Gender-Bending or Gender-Straightening? Australia and the ESC at the Intersections of Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Ethnicity

Abstract

The word ‘Eurovision’ instantly conjures up images of camp and glitter, over-the-top staging, and strongly gendered—and increasingly gender-bent—performances. In contrast, Australia’s competition entries since 2015 have played it very straight. Australian multicultural broadcaster SBS and its partners DNA Songs and Sony Music have preferred instead to pursue racial diversity, featuring performers of Indigenous and Asian-Australian background who symbolise a particular view of Australian identity, while performing quite generic disco- or ballad-style heteronormative love songs. This chapter looks, first, at the history of gendering, gaying, and gender-bending in the ESC since its inception, and their imbrication with national and European identities. What coded performance languages are used and how have they evolved? Second, the chapter turns to the specifics of Australian participation, asking the question: does Australia ‘get’ Eurovision? The final section of the chapter looks at changes to the Australian selection process in 2019: do they signal a more adventurous Australian approach to the ESC?