WHEN CONCHITA WURST won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014, she broke down a lot of barriers. She received the third highest amount of votes in Russia, which had criminalized the display of so-called ‘gay propaganda’ materials in 2013.
It’s a shame that 4 years on she is still facing obstacles from some quarters while attempting to lead her life.
The Austrian singer revealed on her Instagram yesterday that she is HIV positive in a strongly worded post.
The original post is in German and in a later English statement Conchita added that she has been in medical treatment for years and that continuous monitoring and treatment of the condition means that she is under the detection limit and as such cannot transmit the virus.
I abhor that Conchita felt pressured to reveal private information at a time not of her choosing, but I am glad to have another visible, happy, un-bowed, beautiful person living openly and healthy with HIV
— Dr Panti Bliss (@PantiBliss) April 16, 2018
❤ you @ConchitaWurst ✊️#endHIVstigma https://t.co/uFYuAJL2oH
She also explained the reason that she was revealing the information was as a result of threats from an ex boyfriend to go public with the information which Conchita said was ‘irrelevant to the public’.
I will not give anyone the right to frighten me or influence my life in the future.”
In her post she explained that she wanted to spare her family who already knew everything ‘the attention connected to the HIV status of their son, grandson and brother.’
Absolutely shameful that Conchita Wurst has been pressured into sharing her HIV status.
— Rob Holley (@robholley) April 15, 2018
No one should have to go through that but she’s an absolute inspiration for handling it the way she has 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/1565WXLJEe
She also emphasised the fact that her diagnosis ‘is almost exclusively relevant to those with whom sexual contact would be an option.’
Conchita has handled the whole situation like an absolute queen but the fact that someone tried to blackmail her into sharing her own personal medical information is deplorable.
She thanked her fans and said she hoped that her coming out would ‘‘lessen the stigmatisation of people who have become infected with HIV through their own behaviour or innocently through that of others’.
Hear, hear.
