Nemo, a Swiss singer, clinched victory this week in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest with "The Code," a fusion of operatic pop and rap celebrating the singer's journey to a non gender identity. The 24-year-old Nemo beat Croatian rocker Baby Lasagna, earning the highest points from both national juries and viewers worldwide. Nemo is the first nonbinary winner of the contest, traditionally celebrated by the LGBTQ+ community. This victory also marks Switzerland's first win since 1988, when Canadian singer Celine Dion competed under the Swiss flag. At a press conference following his victory, Nemo expressed pride in receiving the trophy on behalf of those "daring to be themselves" and in need of understanding and compassion. Their triumph in Malmo, Sweden, came amidst a tumultuous year for the pan-European pop contest. Street protests against Israel's participation and the shadow of the Gaza conflict transformed the usually joyous event into a chaotic pressure cooker.
Just today more details surfaced on how Eurovision tried to prevent any attention to the nonbinary story of Nemo as the contestant was barred from bringing in a nonbinary flag. It was viewed as controversial. Nemo said they had to “smuggle” their non-binary flag into Saturday’s Grand Final. The winner called out the show’s double standard. It was not until Nemo appeared on stage to represent their country did they unveil the white, yellow, black and purple flag, also known as the non-binary flag. Fans were barred from bringing non-binary flags into the arena. Competing against finalists from 24 countries, Nemo-whose full name is Nemo Mettler-emerged victorious. The event attracted thousands of live spectators and an estimated 180 million viewers worldwide.
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