Eurovision Song Contest 2015: Vienna reveals gay-themed traffic lights ahead of grand final

Austria's capital will host after trans singer Conchita Wurst won last year

Gay-friendly traffic lights in Eurovision 2015 host city Vienna (Reuters)

Vienna has debuted some special gay-friendly traffic lights ahead of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest later this month.

Dozens of lights in the Austrian capital are now showing male or female gay couples in both red for stop and green for go, instead of the standard single man.

The campaign aims to present Vienna as a welcoming, open-minded place while also improving road safety by attracting more attention to the lights, a spokesperson from the city lighting department told Reuters. Data will be collated once the campaign ends to assess how helpful it has been.

Eurovision is celebrating its 60th anniversary, with the grand final taking place on Saturday 23 May. The annual kitsch-fest has a huge gay fanbase and was won triumphantly last year by bearded transgender singer Conchita Wurst.

Gay entertainer Graham Norton will return to host Eurovision for 2015, despite bemoaning the lack of upbeat entries and the flood of “lots and lots of ballads”.

“I think it’s going to be quite a straight contest,” he told Radio Times. “Austria are taking it quite seriously, they’re delighted to have it. Conchita was really special, that night was just great.

“We’ll see it that can be replicated this year, I doubt it can be because it was just – I don’t know, it’s stupid, it’s a singing competition, who actually cares? On the night it was sort of moving and lovely.”

Copenhagen also used Eurovision as a gay rights platform, hosting same-sex weddings in the Danish capital for local people and tourists.