Man in skirt wins the Eurovision song contest

[happykilt]

The 2014 Eurovision Song Contest has been won by Austria and Conchita Wurst.
http://metro.co.uk/2014/05/11/europe-de ... r-4723835/

[pleated]

The article describes this person both as a "Drag Queen" and as "her".
So, is this a "drag artist", a "transgendered person", or a "man in a dress"?

Maybe even "a bearded lady"?

[Sinned]

His ( and he is a he ) real name is Thomas Newirth is a transvestite. I did notice that, wearing his tight gold dress last night, the familiar male bulge at times so he is apparently still male although his voice appears rather high. My view is that the institution got the winner it deserved. Take that however you wish.

Not sure that this does anything to further our cause as he is a full-blown transvestite rather than just a skirt wearer. I did think that the woman wearing a similar beard who presented the Austrian points distribution a very nice humorous touch.

[janrok]

Actually his or her name is Thomas Neuwirth.
More interesting is that the artist name Wurst is German for sausage or weener, obviously not without a reason!
Jan.

[skirtyscot]

Man with beard and moustache makes a pretty unusual drag queen. More like a plain old man in a dress if you ask me.

[happykilt]

Here is something: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conchita_Wurst

What I have read in Finnish news is that in street life he is a he but when performing he is a she with a beard. Haven't seen anything relevant (=something else than speculations) of his "trans-" whatever, so it might be safest to see him as a drag-artist with a sympathy to trans-people (keeping in mind his greetings to Putin).

[partlyscot]

According to him (her?) the Wurst part of his name can be meaning as referring to a phrase which translates to "I don't care" I'm also wondering if there is an attempt at a dual language joke, "worst"

The whole presentation is fairly obviously, (IMHO) meant to be jarring. (Bearded lady at the freak show anyone?) Partly marketing, one has to be different to get noticed, and partly to do with a statement that it's only surface, don't treat anyone different because of their surface persona, treat them according to how they are. Who would you rather hang out with? Conchitta? A burly Dude covered with tattoos? Young punk looking creature complete with 3 pounds of facial piercings? Assume that all those people are actually sweet natured beings, help old folks across the street, rescue kittens, that sort of thing. Or would you rather spend time with an acid tongued asshole who wouldn't give you 5 cents to make up the price of a coffee from a vending machine?

I frankly admit, the look is one which makes me uncomfortable at first, but we should just get over it, it's mostly our own insecurities causing those feelings. I would hope that the very worst reaction from folks on here is "Well, that's a bit weird, but good luck to you dude, er Duddette"

[partlyscot]

Not sure that this does anything to further our cause as he is a full-blown transvestite rather than just a skirt wearer. I did think that the woman wearing a similar beard who presented the Austrian points distribution a very nice humorous touch.

I get your point, and I sort of agree. It can cause confusion as to why we, wear skirts and the like. Or at least why some of us wear skirts. But I feel that being too narrow in what we aim for is counterproductive in the long run. That is, we shouldn't be trying to define our rights that narrowly.

Wear what you want, as long as it meets the needs of laws, decency and weather. If it is not considered mainstream where you live, decide how far you want to insist on your rights, be prepared for some mockery, and deal with it as it arises.

[crfriend]

Man with beard and moustache makes a pretty unusual drag queen. More like a plain old man in a dress if you ask me.

It's a stage costume -- a schtick, and nothing more. It's rather irrelevant to us lot.

[skirtingtoday]

Actually his or her name is Thomas Neuwirth.
More interesting is that the artist name Wurst is German for sausage or weener, obviously not without a reason!
Jan.

And I believe that Conchita is a Spanish slang word for female genitalia.

Anyway, for me I thought that the best song won on the day - which is as it should be and not because it was "a man in a frock with a beard." I did like the Austrian judge with her fake beard though I thought there were a lot of great songs and not just the usual Eurovision "ring-a-ding-ding" types

One think I did notice about the points scored and that there wasn't nearly as much of countries voting for their neighbours (Sweden, Norway, Iceland voting for each other or the former Soviet states likewise.) There was some of that but it was by no means prevalent in all the votes.

Here is a website showing his/her rising talent from an Austrian talent show in 2007 - an amazing voice!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/heres ... -years-ago

[Charlie]

I saw this guy on the BBC news. He reminded me of Kenny Everett's 'Cupid Stunt' character - in the best paaaaasible taste, of course
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5LcYT2-QTE and wait until the end.

Charlie

[skirtingtoday]

Does anyone remember this advert (with Joan Collins) from a few years back for the nutty bar Snickers?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGGSJoTRCLE

[melsav]

Does anyone remember this advert (with Joan Collins) from a few years back for the nutty bar Snickers?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGGSJoTRCLE

Never seen it before but quite good

[Zorba]

That guy TOTALLY rocks that dress! He's fairly similar to my own look.

[ethelthefrog]

The article describes this person both as a "Drag Queen" and as "her".
So, is this a "drag artist", a "transgendered person", or a "man in a dress"?

She has chosen to be addressed using female pronouns, so we should respect her decision on this matter.

His ( and he is a he ) real name is Thomas Newirth is a transvestite. I did notice that, wearing his tight gold dress last night, the familiar male bulge at times so he is apparently still male...

Whether or not she has a bulge does not change that she is who she is, and she doesn't need us to tell her she is "obviously" a man, because, frankly, the contents of her underwear is none of our business. No body part can define you as a person, that is down to one's mind. these women are not defined by their hair, should it be different for Conchita?

In addition, if she chooses to present on stage as a woman, that is her right; if she then goes home and lives her life as a man, that is equally her right. She really doesn't need any of us policing her gender identity or her gender presentation.