Eurovision has stirred up some controversy on this front, as Georgia and Greece have reacted negatively at Finland's Krista Siegfrids kissing her female backup singer at the end of the performance. Now, this is a competition where there are no rules when it comes to who people can be - the most obvious example being a trans woman from Israel, Dana International, who won the competition in 1998. That's a decade and a half ago! Attitudes have changed a lot since then, and still being gay is incredibly hard in this world for far too many people, and several westerns countries, that are seemingly very tolerant, are still making a fuss over equal marriage and finding too many excuses not to start amending the marriage law.
The Culture & Arts sector has throughout history attracted a big variety of different people with different interests, personalities and values - one similarity being that they are creative souls and willing to push the boundaries of what is considered acceptable. The Eurovision Song Contest is no exception. Every year we see entrants from all walks of life, and from all cultures (naturally). Some can be obnoxiously camp, others sensibly open-minded, and some plain vanilla, and they are all equal on that stage (let's forget neighbour-favouritism for this). That's what it's about.
I know what you mean about the extravagances on Eurovision, but the annoying thing about society these days is that yes, homosexuality is gradually becoming more and more accepted. But, is it being treated more as a novelty than as something of a social norm? As much as I love the extra efforts celebrities and some major events put emphasis on the issue of homophobia, it seems like they are almost... I don't know... putting them up for show than raising awareness.
ReplyDeleteBut hey ho, novelty is better than hate I suppose :)