ABSTRACT
Israel joined Eurovision in 1973, and has since won the contest three times and hosted it twice. Inclusion within the contest was perceived as a source of national pride, according Israel legitimacy as a "European" country: Western, developed and respected. This chapter considers the role of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in the lives of Israeli gay men and its contribution to their construction of a distinct cultural identity. The Israeli gay male community has witnessed a dramatic transformation and mainstreaming since the late 1980s, but is still often confronted with stereotypical and negative portrayals of itself in the popular media and with few realistic or positive representations. Dana International's bond with the gay community worldwide was evident in the many news articles and websites that followed her victory and debated her political and cultural contributions to gay issues.
