(CNN) -- A slender and stylish woman with a full dark beard -- yes, a beard -- stands in the middle of the roiling battle between Russia and the West, adding to the fury of a growing confrontation. Who could have imagined it? I'm talking about the singer Conchita Wurst, alter ego of the Austrian artist Tom Neuwirth. Conchita just won the hugely popular Eurovision contest with overwhelming public support, turning herself into an instant international superstar, a fact that is apparently driving many influential Russians into a foot-stomping rage. In theory, Eurovision, the venerable 58-year-old European tradition, is all about good feelings and understanding between neighbors in a continent once torn by war. In reality, it is a competition driven by crisscrossing rivalries and subtle political overtones.
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Conchita Wurst, a "woman" with a full beard, overwhelmingly won Eurovision song contest
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Frida Ghitis: She became a lightning rod in culture war between the West and Russia
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Russia, known for anti-gay laws, demanded that Conchita be removed from the contest
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Ghitis: When asked, Conchita's message to President Putin was "We are unstoppable"
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@placeholder has quite deliberately become the standard-bearer of traditional morality, cracking down mercilessly on Russian liberals, particularly on its gay and lesbian citizens, even foreign visitors, as part of an effort to stoke popular support in a country that, despite having lived through the cutting-edge social experiment of communism, remains deeply conservative.
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She uses the pronoun "she" to refer to herself, and her sexual identity can make your head spin: She is the creation of @placeholder, who uses the pronoun "he" and describes it as having "two hearts beating in my chest."
European
With that, @placeholder television viewers sent a message to Putin, and to Russia, and to all the people who would like to fight to keep the world from changing.