Over 120 million people watched Conchita Wurst, Austria’s controversial drag queen contestant, win the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest earlier today. Wurst, who has experienced severe backlash from conservative politicians and viewers all over Europe, floored audiences with her grand, majestic performance of “Rise Like a Phoenix.”
Wurst dedicated her victory to “everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom” and, in a wry response to her critics, noted that it was “strange that a little facial hair causes that much excitement.” She isn’t the first genderqueer contestant to take first place—Israeli pop singer Dana International, a trans woman, won in 1998—but her victory was Austria’s first in 49 years. Check out Wurst’s performance below.
