TL;DR
- Eurovision organizers will hold a November vote on Israel’s participation.
- Multiple countries, including Ireland and Spain, threaten a boycott if Israel stays.
- Israel’s military actions in Gaza have sparked outrage across Europe.
- LGBTQ fans, long central to Eurovision’s culture, are torn between glitter and geopolitics.
- The vote could redefine Eurovision’s image as an inclusive, safe stage.
Eurovision’s glitter meets geopolitical firestorm
The Eurovision Song Contest—known for sequins, camp, and unapologetic queerness—is staring down a crisis that could turn the stage lights off for Israel. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced its 68 members will vote in November on whether Israel should remain part of the 2026 competition, after months of outrage over the country’s actions in Gaza.
Several broadcasters, including those from Ireland, Spain, and the Netherlands, have already said “no thanks” to sharing the stage if Israel is still in. In July, Irish broadcaster RTÉ revealed that a coalition of countries gathered to air their “concerns”—a diplomatic way of saying they’re ready to pack up their glitter if nothing changes.
Numbers tell a brutal story: over 66,000 Palestinians and nearly 2,000 Israelis have died since the conflict reignited after the October 7 attacks in 2023. Human rights groups have slammed Israel’s continued blockade of food and medical supplies into Gaza, calling it collective punishment on a starving population. The optics of celebrating “unity through song” while Gaza burns have become unbearable for many.
Music meets morality
The backlash is loud. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said it could no longer justify sending its pop hopefuls into what feels like a moral minefield. Even in the UK, BBC director-general Tim Davie admitted he was “aware of the concerns,” though he stopped short of committing to a stance. The EBU’s decision to include even non-participating countries like Tunisia, Jordan, and Lebanon in the vote shows just how high the stakes are.
Opponents say keeping Israel in Eurovision is “unconscionable” given the devastation in Gaza. Supporters argue the contest has always been about music, not politics. But let’s be real: Eurovision has always been political, from Cold War rivalries to queer liberation anthems. Pretending otherwise is just sequins over scars.
What it means for the LGBTQ community
For queer fans, Eurovision isn’t just a music contest—it’s a sanctuary. It’s the annual ritual where drag queens, trans artists, and fans in rainbow flags dance shoulder-to-shoulder under the same disco ball. But the Gaza conflict has forced LGBTQ communities to reckon with uncomfortable questions: can glitter and glam coexist with global grief?
The LGBTQ community has long stood on the side of justice, from Pride marches to boycotts against apartheid. For many queer fans, ignoring Gaza’s humanitarian crisis feels like betraying that legacy. As one queer Eurovision superfan put it, “If Eurovision is about unity, then we can’t ignore the people who are dying.”
This November’s vote isn’t just about Israel—it’s about what Eurovision stands for in 2025 and beyond. Will it remain the world’s biggest camp spectacle, or will it finally admit that the stage is never apolitical? Either way, LGBTQ fans will be watching, glitter in one hand and protest signs in the other.