Paris mayor drops f-bombs on anti-LGBTQ+ critics of Olympic opening ceremonies

Anne Hidalgo — the mayor of Paris, France, the host city of the 2024 Olympic Summer Games — dropped several f-bombs on far-right conservatives who ignorantly blasted the Olympic’s opening ceremonies for allegedly “mocking Christianity.”

Conservative critics claimed that a segment of the ceremonies representing a Dionysian feast — with a lesbian DJ and drag performers — was a mockery of “The Last Supper,” a regularly re-imagined religious scene painted by gay Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo Da Vinci.

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Religious and anti-LGBTQ+ leaders worldwide blasted the segment, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and former United States President Donald Trump.

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But while the ceremony organizers have denied any intention to recreate “The Last Supper” or offend others, Hidalgo was much more blunt, saying in a recent interview, “F**k the reactionaries, f**k this far-right, f**k all of those who would like to lock us into a war of all against all.”

 

Hidalgo also said she was proud of the way that the opening ceremony presented Paris to the world, according to Politico.

She acknowledged, “There’s both admiration for this incredible city, which not many people understand, and at the same time orchestration of a hatred of Paris.”

“Paris is the city of all freedoms, the city of refuge for LGBTQI+ people, the city where people live together,” she added. “The far right’s messaging has been crushed by these Games and by the opening ceremony. Something incredibly positive is happening.”

During the segment, lesbian DJ Barbara Butch wore a silver headdress that looked like a halo, and was surrounded by drag performers, dancers, and other performers as she DJed. The performers then walked on the runway, showcasing French fashions and style. Near the segment’s climax, a man with blue skin, an orange beard, and a body and crown covered in leaves and flowers appeared on a silver platter to join the performers.

The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings. #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/FBlQNNUmvV

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024

Olympic officials have repeatedly stated that the performance was not a recreation of The Last Supper but was actually a tableau of a Dionysian feast. Thomas Jolly, the artistic director for the opening ceremonies, said, “My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock. Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”

Jolly said he hoped for the performance to be a tribute to diversity, and that the runway-table during the segment was intended a “tribute to feasting and French gastronomy.”

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