Israeli singer Sharon Cohen, better known by her stage name Dana International, was BOTD in 1969. Born in Tel Aviv, she was assigned male at birth, eventually coming out as transgender aged 13. In her late teens, she worked as a drag performer and released her debut single, a parody of Whitney Houston’s song My Name Is Not Susan. In 1993, she underwent gender reassignment surgery, legally changing her name to Sharon Cohen, and released her debut album Danna International. She is best known for representing Israel at the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest, winning the competition with her performance of the song Diva. Her selection to represent Israel was highly controversial, with many conservative Israelis seeking to block her participation. In her acceptance speech, she stated “My victory proves God is on my side. I want to send my critics a message of forgiveness and say to them: try to accept me and the kind of life I lead. I am what I am and this does not mean I don’t believe in God, and I am part of the Jewish Nation.” Her win made her an international celebrity, while Diva became a Top 10 single throughout Europe. She continued releasing albums throughout the 2000s, co-writing the song Ke’ilu Kan (The fire in your eyes), performed by Boaz Ma’uda in the 2008 Eurovision competition. In 2011, she again represented Israel at Eurovision, though failed to qualify for the final. She is a prominent advocate for LGBTQ rights in Israel.