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CONCHITA WURST

Wurst’s manager drops stand-up Poier

Conchita Wurst’s manager Rene Berto has parted ways with another of his clients - the Austrian stand-up comedian Alf Poier, after Poier made homophobic remarks about Wurst.

Wurst's manager drops stand-up Poier
Conchita Wurst. Photo: APA

Before Wurst went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest Poier made some hurtful remarks about the singer. "If someone does not know whether he is a man or a woman, then he should be going to a psychotherapist, not the Song Contest," Poier said in one interview. He went on to call Wurst an “an artificially high-bred monster."

Berto has said he wants to focus all his energy on his new agency The Unstoppables GmbH and the career of his bearded protégé.

"I have always appreciated and respected Poier as a person and an artist, but it’s now come to a point where I am deeply disappointed and will draw a line under us working together, I don’t see that we now have a common future," Berto said in a press release on Monday.

"In the future I'll focus primarily on developing Conchita Wurst’s global career," Berto added. He said that he would like to release Wurst’s first album this year. After that they plan to work on a book about Wurst’s career and a documentary about this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

"Besides the music, fashion and TV will play a central role in the career of Conchita Wurst," Berto said .

In 2003, Poier himself participated in the Song Contest and secured sixth place with his entry. His stage act was a parody of the contest's excesses.

 

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HIV

Austria’s Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst reveals she is HIV-positive

Austrian bearded drag queen and Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst has announced in an Instagram post that she is HIV positive, saying she is being blackmailed by a former boyfriend.

Austria's Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst reveals she is HIV-positive
Conchita Wurst performs at the 'Voices of Refugees' benefit festival organized to support refugees at the Heldenplatz in Vienna on Oktober 3rd, 2015. Photo: AFP

Wurst, the creation of Austrian singer and artist Tom Neuwirth, 29, said in the post late on Sunday that the ex boyfriend was “threatening to go public with this private information”.

“I won't give anyone the right to scare me and to influence my life in this way,” said Wurst, describing the decision to go public as removing a “sword of  Damocles”.

The post has already received more than 26,000 “likes” on Monday morning.

 

heute ist der tag gekommen, mich für den rest meines lebens von einem damoklesschwert zu befreien: ich bin seit vielen jahren hiv-positiv. das ist für die öffentlichkeit eigentlich irrelevant, aber ein ex-freund droht mir, mit dieser privaten information an die öffentlichkeit zu gehen, und ich gebe auch in zukunft niemandem das recht, mir angst zu machen und mein leben derart zu beeinflussen. seit ich die diagnose erhalten habe, bin ich in medizinischer behandlung, und seit vielen jahren unterbrechungsfrei unter der nachweisgrenze, damit also nicht in der lage, den virus weiter zu geben. ich wollte aus mehreren gründen bisher nicht damit an die öffentlichkeit gehen, nur zwei davon will ich hier nennen: der wichtigste war mir meine familie, die seit dem ersten tag bescheid weiss und mich bedingungslos unterstützt hat. ihnen hätte ich die aufmerksamkeit für den hiv-status ihres sohnes, enkels und bruders gerne erspart. genauso wissen meine freunde seit geraumer zeit bescheid und gehen in einer unbefangenheit damit um, die ich jeder und jedem betroffenen wünschen würde. zweitens ist es eine information, die meiner meinung nach hauptsächlich für diejenigen menschen von relevanz ist, mit denen sexueller kontakt infrage kommt. coming out ist besser als von dritten geoutet zu werden. ich hoffe, mut zu machen und einen weiteren schritt zu setzen gegen die stigmatisierung von menschen, die sich durch ihr eigenes verhalten oder aber unverschuldet mit hiv infiziert haben. an meine fans: die information über meinen hiv-status mag neu für euch sein – mein status ist es nicht! es geht mir gesundheitlich gut, und ich bin stärker, motivierter und befreiter denn je. danke für eure unterstützung!

A post shared by conchita (@conchitawurst) on Apr 15, 2018 at 12:01pm PDT

“Coming out is better than being outed by someone else. I hope to give others courage and to take another step against the stigmatisation of those  who… have contracted HIV,” Wurst added. 

Wurst said that she had been receiving medical treatment since her diagnosis and that it had been suppressed to undetectable levels, so it could  not be transmitted.

“I'm stronger, more motivated and freer than ever,” Wurst said.

She praised the “unconditional support” she had received from her family and added that sparing them the publicity was one reason she had not chosen to share the information before now.

“My friends have also known for quite a while now and have approached with it a spirit of acceptance that I would wish for all those affected,” she said.

Wurst shot to fame after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014 with  her song “Rise Like A Phoenix” and used her platform to campaign for gay  rights.

In February she announced a new album in collaboration with the Vienna  Symphony Orchestra and is due to host the Amadeus Austrian Music Awards next  week.