
As I said, I was quite happy about this victory, but I have been also thinking a lot on how much actual hope and change it can bring. I have written elsewhere on how slow the process of changing things for the better is. Although we certainly have a reason to celebrate, we should be careful. Some may say that this victory marks the moment of liberation for LGBT communities (at least in Europe). However, it does not mark the end of the fight. This victory gave hope to liberals, but it also angered conservatives beyond extent. It brought to LGBT individuals the hope for greater visibility, but it did not magically stop violence against these individuals.
Some time prior to Eurovision 2014, some European countries started legalizing same-sex marriages. These legal shifts have been much more impactful in lives of many people that the victory of Conchita Wurst. Yet they did not solve the problem of homophobia and anti-gay violence in Europe. Actually, in a way, these very progressive laws exacerbated the situation, as angered anti-gay groups and individuals became more violent.
What is the point I am trying to make? We should be happy about Conchita’s victory, as well as about the legalization or self-sex marriages. However, we should not stop here; we should not let ourselves or others believe that this is the Victory, and that we can now rest. If we get too happy at this point, we will let our dragons of complacency grow. And that’s not good. We should not see this event as zero victory either. This Eurovision was super important, but it is hardly the end of the battle.