Yaron transitioned to Sharon 1993 with surgery in London. She took the name Dana International from her first album, Danna International. She has been a recording artist since her transition. She has released 8 albums and 3 compilation albums.
In 1995 she was second in the competition to be the Israeli contestant in that year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
In 1998 she was the Israeli contestant in The Eurovision Song Contest, which she then won with the song ‘Diva’. This was controversial in Israel where Orthodox Rabbis and the Shas Party tried to have her selection cancelled.
The next year she sang Stevie Wonder’s song ‘Free” during the Interval of The European Song Contest, presented the awards and fell over onstage in front of an estimated audience of over 1 billion.
In 2009 Sharon campaigned in the election for the Kadima party.
In 2011she represented Israel again, and reached the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest with her song “Ding Dong”.
- Dana International Fansite. www.danainternational.com.
After she won the Eurovision song competition, a serious religious debate was held as to whether, and how, Dana International (a transgender woman) should pray in a synagogue. One rabbinical authority concluded that Dana should be counted in a minyan as a man, but could not sing in front of the community since she was also a woman, according to the rabbi, and that would violate the Orthodox rule of kol isha. http://www.owlapps.net/owlapps_apps/articles?id=54417816&lang=en
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