Gay brotherhood: Israeli gay men and the Eurovisn Song Contt | 11

Contents:

• I'M A EUROVISN FAN, BUT AS A GAY MAN AND A PALTIAN I N'T SUPPORT THIS YEAR
• 'WE USED GAY-IENDLY EUROVISN TO HI THE TTH, THAT WE’RE A RACIST AND CONSERVATIVE COUNTRY'
• BILAL HASSANI, A GAY FRENCH SGER, IS THE MIDDLE OF ISRAEL’S EUROVISN STORM‘JE SUIS FREE’A PREVLY UNKNOWN 19-YEAR-OLD IS THE LIVG EMBODIMENT OF ALMOST EVERY SOCIAL STRS TEARG AT THE FABRIC OF EUROPE: IMMIGRATN, INTY, NATNAL AFFILIATN.NOGA TARNOPOLSKYUPDATED MAR. 01, 2019 6:17AM EST / PUBLISHED MAR. 01, 2019 5:52AM EST FOC KAN/GETTYTEL AVIV—LIKE MANY ANOTHER CHIC PARISIAN, BILAL HASSANI LAND TEL AVIV WEARG BIG JACKIE O AM, IFFED AN IMPECBLE BLOND BOB, WH EYEBROWS SCULPTED TO PERFECTN AND MATTE, PALE PK LIPSTICK HLY APPLIED. FELLOW PASSENGERS ASKED HIM FOR PICTUR AS THEY DISEMBARKED THE MEDERRANEAN SUN.WHO IS BILAL HASSANI? ACRDG TO FRENCH GLAMOUR, HE’S “THE SGER AND FLUENCER WHO SCED JA JACKSON.” IN SEPTEMBER 2018, THE MONTH HE TURNED 19, JACKSON REVEALED HER FANDOM FOR HASSANI A TWEET OF ALL-PS “LOVE” FOR HIS DANCE-PLAYLIST, WHICH FEATURED HER 2018 SGLE “MA FOR NOW.” “THE ANNUAL ENZY KNOWN AS EUROVISN IS EHER AN IRRISTIBLE FTIVAL OF PATRTISM AND POP OR AN UNBEARABLE DISPLAY OF CHVISM AND KSCH.” FOR THE RT OF , HE IS FRANCE’S GREATT EUROVISN HOPE OVER 40 YEARS. WHAT IS EUROVISN? IT IS THE OLST, GREATT REALY TV TALENT SHOW. DEPENDG ON WHO YOU ASK, THE ANNUAL ENZY KNOWN AS EUROVISN IS EHER AN IRRISTIBLE FTIVAL OF PATRTISM AND POP, OR AN UNBEARABLE DISPLAY OF CHVISM AND KSCH. THIS YEAR WILL BE HELD ISRAEL AND N OM MAY 14-18.HASSANI, AN UNABASHED FRENCH PATRT, IS CHEERFULLY, OPENLY QUEER. HIS PARENTS ARE MOROCN IMMIGRANTS TO FRANCE. ADD TO THAT HOT-BUTTON NATN ISRAEL, AND THE BTIBLE EQUATN PLAC THE SLENR, PREVLY UNKNOWN 19-YEAR-OLD SQUARELY AT THE VORTEX OF ALMOST EVERY SOCIAL STRS TEARG AT THE FABRIC OF EUROPE: IMMIGRATN, INTY, NATNAL AFFILIATN. SCE JANUARY, WHEN HASSANI’S “ROI” WAS CHOSEN TO REPRENT FRANCE, HASSANI HAS BEEN ASSAILED BY RIGHT-WG NATNALISTS WHO PROTT THAT HE IS NOT FRENCH ENOUGH, ATTACKED BY FRENCH NORTH AINS WHO CLAIM HIS QUEERNS IS AN OFFENCE TO THEIR MLIM INTY, AND THREATENED BY PRO-PALTIAN ACTIVISTS WHO ACCE HIM OF PULATG TO THE ZNIST E BEE HE’S G TO SG ISRAEL. FRENCH LAW ENFORCEMENT HAD TO GET VOLVED AND HIS MOTHER, AMA, 52, NOW REFULLY SPECTS ALL PACKAG LIVERED TO HER SUBURBAN APARTMENT BUILDG.THE LATT MENACE ME THE FORM OF AN UNSOURCED MOR, WILY REPRODUCED ISRAELI MEDIA, THAT FRANCE WOULD WHDRAW OM EUROVISN OVER AN ISRAELI MISERI LLED DOUZE POTS (“TWELVE POTS,” OR THE TOP SRE A PETG NATN N RECEIVE OM OTHER PARTICIPATG), WHICH IS SCHLED TO BEG AIRG MAY. IN A BIZARRE CINCE, THE PROTAGONIST OF THE THREE-PART SERI, SCHLED FOR MORE THAN A YEAR, IS A GAY, MLIM-FRENCH EUROVISN NTTANT WHO IS ACTUALLY A TERRORIST OM THE ISLAMIC STATE TERROR GROUP PLANNG A MASSIVE ON-AIR ATTACK ISRAEL. “OH, WE ARE FELY PARTICIPATG,” HASSANI TOLD ISRAELI MEDIA AFTER HIS ARRIVAL ON TUDAY. HE IS ISRAEL TO FILM A VIO CLIP THAT WILL ACPANY HIS STAGE PERFORMANCE.THE BUZZ SURROUNDG HIM IS ALMOST AFENG. FRANCE LAST WON THE EUROVISN 1977, 22 YEARS BEFORE HASSANI WAS BORN, AND ONE YEAR BEFORE ISRAEL’S FIRST VICTORY AT THE NTT, 1978, PARIS.HE REMAS NONPLSED. “I’M NOT GOG TO EUROVISN TO W,” HE SAID, AN TERVIEW WH THE DAILY BEAST. “I AM GOG BEE—EVEN IF THIS SOUNDS WEIRD—I BELIEVE IS MY STY TO LIVE A TLY MAGIL MOMENT ON THAT STAGE, AND EVEN IF I END UP LAST, I WILL BE THE BT LOSER.” THEN HE NFIS, “I WANT TO MAKE EVEN MY HATERS DANCE. THAT IS MY GOAL.”UNR EUROVISN L, THE VICTOR UNTRY HOSTS THE FOLLOWG YEAR’S PETN, SO THIS YEAR’S NTT WILL TAKE PLACE ISRAEL, THE HOME UNTRY OF LAST YEAR’S WNER, NETTA, WHO WON WH A SCREWBALL DOUBLE-BUN HAIRDO REMISCENT OF MNIE MOE AND TOY, A CHICKEN CLUCKG TRACK. “ROI,” (PRONOUNCED “RWAH”) IS A SOULFUL ANTHEM OF STALWART DIVIDUALY. “ROI,” MEANG “KG” FRENCH, IS SUNG THE SAME FRAN-ENGLISH DIALECT HASSANI SPEAKS NATURALLY. THE METAPHOR OF EACH DIVIDUAL BEG THE SOVEREIGN OF HIS OR HER PERSONAL REALM SPEAKS TO HIM. HIS TWTER HANDLE IS @IAMBILALHASSANI. WH TWO IENDS, HE WROTE THE SONG UNR AN HOUR.  IT OPENS “I AM ME, AND I KNOW I WILL ALWAYS BE/JE SUIS EE, OUI, J’VENTE MA VIE,” (Y, I VENT MY LIFE).AS IF ADDRSG THE HATERS, HASSANI SGS “YOU PUT ME A BOX, WANT ME TO BE LIKE YOU… AT THE END OF THE DAY YOU NNOT CHANGE ME, BOO! SO LET ME FLY AWAY…” FOLLOWG HIS RONATN AS FRANCE’S STANDARD-BEARER HE EXPECTED PHBACK, HE SAYS, BUT HE DID NOT EXPECT PEOPLE TO THREATEN HIS LIFE. IN SEPTEMBER 2018, AS THE BUZZ SURROUNDG THE CHANC OF “ROI” REACHED FEVER PCH, HIS MOTHER AMA, A STYLISH BLACK STRAPPY TOP, JOED BILAL, WHO WAS GURATG A LONG-HAIRED PK WIG AND SAILOR HAT, TO FILM A VIO RPONDG TO HATERS FOR HIS YOUTUBE CHANNEL. HASSANI’S PARENTS DIVORCED WHEN HE WAS THREE AND FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE HE HAS LIVED WH HIS MOTHER AND TAHA, HIS 23-YEAR-OLD BROTHER. IN THE VIO, AMA LMLY TELLS A TALK-BACKER LLED “RAYYA” THAT HE SHOULD AVOID BILAL’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL IF BOTHERS HIM, AND, TO BE HONT, THAT THE ONLY “UNNATURAL” ONE—ONE OF THE SLURS HURLED A SOCIAL MEDIA POST—WAS HIM, “FOR SPEAKG TO YOUR PEERS LIKE THIS, WH SO MUCH MEANNS.” IT IS NOT HARD TO SEE WHERE BILAL GETS HIS POISE. IN THE VIO, AMA, AN IT PROJECT MANAGER, TWIRLS AN ELEGANT FGER BY HER TEMPLE TO DITE RAYYA IS UNBALANCED BEFORE WHISTLG AND LLG OUT “NEXT!” NOGA TARNOPOLSKY
• GAY BROTHERHOOD: ISRAELI GAY MEN AND THE EUROVISN SONG CONTT
• 'GAY OLYMPICS': EUROVISN BRGS ISRAEL'S RERD ON LGBT+ RIGHTS TO THE FOREONT
• FAILG HOMONATNALISM? GAY ISRAELI EUROVISN GEEKS NEGOTIATG NATNALISM AND MASCULY

I'M A EUROVISN FAN, BUT AS A GAY MAN AND A PALTIAN I N'T SUPPORT THIS YEAR

Subwoolfer performs Tuday on behalf of Bertorello / AFP - Getty ImagHostg the extravaganza will also be two beloved out gay stars: sger Mika, who’ll be live om Tur as an onse host for the global dience, and Olympian turned NBC mentator Johnny Weir, who’ll emcee the exclive Amerin feed of the broadst on Peack.

Mar Bertorello / AFP - Getty ImagSystur’s folk ballad Eurovisn entry, “Með hækkandi sól” (“Wh the Risg Sun”), is an o to the promise of the sun’s warmth and light overg the ld darkns of lyrics of Atralian nttant Sheldon Riley’s song, “Not the Same, ” also celebrate light shg through a broken darkns — and have ronated so strongly wh some LGBTQ fans that the song is beg hailed as a gay anthem.

'WE USED GAY-IENDLY EUROVISN TO HI THE TTH, THAT WE’RE A RACIST AND CONSERVATIVE COUNTRY'

“So the ia of beg gay and beg all of those thgs that Eurovisn is so proud of beg wasn’t acceptable for me, was jt this thg that was nstantly prayed over.

BILAL HASSANI, A GAY FRENCH SGER, IS THE MIDDLE OF ISRAEL’S EUROVISN STORM‘JE SUIS FREE’A PREVLY UNKNOWN 19-YEAR-OLD IS THE LIVG EMBODIMENT OF ALMOST EVERY SOCIAL STRS TEARG AT THE FABRIC OF EUROPE: IMMIGRATN, INTY, NATNAL AFFILIATN.NOGA TARNOPOLSKYUPDATED MAR. 01, 2019 6:17AM EST / PUBLISHED MAR. 01, 2019 5:52AM EST FOC KAN/GETTYTEL AVIV—LIKE MANY ANOTHER CHIC PARISIAN, BILAL HASSANI LAND TEL AVIV WEARG BIG JACKIE O AM, IFFED AN IMPECBLE BLOND BOB, WH EYEBROWS SCULPTED TO PERFECTN AND MATTE, PALE PK LIPSTICK HLY APPLIED. FELLOW PASSENGERS ASKED HIM FOR PICTUR AS THEY DISEMBARKED THE MEDERRANEAN SUN.WHO IS BILAL HASSANI? ACRDG TO FRENCH GLAMOUR, HE’S “THE SGER AND FLUENCER WHO SCED JA JACKSON.” IN SEPTEMBER 2018, THE MONTH HE TURNED 19, JACKSON REVEALED HER FANDOM FOR HASSANI A TWEET OF ALL-PS “LOVE” FOR HIS DANCE-PLAYLIST, WHICH FEATURED HER 2018 SGLE “MA FOR NOW.” “THE ANNUAL ENZY KNOWN AS EUROVISN IS EHER AN IRRISTIBLE FTIVAL OF PATRTISM AND POP OR AN UNBEARABLE DISPLAY OF CHVISM AND KSCH.” FOR THE RT OF , HE IS FRANCE’S GREATT EUROVISN HOPE OVER 40 YEARS. WHAT IS EUROVISN? IT IS THE OLST, GREATT REALY TV TALENT SHOW. DEPENDG ON WHO YOU ASK, THE ANNUAL ENZY KNOWN AS EUROVISN IS EHER AN IRRISTIBLE FTIVAL OF PATRTISM AND POP, OR AN UNBEARABLE DISPLAY OF CHVISM AND KSCH. THIS YEAR WILL BE HELD ISRAEL AND N OM MAY 14-18.HASSANI, AN UNABASHED FRENCH PATRT, IS CHEERFULLY, OPENLY QUEER. HIS PARENTS ARE MOROCN IMMIGRANTS TO FRANCE. ADD TO THAT HOT-BUTTON NATN ISRAEL, AND THE BTIBLE EQUATN PLAC THE SLENR, PREVLY UNKNOWN 19-YEAR-OLD SQUARELY AT THE VORTEX OF ALMOST EVERY SOCIAL STRS TEARG AT THE FABRIC OF EUROPE: IMMIGRATN, INTY, NATNAL AFFILIATN. SCE JANUARY, WHEN HASSANI’S “ROI” WAS CHOSEN TO REPRENT FRANCE, HASSANI HAS BEEN ASSAILED BY RIGHT-WG NATNALISTS WHO PROTT THAT HE IS NOT FRENCH ENOUGH, ATTACKED BY FRENCH NORTH AINS WHO CLAIM HIS QUEERNS IS AN OFFENCE TO THEIR MLIM INTY, AND THREATENED BY PRO-PALTIAN ACTIVISTS WHO ACCE HIM OF PULATG TO THE ZNIST E BEE HE’S G TO SG ISRAEL. FRENCH LAW ENFORCEMENT HAD TO GET VOLVED AND HIS MOTHER, AMA, 52, NOW REFULLY SPECTS ALL PACKAG LIVERED TO HER SUBURBAN APARTMENT BUILDG.THE LATT MENACE ME THE FORM OF AN UNSOURCED MOR, WILY REPRODUCED ISRAELI MEDIA, THAT FRANCE WOULD WHDRAW OM EUROVISN OVER AN ISRAELI MISERI LLED DOUZE POTS (“TWELVE POTS,” OR THE TOP SRE A PETG NATN N RECEIVE OM OTHER PARTICIPATG), WHICH IS SCHLED TO BEG AIRG MAY. IN A BIZARRE CINCE, THE PROTAGONIST OF THE THREE-PART SERI, SCHLED FOR MORE THAN A YEAR, IS A GAY, MLIM-FRENCH EUROVISN NTTANT WHO IS ACTUALLY A TERRORIST OM THE ISLAMIC STATE TERROR GROUP PLANNG A MASSIVE ON-AIR ATTACK ISRAEL. “OH, WE ARE FELY PARTICIPATG,” HASSANI TOLD ISRAELI MEDIA AFTER HIS ARRIVAL ON TUDAY. HE IS ISRAEL TO FILM A VIO CLIP THAT WILL ACPANY HIS STAGE PERFORMANCE.THE BUZZ SURROUNDG HIM IS ALMOST AFENG. FRANCE LAST WON THE EUROVISN 1977, 22 YEARS BEFORE HASSANI WAS BORN, AND ONE YEAR BEFORE ISRAEL’S FIRST VICTORY AT THE NTT, 1978, PARIS.HE REMAS NONPLSED. “I’M NOT GOG TO EUROVISN TO W,” HE SAID, AN TERVIEW WH THE DAILY BEAST. “I AM GOG BEE—EVEN IF THIS SOUNDS WEIRD—I BELIEVE IS MY STY TO LIVE A TLY MAGIL MOMENT ON THAT STAGE, AND EVEN IF I END UP LAST, I WILL BE THE BT LOSER.” THEN HE NFIS, “I WANT TO MAKE EVEN MY HATERS DANCE. THAT IS MY GOAL.”UNR EUROVISN L, THE VICTOR UNTRY HOSTS THE FOLLOWG YEAR’S PETN, SO THIS YEAR’S NTT WILL TAKE PLACE ISRAEL, THE HOME UNTRY OF LAST YEAR’S WNER, NETTA, WHO WON WH A SCREWBALL DOUBLE-BUN HAIRDO REMISCENT OF MNIE MOE AND TOY, A CHICKEN CLUCKG TRACK. “ROI,” (PRONOUNCED “RWAH”) IS A SOULFUL ANTHEM OF STALWART DIVIDUALY. “ROI,” MEANG “KG” FRENCH, IS SUNG THE SAME FRAN-ENGLISH DIALECT HASSANI SPEAKS NATURALLY. THE METAPHOR OF EACH DIVIDUAL BEG THE SOVEREIGN OF HIS OR HER PERSONAL REALM SPEAKS TO HIM. HIS TWTER HANDLE IS @IAMBILALHASSANI. WH TWO IENDS, HE WROTE THE SONG UNR AN HOUR.  IT OPENS “I AM ME, AND I KNOW I WILL ALWAYS BE/JE SUIS EE, OUI, J’VENTE MA VIE,” (Y, I VENT MY LIFE).AS IF ADDRSG THE HATERS, HASSANI SGS “YOU PUT ME A BOX, WANT ME TO BE LIKE YOU… AT THE END OF THE DAY YOU NNOT CHANGE ME, BOO! SO LET ME FLY AWAY…” FOLLOWG HIS RONATN AS FRANCE’S STANDARD-BEARER HE EXPECTED PHBACK, HE SAYS, BUT HE DID NOT EXPECT PEOPLE TO THREATEN HIS LIFE. IN SEPTEMBER 2018, AS THE BUZZ SURROUNDG THE CHANC OF “ROI” REACHED FEVER PCH, HIS MOTHER AMA, A STYLISH BLACK STRAPPY TOP, JOED BILAL, WHO WAS GURATG A LONG-HAIRED PK WIG AND SAILOR HAT, TO FILM A VIO RPONDG TO HATERS FOR HIS YOUTUBE CHANNEL. HASSANI’S PARENTS DIVORCED WHEN HE WAS THREE AND FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE HE HAS LIVED WH HIS MOTHER AND TAHA, HIS 23-YEAR-OLD BROTHER. IN THE VIO, AMA LMLY TELLS A TALK-BACKER LLED “RAYYA” THAT HE SHOULD AVOID BILAL’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL IF BOTHERS HIM, AND, TO BE HONT, THAT THE ONLY “UNNATURAL” ONE—ONE OF THE SLURS HURLED A SOCIAL MEDIA POST—WAS HIM, “FOR SPEAKG TO YOUR PEERS LIKE THIS, WH SO MUCH MEANNS.” IT IS NOT HARD TO SEE WHERE BILAL GETS HIS POISE. IN THE VIO, AMA, AN IT PROJECT MANAGER, TWIRLS AN ELEGANT FGER BY HER TEMPLE TO DITE RAYYA IS UNBALANCED BEFORE WHISTLG AND LLG OUT “NEXT!” NOGA TARNOPOLSKY

‘We pray that Sheldon will be a real man; we pray that Sheldon won’t be gay, will be straight, will have a wife, will have kids.

Another key moment me 2014 when Concha (a gay drag queen) brought her genr non-nformg drag to the mass. Cred: APHer 'Rise Like a Phoenix' performance was scribed the prs as "the most genrqueer yet" ntt kicked off the wake of Rsia troducg s "gay propaganda" or "anti-gay" law.

GAY BROTHERHOOD: ISRAELI GAY MEN AND THE EUROVISN SONG CONTT

The law claimed to protect children om homosexualy, and nmned reprentg LGBT+ liv as a norm society for urse none of the performers ped the evable bigotry aimed at LGBT+ people - there were lls for Eurovisns boytts om some, and offensive remarks ma by certa untry's broadsts of the the msage remaed clear, as Concha clared upon beg award the Eurovisn trophy: "We are uny and we are unstoppable" the LGBT+ fan base for Eurovisn 2023 has livered on that - a big way. Homovisn Liverpool's Chavasse park scrib self as "20 years of queer art" wh 60 queer artists takg over the event's producer Josiah told 's a celebratn of "beg proud, beg queer and seeg other queer people beg so openly queer on an ternatnal stage, 's really embolng", a performer and fan, scribed the ftival and Eurovisn as "a celebratn of our art, our culture, our muny.

Cred: @HomotopiaFtIt's also been an opportuny to promote lol, queer talent. "In Liverpool and Eurovisn there's a big queer muny that love the petn and we have a massive gay scene.

'You want to know people have got your back'Wh LGBT+ fans om far and wi arrivg the cy, anisers have ma safe spac to nnect wh others and get away om the htle and btle of the ma Clark opened Pri Hoe Liverpool at the start of the month, a muny pop up that's open for the length of the Herrg, Chief Executive of Liverpool Cy Regn's Pri Foundatn, scribed the celebratns as "gay Christmas" and, as we all know, Christmas n be a strsful time. But as the son of a Paltian refugee and as a gay man, I simply nnot brg myself to take part the revelri this year.

'GAY OLYMPICS': EUROVISN BRGS ISRAEL'S RERD ON LGBT+ RIGHTS TO THE FOREONT

Wh my circl, the cricism me maly om fellow journalists or gay iends and acquatanc, sce prs eedom and LGBTI rights have both been unr attack Azerbaijan. Yet as Eurovisn heads to Israel – where journalists are ported and former members of the Israeli telligence rps have ttified that Paltians are exposed to non-stop monorg whout any legal protectn or rights – the cricism om the groups has been ’ve also been mimal pared to 2014, when, after Concha Wurst’s w, Rsian policians hurled anti-gay remarks at her and Eurovisn as a whole, g uproar LGBTI muni.

Rsia’s ntroversial “gay propaganda” law was still s fancy, and I now hear Rsia’s volvement Eurovisn regularly tied to s track rerd on LGBTI year’s Eurovisn, often nicknamed the “gay Olympics”, is beg held jt weeks before Tel Aviv Pri – an annual event where Israel prents self as a haven for LGBTI exprsn even though queer Paltian cizens of Israel do not enjoy the same rights as their Jewish unterparts. In a bizarre cince, the protagonist of the three-part seri, schled for more than a year, is a gay, Mlim-French Eurovisn nttant who is actually a terrorist om the Islamic State terror group planng a massive on-air attack Israel. You see, Azar, who hosted this year’s Eurovisn, cid to donate his entire Eurovisn salary of 105, 000 shekels (that’s more than $29, 000) to IGY, an Israeli Gay Youth anizatn which ns support groups for LGBTQ youth across the untry.

Azar, who himself is gay, ma the announcement back Febary. The son of Yemene and Bharian Jews, Azar is one of Israel’s biggt LGBTQ ins — he me out as gay back 2006.

FAILG HOMONATNALISM? GAY ISRAELI EUROVISN GEEKS NEGOTIATG NATNALISM AND MASCULY

This chapter nsirs the role of the Eurovisn Song Contt (ESC) the liv of Israeli gay men and s ntributn to their nstctn of a distct cultural inty. The Israeli gay male muny has wnsed a dramatic transformatn and mastreamg sce the late 1980s, but is still often nonted wh stereotypil and negative portrayals of self the popular media and wh few realistic or posive reprentatns.