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Erdogan against Eurovision: It is threatening the family

Erdogan against Eurovision: It is threatening the family

Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has attacked the European Song Festival, accusing it of encouraging "gender neutralization" and threatening the traditional family.

In a speech to the government cabinet, he described Eurovision contestants as a "Trojan horse of social corruption" and said his government was right to keep Turkey out of the festival since 2012.

Erdogan's comments appeared to refer to this year's winner, Switzerland's Nemo, who in his song recounted his journey to embracing his genderless identity. The 24-year-old became the first non-binary singer to win the competition.

"It has become impossible to meet normal people in these shows," Erdogan said. "We understand better now that we have made the right decision to keep Turkey out of this shameful competition for 12 years."