2005. Several Eurovision presenters have also been LGBTQ. Yigal Ravid and Assi Azar hosted in Israel in 1999 and 2019, respectively. Nikkie de Jager, who hosted in the Netherlands in 2021, was the first transgender host. Mika, who is gay, hosted the 2022 edition in Italy. Graham Norton, also gay, hosted the 2023 final in the United Kingdom and has been the BBC’s television commentator for the contest since 2009. Some past songs and performances have included references to same-sex relationships. One of the earliest winning entries, Luxembourg’s “Nous les amoureux” (1961), was later confirmed by its performer Jean-Claude Pascal—himself gay—as alluding to a homosexual relationship and the challenges the couple faced.
- First openly gay artist
- Paul Oscar (Iceland, 1997)
- First trans performer and winner
- Dana International (Israel, 1998)
- First openly non-binary winner
- Nemo (Switzerland, 2024)
- First transgender host
- Nikkie de Jager (Netherlands, 2021)
- Earliest winning song with lgbtq referen
- Nous les amoureux (Luxembourg, 1961)
Lore & Background
Paul Oscar became the contest's first openly gay artist when he represented Iceland in 1997. Dana International, representing Israel in 1998, was the contest's first trans performer and became the first trans artist to win. Several open members of the LGBTQ community have since won: Conchita Wurst (Austria, 2014), Duncan Laurence (Netherlands, 2019), and Nemo (Switzerland, 2024). Other winners later came out, including Marija Šerifović (Serbia, 2007) as a lesbian in 2013, and Loreen (Sweden, 2012 and 2023) as bisexual in 2017.
Past competing songs have included references to same-sex relationships. 'Nous les amoureux' for Luxembourg in 1961 was later confirmed by its performer Jean-Claude Pascal as containing references to a homosexual relationship, though lyrics were deliberately ambiguous. Krista Siegfrids' 2013 performance for Finland featured a same-sex kiss. Ryan O'Shaughnessy's 2018 performance for Ireland featured two male dancers portraying a same-sex relationship. Several drag acts have also featured, including Conchita Wurst, Verka Serduchka, DQ, and Sestre.
Reader's Guide
LGBTQ visibility in Eurovision has been both celebrated and contested. Dana International's selection in 1998 was met with objections and death threats from Orthodox religious sections of Israeli society. Turkey's broadcaster TRT pulled out of the contest in 2013, citing LGBTQ performances as a reason for its continued boycott, and later pulled its broadcast of the 2013 contest in response to Krista Siegfrids's same-sex kiss. Hungary's broadcaster MTVA reportedly chose not to enter the 2020 contest amid a rise in anti-LGBTQ sentiment in the Hungarian government, though no official reason was given.
Following Russia's 2013 'gay propaganda' law, the 2014 contest saw increased booing during the Russian performance. Conchita Wurst's win was criticized by Russian conservative politicians. In 2018, China's Mango TV censored Ireland's Ryan O'Shaughnessy performance and audience pride flags, leading to termination of broadcast rights. These clashes highlight how Eurovision has become a stage for broader European debates on LGBTQ rights, with the contest's producers installing 'anti-booing technology' in 2015 and presenters repeatedly calling on audiences not to boo.
Did You Know?
- Paul Oscar was the contest's first openly gay artist, representing Iceland in 1997.
- Dana International was the first trans performer to win the contest, in 1998.
- Nemo, who won in 2024, is the first openly non-binary artist to win.
- Turkey's broadcaster TRT pulled its broadcast of the 2013 contest in response to a same-sex kiss.
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Elsewhere in Eurovision
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