Conchita Wurst
Thomas Neuwirth (Gmunden, Upper Austria, November 6, 1988) is an Austrian singer known by the stage name Conchita Wurst, her character created in 2011 and created as a statement of tolerance and acceptance. Neuwirth stated that Conchita was born in Colombia, near the mountains of the city of Bogota, but that her parents took her to Germany when she was two years old, a story that is part of the fantasy of her alter ego. Conchita Wurst represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen with the song “Rise Like a Phoenix”, winning first place. Austria had not won the contest since the 1966 edition.
Conchita also became a visible figure in the LGTBI+ rights movement, participating in various campaigns, performing a protest performance in front of the European Parliament and being invited to the UN headquarters by its Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, as a spokesperson for the freedom of people discriminated against because of their gender or sexuality.
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