Courtney Act Wants To Represent Australia At Controversial Eurovision In Israel

The 'Drag Race' alumni will compete to represent her home country at next years controversial competition.

News . Written by Peter Dunne .

Drag queen Courtney Act hoping to appear in 2019's controversial Eurovision poses against a graffiti covered wall

With the upcoming 2019 edition of the competition promising to be quite a controversial Eurovision, drag queen Courtney Act has thrown her wig into the ring in a bid to be one of the entrants.

Courtney will appear on Eurovision: Australia Decides on February 9, 2019 in a bid to represent Australia with a song titled ‘Fight For Love’.

The RuPaul’s Drag Race Finalist and Celebrity Big Brother winner said: “A sweet 16 years after Australian Idol, I have the chance to show Australia how I have grown as an artist and performer and I am so excited! To compete to represent Oz in Eurovision is second only to being on that stage in Tel Aviv and singing my lungs out for my country.”

She continued: “‘Fight For Love’ is a dancefloor banger all about coming together and fighting for the things we believe in. I think it’s so important to think about the basic human rights of others and to use our collective voices, minds and bodies to lift those people up and bring about change.”

Some may find irony in her statement considering there have been calls for countries to boycott next year’s controversial Eurovision. The event will be held in Tel Aviv, which has led to widespread outcry due to Israel’s occupation and treatment of Palestine.

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Despite protests, the organisers of Ireland’s entry have confirmed their attendance, however RTÉ have said they will not sanction any employees who refuse to attend. Earlier this year, a number of prominent figures called for boycott. David Norris, Ailbhe Smyth and Kieran Rose backed the campaign which was organised by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, PalFest Ireland and Trade Union Friends of Palestine.

Riverdance’s set designer Robert Ballagh said at the time: “When Nelson Mandela visited Dublin soon after his release from prison in Robben Island, I asked him what role the international boycott of South Africa played in the ending of apartheid there.

“Mandela told me that ‘the boycott was one of the most important weapons in the struggle against apartheid’. As it was then, so it remains today. This is why I fully support this call for an Irish boycott of the Eurovision 2019 in Israel. We must show the same solidarity to Palestinians living under Israeli apartheid as we did to black people under South African apartheid.”

© 2018 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

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