"Intervision"

Putin’s anti-song contest without “perversions”

Russian head of state Vladimir Putin is always coming up with new, creative ideas.(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

After Russia was excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) due to its war of aggression, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has announced his own music show. According to information from Moscow, it should be very popular. The event is likely to take place in the Russian capital.

"I guarantee that there will be no perversions and mockery of human nature, as we saw at the Olympic Games in Paris," said Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov enthusiastically. The event offers all countries the chance to present their best musical traditions "without any censorship", promised Moscow's top diplomat at a meeting with ambassadors.

More than 20 countries have already confirmed their participation in the TV competition called "Intervision", as Putin's cultural advisor Mikhail Shvydkoi told Russian agencies. Among the participants are a number of ex-Soviet republics as well as China, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.

Russia takes action against non-heterosexuals
In Russia, the rights of minorities who do not conform to the heterosexual (alleged) norm are severely restricted. The public display of homosexuality, for example, is prohibited. The so-called LGBT movement has also been classified as an "extremist organization".

LGBT or the English abbreviation LGBTQI+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex people - any plus signs or asterisks are meant as placeholders for other identities and genders.

Queer artists are a thorn in the Kremlin's side
The Eurovision Song Contest, on the other hand, is known for the fact that openly queer artists have often competed there and the show is very colorful and diverse. In 1998, for example, trans woman Dana International won for Israel, while in 2014 Tom Neuwirth won for Austria with his fictional character Conchita Wurst and the song "Rise Like a Phoenix".

At the long Olympic opening ceremony in Paris last summer, a scene with drag queens at a table was shown. Some saw this as a re-enactment of the Last Supper and a mockery of Christianity. It later turned out that this part of the show was meant to be a feast of the Greek gods.