Thomas "Tom" Neuwirth is an Austrian singer who first came to public attention in 2007 after finishing as runner-up in the 2007 casting show Starmania. Four years later he returned to television in drag as the character "Conchita Wurst" on the Austrian talent show Die große Chance. After being selected to represent Austria in the 2014 Eurovision Contest, as Conchita Wurst, she won the competition with 290 points.
Wurst's win wasn't the first by a contestant pushing the boundaries of gender identity. Back in 1998 Israel's Dana International, who'd undergone sex reassignment surgery five years previously, won with the song "Diva."
Speaking backstage after her victory, Wurst commented that she felt Europe had taken a stand by voting her the winner. "I dream of a world where we don't have to talk about unnecessary things like sexuality, who you love," she said. "I felt like tonight Europe showed that we are a community of respect and tolerance."
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