Conchita Wurst has revealed that she is HIV positive, adding that she has decided to make the diagnosis public because an ex-boyfriend threatened to out her. Taking to Instagram, the Austrian drag queen, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014, said that she “will not give anyone the right to frighten me or affect my life.”
She added: “Since I received the diagnosis, I have been in medical treatment, and for many years without interruption I have been below the detection limit, which means I am unable to transmit the virus.
Until now, I did not want to go public with this information for a number of reasons, only two of which I’ll mention: first and foremost my family, who know everything and have been supporting me since day one. I would have gladly spared them the attention connected to the hiv-status of their son, grandson and brother. Likewise, my friends have been aware of this for quite some time and are dealing with it with an impartiality, that I would wish everyone concerned.
Secondly, it is information that, in my opinion, is almost exclusively relevant to those with whom sexual contact would be an option.”
The global superstar drag queen with a beard rose to international fame when she captured hearts and minds across Europe to win the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest for Austria with Rise Like A Phoenix.
She added that she hoped her decision to go public helped “lessen the stigmatisation of people who have become infected with hiv” and thanked her fans for their support.
Since her victory in Copenhagen nearly four years ago, she has gone on to use her fame to campaign for tolerance and equality. She has performed at the European Parliament and the United Nations and challenged Russian president Vladamir Putin to sit down and talk to her.