Logo today announced that for the second consecutive year, the network will be the exclusive U.S. broadcast home of the Eurovision Song Contest when it airs the 62nd annual Grand Final live and commercial free on Saturday, May 13 at 3PM ET / 12PM PT.  Michelle Visage and Ross Mathews, judges on the Emmy® Award-winning "RuPaul's Drag Race," will serve as Logo’s commentators. Throughout the three-hour live broadcast, the Logo hosts will offer background on the event and contextualize the competition for American audiences while introducing them to contestants from each of the competing countries. The 2017 Grand Final competition and winner’s ceremony will also be streamed live exclusively for U.S. viewers at http://www.logotv.com/eurovision-song-contest, Logo’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/logoTV and the LogoTV mobile app.

“Logo is proud to return as the exclusive U.S. broadcast home for the global phenomenon that is the Eurovision Song Contest,” said Pamela Post, SVP of Programming for Logo.  “This cultural gem has taken worldwide audiences by storm and we’re thankful to once again partner with EBU so our viewers can watch the Grand Final live.”

“The EBU is thrilled to be partnering with Logo for the second year running to bring the unique spectacle of the Eurovision Song Contest LIVE to US audiences once again,” said Jon Ola, Executive Supervisor of Eurovision Song Contest. “We know that the Contest has a lot of dedicated fans in the United States and we’re excited that thanks to Logo even more viewers this year can discover the excitement of the world’s longest running annual TV music competition and “celebrate diversity” with audiences around the world.”
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The Eurovision Song Contest, organized by the European Broadcasting Union, is the world’s largest non-sporting live TV event and the most watched live entertainment program in Europe, attracting over 200 million television viewers worldwide last year alone. The 2017 Grand Final competition, following the theme “Celebrate Diversity,” will be held in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. The competition will feature acts representing 42 countries battling for the coveted trophy as well as the chance to host next year’s contest in their home country.

Eurovision is known for its eclectic mix of power ballads, ethnic rhythms, and bubblegum pop, paired with intricate lighting sequences, pyrotechnics, and elaborate costumes. Over its storied 62 year history, the contest has catapulted the likes of ABBA, Celine Dion, Olivia Newton-John, Julio Iglesias, and Cliff Richard to stardom. Ukrainian singer Jamala claimed the top prize in 2016 with her critically praised folk fusion song, “1944,” while Måns Zelmerlöw of Sweden wowed audiences in 2015 with his song “Heroes.”
 
Since its inauguration in 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest has brought together artists and viewers from across the European continent to create a sense of community and celebrate diversity of culture. Each participating member broadcaster of the European Broadcasting Union is permitted to enter one original song into the contest, which is aired live on television, radio, and the internet across the world, and then voted on by professional juries and televoters.
 
The 62nd annual Eurovision Song Contest is produced by the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) and will be held at the International Exhibition Centre in Kyiv, Ukraine.

​Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Equality New Mexico hailed New Mexico Republican Governor Susana Martinez’s decision to sign into law Senate Bill (SB) 121 -- legislation protecting LGBTQ youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of so-called “conversion therapy.”

“This is an incredible victory for LGBTQ youth in New Mexico,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. “No child should be subjected to this dangerous practice that amounts to nothing more than child abuse. By signing this crucially important legislation into law, Governor Martinez is standing up for vulnerable youth who deserve to be loved and supported for who they are.”

“As a survivor of conversion therapy that happened right here in my home state of New Mexico, it's a very special day to see this barbaric and dangerous practice banned in the place that I grew up and call home,” said Equality New Mexico Executive Director Amber Royster. “My hope is that parents and families everywhere will think twice before seeking to change their LGBTQ child or loved one, and now we have the legal mechanism to ensure it doesn't happen at the hands of licensed practitioners in New Mexico."

"Today's historic action by Governor Martinez confirms that our shared commitment to protecting all children from abuse transcends party labels and ideological differences,” said New Mexico state Senator Jacob R. Candelaria, who sponsored the bill along with Representative G. Andres Romero. “In New Mexico, we value and celebrate every child for who they are. I want to thank Governor Martinez for having the courage to stand up for the simple truth that every LGBTQ kid in New Mexico is born perfect. I also want to thank the victims of conversion ‘therapy’ who came forward to support this bill. Their stories did not fall on deaf ears. They turned their suffering into a force for good, and because of them, and for them, we have made history."

“Conversion therapy,” sometimes referred to as “sexual orientation change efforts” or “reparative therapy,” encompasses a range of practices that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. These practices are based on the false premise that being LGBTQ is a mental illness that needs to be cured, a theory that has been rejected for decades by every major medical and mental health organization.

HRC has partnered with the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and state equality groups across the nation to pass state legislation ending conversion therapy.​ California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, New York, and the District of Columbia currently have laws or regulations ​protecting LGBTQ minors from the dangerous practice. Numerous municipalities also have these protections in place.

There is no credible evidence that conversion therapy can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. To the contrary, research has clearly shown that these practices pose devastating health risks for LGBTQ young people such as depression, decreased self-esteem, substance abuse, homelessness, and even suicidal behavior. The dangerous practice is condemned by every major medical and mental health organization, including the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, and American Medical Association.

In February 2016, the Human Rights Campaign, NCLR, and Southern Poverty Law Center filed a consumer fraud complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against People Can Change, a major provider of conversion therapy. The complaint alleges that People Can Change’s advertisements and business practices which claim they can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity constitute deceptive, false, and misleading practices and can cause serious harm to consumers, all in direct violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. The complaint urges the FTC to take enforcement action to stop these deceptive practices and investigate all practitioners making similar claims.

More information on the lies and dangers of efforts to change sexual orientation or gender identity can be found here.

​The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
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