Lion of Love: Representations of Russian Homosexuality and Homophobia in Netflix’s Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Baker, Catherine

Abstract

Alexander Lemtov, the Russian antagonist of Netflix's 2020 musical comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, embodies and dramatizes contentions over Russian homophobia, disavowals of homosexuality in Russian entertainment, and the construction of LGBTQ+ equality as a defining value of ‘European’ space which have surrounded the real-life Eurovision Song Contest since the mid-2000s. An assertively-heterosexual sex symbol in public, Lemtov in private exemplifies the trope of the closeted gay entertainer whose performances of machismo allow him to hide his admiration for the male body in plain sight. His depiction could potentially open space for exploring how other queer male Russian entertainers have historically negotiated homophobia but is constrained within a liberal sexual geopolitics that demands further recontextualization following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Citation

Baker, C. (2024). Lion of Love: Representations of Russian Homosexuality and Homophobia in Netflix’s Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Historical reflections, 50(2), 61-76. https://doi.org/10.3167/hrrh.2024.500205

• Journal Article Type: Commentary
• Acceptance Date: Jan 9, 2024
• Online Publication Date: May 10, 2024
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2024
• Deposit Date: Aug 16, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 11, 2025
• Journal: Historical Reflections
• Print ISSN: 0315-7997
• Electronic ISSN: 1939-2419
• Publisher: Berghahn Journals
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 50
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 61-76
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3167/hrrh.2024.500205
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4361620