Broadcaster "sorry if LGBT community was upset"

Broadcaster "sorry if LGBT community was upset"

BELGRADE -- The RST has said it expressed regret if the commentary during its broadcast of the final night of Eurovision "upset the trans population and LGBT members."

The Gay and Lesbian Info Center (GLIC) on Sunday condemned the behavior of the commentator of Serbia's public broadcaster, especially during the performance Austria's Conchita Wurst, and moments when the performer received the maximum number of points.

"The musical and entertaining character of the Eurovision Song Contest every year sets the tone also of the commenting about the quality of songs, artists, and the overall impression left by a competitor," the RTS said in a statement.

GLIC President Predrag Azdejković demanded an apology from the broadcaster, stating that he would "otherwise be forced to file a complaint with the Commissioner for Protection of Equality and with the Broadcasting Agency (RRA) representative," as he found it impermissible that the trans person Conchita Wurst was placed in the domain of "the bizarre, and circus freak shows," while the commentator was "flaberghasted when she received the maximum number of points."

In neighboring Croatia, some media have condemned the manner in which the public broadcaster there, the HRT, handled the broadcast of the competition, considering that the reporter made homophobic remarks regarding the winner.