--- description: The Austrian capital is gears up for the Eurovision Song Contest, which has a large LGBT following, by refurbishing pedestrian signals. title: Vienna's Pedestrian Signals Get an LGBT-Friendly Makeover image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaccfbb2aee99d67e/6987ef5706f2c1c58e3382be/vienna-traffic-lights.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Pedestrian Signals in Vienna Are Getting a LGBT-Friendly Makeover by [Kevin McSpadden](/author/kevin-mcspadden/) ## Kevin McSpadden Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 12, 2015 3:48 AM CUT  A combination of photos shows gay-themed traffic lights in Vienna May 11, 2015. A combination of photos shows gay-themed traffic lights in Vienna May 11, 2015.Heinz-Peter Bader—Reuters by [Kevin McSpadden](/author/kevin-mcspadden/) ## Kevin McSpadden Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 12, 2015 3:48 AM CUT The Austrian capital Vienna is [gearing up](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/11/us-music-eurovision-idUSKBN0NW1H520150511 "undefined") to host the 60th annual Eurovision Song Contest — which has developed a large LGBT following —by refurbishing pedestrian signal lights at road crossings to feature gay-friendly symbols. The updated lights will now tell pedestrians not to walk by flashing outlines of same-sex couples standing with their arms around one another or holding hands. A gay couple walking beneath a love heart tells pedestrians that it is safe to cross. A city official told Reuters that Vienna hopes to present itself as an open-minded city ahead of the event. The city also believes the move might help with traffic safety because the unconventional signals will make pedestrians look twice. Officials plan on collecting data to see if the hypothesis holds true. The Eurovision Song Contest has launched the careers of pop icons Celine Dion and ABBA, among others. Last year’s winner was Conchita Wurst, a drag queen portrayed by Austrian Thomas Neuwirth. Wurst’s song “[Rise Like a Pheonix](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaolVEJEjV4 "undefined")” now boasts nearly 20 million views on YouTube. Around 40 countries are competing in this year’s event with the final being held on May 23. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3854998/pedestrian-signals-traffic-lights-eurovision-vienna-lgbt/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3854998/pedestrian-signals-traffic-lights-eurovision-vienna-lgbt/"},"headline":"Pedestrian Signals in Vienna Are Getting a LGBT-Friendly Makeover","datePublished":"2015-05-12T03:48:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:07:03.427Z","description":"That can mean only one thing: the Eurovision Song Contest.","url":"https://time.com/3854998/pedestrian-signals-traffic-lights-eurovision-vienna-lgbt/","keywords":["Gay Marriage","Television","Music","Civil Rights","Austria","Céline Dion","Eurovision"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaccfbb2aee99d67e/6987ef5706f2c1c58e3382be/vienna-traffic-lights.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kevin McSpadden","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kevin-mcspadden/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaccfbb2aee99d67e/6987ef5706f2c1c58e3382be/vienna-traffic-lights.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A combination of photos shows gay-themed traffic lights in Vienna May 11, 2015.","caption":"A combination of photos shows gay-themed traffic lights in Vienna May 11, 2015.","creditText":"Heinz-Peter Bader—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3854998/pedestrian-signals-traffic-lights-eurovision-vienna-lgbt/","name":"Pedestrian Signals in Vienna Are Getting a LGBT-Friendly Makeover"}}]}] ```