If Eurovision is the Super Bowl of the Kitsch And the glitter, the Benidorm Fest is his academy, the contest where the new national pop divas are forged. This year, after days of drama, Conspirian theories in networks and several controversies, The festival has crowned its queen: Melody, with its song That diva. And it could not be otherwise. If there is an event that It is nourished by the show, excesses and homeland without complexesthat’s Benidorm Fest. But, beyond the final result, there is a phenomenon that is repeated every year and that the networks have put again on the table: Why is an overwhelming male presence among the public?
The romance between Benidorm Fest and the gay community
It is not necessary to be a genius to notice that, As in Eurovision, Benidorm Fest is a sanctuary where the gay community is delivered with devotion to the show and musical passion. The networks have made it clear: among the fans standing, waving flags, stirring fans and chanting each note as if it were the national anthem, there is an obvious disproportion. And this has a reason for being.
The relationship between Eurovision and the community LGTBIQ+ It is no accident. As Sietse Bakker, supervisor of events of the European Festival, explained in his day: “Many of our admirers most dedicated to the contest and that follow Eurovision throughout the year, belong to the LGBT community and this has not gone unnoticed.” Spectacularity, drama and exaggeration That characterize the event have become a kind of shelter, A safe space where diversity is not only accepted, but celebrated.
This is not something new. Already in 2007, Professor Brian Singleton of Trinity College analyzed the phenomenon: “The differences that make Eurovision as attractive as glamor, show, etc., are in which gay men are recognized to get away from the rules of masculinity. ” Since the 80s, Eurovision Fans Clubs have become a meeting point for the LGTBIQ+ communityand Benidorm Fest has not taken long to follow that same path.
The Benidorm Fest, a refuge for eccentricity and pop patriotism
Over the years, Eurovision has seen authentic LGTBIQ+ icons that have left their mark on the festival. From Dana International, The first transsexual woman to succeed in 1999, until the recent victory of Nemo in 2024through emblematic figures such as Conchita Wurst in 2014 or the charismatic Grupo Drag Verka Serduchka in 2007. These artists have not only given memorable performances, but have turned the contest into a symbol of diversity and expression without complexes.
Eurovision and Benidorm Fest function as a neutral land where the absurd and the grandiloquent pride national. For many, it is the only annual event in which one can scream “SPAIN” without doubts about their political inclination, tarnish their reputation. As journalist Peter Rehberg said in his essay ‘Queer nationality at the Eurovision Festival‘: “The contest gives the LGTB community a patriotic right that is denied in other fields.”
The LGTBIQ+ community has found in these festivals a way of living patriotism without the need for selection t -shirts or songs in a bar. Instead of painted faces and shouts of “A for them”, there are sequins, fans and A jury that always seems to conspire Against the public’s favorites.
Benidorm Fest: The Super Bowl or the Gay World Cup?
It is no accident that In the United Kingdom many of the Eurovision commentators refer to the European festival as “The Gay World Cup”. And, with his tense votes, his unexpected twists and his Point system that nobody understands at all, Eurovision and Benidorm Fest work more as a World Cup than as a simple music festival.
While in sport there are still barriers to break down, Eurovision and Benidorm Fest are a playing field where diversity is the undisputed star.
That is, the festival is not only a song contest, but a celebration of identity, expression and theatricality. His excess, his drama and his mixture of pomposity and self -consciousness have made him the perfect event for an audience that enjoys the show at its expression, celebrating each note and each plot as part of the show.
And lesbian women? The other face of the Eurovisive phenomenon
Although Eurovision and Benidorm Fest have become Symbols of diversity and queer celebration, its audience is traditionally dominated by men. If something has defined Eurovision over the years, it is its devotion to excess and its ability to turn any artist into a Eurovisive diva if it meets the requirements: powerful voice, overwhelming presence and a costume with more brightness than a tree Christmas But where are the lesbian women In this equation? While gay men have found at the festival a shelter where to challenge hegemonic masculinity with hyperbolic pop blowlesbians have looked at other musical territories. In Spain and Europe, artists such as Zahara, Vanesa Martín and Alice Wondertogether with names like Russian Red or Anne Clarkhave resonated more in the lesbian culture precisely because they have opted for an aesthetic and a speech less focused on extreme theater and more in introspection or rebellion. Alice Wonder, in fact, reached the final of Benidorm Fest 2023 with a proposal remote from the classic Euro -Vovisive show, betting on pure emotion instead of artifice.
It is not just a musical issue, but also of socialization dynamics. For gay men, Eurovision has been a meeting space, A vibrant show where heteronormativity is undone between confetti and high notes. On the other hand, many lesbians have found their own community forms in environments less linked to artifice and more to cultural and political claim. This does not mean that there are no Eurofans lesbians (that there are and many), but The Eurovisive narrative has always been more aligned with the tastes and codes of the queer male public. Could this change in the future? Perhaps when Eurovision and Benidorm Fest leave space for a diva that, instead of levitating, carry their guitar and shake the stage with a heartbreaking voice.
An announced victory and an inevitable controversy
But let’s go back to the facts: Melody has won with That diva. And while some celebrate their triumph with the same passion with which a goal is chanted in the World Cup final, others have already found reasons for the conspiracy theory. Because If there is something that never is missing at Benidorm Fest, it is Eurodrama.
For days, Twitter (or X, if we insist on calling it that) has become a Battlefield among those who believe that the televoto was a fraud, those who cry out for injustice against their favorite and those who are only here for the memes. After all, nothing says more about Eurovision and its pre -selection than a good controversy.
And now, With Melody as a representative, the question is not whether we will win Eurovision, but if this year’s controversy will be more epic than that of the previous one. At the moment, there is only one safe thing: the fans will continue to wave, the glitter will continue to fall and Benidorm Fest will be again, next year, the show where drama is a more musical genrethe brilliant is currency and LA Conspiraia a national sport.
(tagstotranslate) Mystery
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