Samo ljubezen
Encyclopedia
"Samo ljubezen" was the Slovenia
n entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002
. The lyrics were written by Barbara Pešut and the music by Robert Pešut
. It was performed by Sestre, a trio of transvestite
men dressed as airflight attendants, and marked the first time an entire ensemble had performed at Eurovision in drag
, sparking anti-gay protests in Slovenia as well as debate in the Slovenian Parliament
and the European Parliament
about the song and the public reaction. It came equal thirteenth on 33 points with Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Belgium
.
The trio Sestre (meaning Sisters), consisting of Miss Marlena (real name Tomaž Mihelič), Daphne (Srečko Blas) and Emperatrizz (Damjan Levec), won the Slovenian national final, EMA 2002, defeating the favourite Karmen Stavec
after positive reviews from the expert jury. Controversy ensued, as a technical issue with the public televoting portion of the result failed when the voting period ran overtime, leading to the nullification of the televote which Stavec won. This led to a portion of the Slovenian public, anti-gay activists, to take to the streets of the capital Ljubljana
, protesting the selection of the song, which they saw as a slight to Slovenia. Furthermore, speeches calling for the group to be disendorsed reached the Slovenian Parliament , and beyond to the European Parliament, leading to some European politicians claiming that Slovenia should not be admitted into the European Union
on account of the social attitudes to homosexuality. Emperatrizz had himself won the second runner-up award at the European Miss Transvestite 1997 pageant .
The group appeared at Eurovision dressed as flight attendants, wearing white shirts, white gloves, stocking, high heels, red cap, lipstick, glittery red suits and skirts, and all sporting short brown hair. The song did not involve dancing, and they were backed by two male and one female singer dressed as airline pilots, in a full white suit, trousers and cap. Their visual appearance at the national contest was co-designed by Uroš Belantic and Meta Podkrajšek from the Diggiloo Thrush.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002
Eurovision Song Contest 2002
The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place on 25 May 2002 at the Saku Suurhall Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
. The lyrics were written by Barbara Pešut and the music by Robert Pešut
Robert Pešut Magnifico
Robert Pešut Robert Pešut Robert Pešut (born December 1, 1965 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, known as Magnifico, is a singer from Slovenia of Yugoslavian ethnicity.His musical path started with music group U'redu, with whom he recorded his first album, Let's Dance (1992). After that, he embarked on a solo...
. It was performed by Sestre, a trio of transvestite
Transvestism
Transvestism is the practice of cross-dressing, which is wearing clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Transvestite refers to a person who cross-dresses; however, the word often has additional connotations. -History:Although the word transvestism was coined as late as the 1910s,...
men dressed as airflight attendants, and marked the first time an entire ensemble had performed at Eurovision in drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
, sparking anti-gay protests in Slovenia as well as debate in the Slovenian Parliament
Slovenian Parliament
The Slovenian Parliament is the informal designation of the general representative body of the Slovenian nation and the legislative body of the Republic of Slovenia....
and the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
about the song and the public reaction. It came equal thirteenth on 33 points with Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest
Bosnia and Herzegovina debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993 after coming second in the qualification round "Kvalifikacija za Millstreet", and has taken part every year since except 1998 and 2000, when low average scores forced Bosnia and Herzegovina to skip the contest.-History of Bosnia...
and Belgium
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
Belgium is a founding member of the Eurovision Song Contest. Since 1956, the country has participated 52 times, only being absent three times in total: in 1994, 1997 and 2001, due to low scores in the previous contests that relegated Belgium from the contest.-History of Belgium in the Eurovision...
.
The trio Sestre (meaning Sisters), consisting of Miss Marlena (real name Tomaž Mihelič), Daphne (Srečko Blas) and Emperatrizz (Damjan Levec), won the Slovenian national final, EMA 2002, defeating the favourite Karmen Stavec
Karmen Stavec
Karmen Stavec is a Slovene musician and pop singer.-Early years:Karmen was born in West Berlin, at that time part of West Germany, to Slovene parents. After graduation she came to Domžale, Slovenia, where she joined the dance duo "4 Fun". She also began to study Germanic studies at the...
after positive reviews from the expert jury. Controversy ensued, as a technical issue with the public televoting portion of the result failed when the voting period ran overtime, leading to the nullification of the televote which Stavec won. This led to a portion of the Slovenian public, anti-gay activists, to take to the streets of the capital Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, protesting the selection of the song, which they saw as a slight to Slovenia. Furthermore, speeches calling for the group to be disendorsed reached the Slovenian Parliament , and beyond to the European Parliament, leading to some European politicians claiming that Slovenia should not be admitted into the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
on account of the social attitudes to homosexuality. Emperatrizz had himself won the second runner-up award at the European Miss Transvestite 1997 pageant .
The group appeared at Eurovision dressed as flight attendants, wearing white shirts, white gloves, stocking, high heels, red cap, lipstick, glittery red suits and skirts, and all sporting short brown hair. The song did not involve dancing, and they were backed by two male and one female singer dressed as airline pilots, in a full white suit, trousers and cap. Their visual appearance at the national contest was co-designed by Uroš Belantic and Meta Podkrajšek from the Diggiloo Thrush.