Conchita Wurst to serenade UN chief

Austria's transvestite Eurovision Song Contest winner Conchita Wurst will serenade UN chief Ban Ki-moon during his visit to Vienna next week, the world body announced Thursday.
The singer, whose real name is Tom Neuwirth, will perform at the United Nations' Vienna headquarters on Monday and, along with Ban, will deliver a speech on tolerance and the rights of homosexuals.
Ban is looking forward to meeting a "cultural icon", his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York.
The spokesman said meeting with the bearded singer would allow Ban "to reassert his support for LGBT people and for them to ensure that they enjoy the same human rights and protection that we all do.
"Conchita is a symbol in that sense and I think it's good for them to meet," he said.
Since the Eurovision victory, the 25-year-old drag queen has appeared at various events to urge greater tolerance and an end to discrimination.
Wurst appeared before the European Parliament earlier this month at the invitation of five euro-MPs from different factions.