Conchita Wurst, Threatened With Blackmail, Reveals HIV Status

Thomas Neuwirth, who won the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest performing in drag as Conchita Wurst, has announced that he is HIV positive, saying a threat of blackmail prompted him to make the news public.

In a statement posted on the official Conchita Wurst Instagram account on Sunday, Neuwirth said he has been HIV positive for “many years” and had not intended to discuss the diagnosis publicly.

“An ex-boyfriend is threatening me to go public with this private information,” Neuwirth wrote on Instagram, “and I will not give anyone the right to frighten me and affect my life in the future.”

A spokesman for the performer said in an email that Neuwirth was not available for further comment. He also clarified that Neuwirth’s preferred pronouns are “she” for references to the stage persona of Conchita Wurst and “he” for Neuwirth, the private individual.

Conchita Wurst gained international attention in 2014 when she won the Eurovision Song Contest, representing Austria. In a gold sequined dress and with a dark beard, she performed “Rise Like a Phoenix,” a power ballad fit for the opening credits of a Bond movie, and secured the top prize.

Since winning that competition, she has built an international following as a gay icon, going on tour and appearing at gay pride events around the world. In some parts of Eastern Europe, however, particularly in Russia, she is seen by many as a symbol of West European decadence and decline.

In the statement on Instagram, Neuwirth said he had been receiving treatment for HIV for many years, and his virus levels were now undetectable. HIV can be treated with drugs that reduce the viral load to a level where the immune system is healthy and the patient cannot pass on the virus.

“I hope to show courage and take another step against the stigmatization of people with HIV,” he added.

Wolfgang Wilhelm, president of AIDS Hilfe Wien, an organization in Vienna that campaigns for people with HIV and AIDS, said, “That the outing of Conchita was caused by blackmailing shows how much people still fear discrimination and stigma.”

“Zero discrimination is what the global HIV community is fighting for,” he added. “This is still one of the most ambitious targets to reach.”