Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony sparked outrage due to drag performance
As Paris took the world stage, many were outraged as drag queens allegedly mirrored a visual from a famous religious painting.
As anticipation built for the Paris 2024 Olympics, viewers tuned in from all over the world to watch the opening ceremony. While many were enthralled by the artistic and inclusive art perfor- mances, others expressed outrage at a perceived nod to the Last Supper.
The French LGBTQ+ community was rep- resented at the games through a drag art performance. This performance began as a man representing the Greek God of Dionysus, who traditionally symbolizes celebration, fertility and new growth, was served on a platter surrounded by fruit and flowers. This platter was served in front of a line of drag queens, celebrating the art form’s rich history in the city of Paris.
While many enjoyed this performance and its inclusivity, the visual resemblance to the Leonardo DaVinci painting “The Last Supper” also attracted much negative attention. This painting is one of the most well known in the world and represents the final dinner that took place between Jesus and his disciples, which is an important symbol of the Christian sacrament of communion. Anne Descamps, the spokesperson of the Paris 2024 Olympics, stated that “clearly there was no intention to show disrespect to any religious group,” apologizing to those who took offense and explaining that it was meant to display tolerance. To provide further clarification, Artistic Director Thomas Jolly publicly stated that the scene was supposed to be a Pagan feast, and was not modeled after the religious painting.
Nevertheless, this performance had long last- ing effects on the atmosphere and social perception of the Olympic Games. Social media personality Andrew Tate took to the streets with a group holding signs sporting messages such as “BOY- COTT THE OLYMPICS” and “CHRISTIANITY WILL NOT BE MOCKED.” Speaking to the press, he explained that this performance felt like an at- tack against the Christian religion.
Other well known personalities posted online platforms in order to share their feelings about the opening ceremony. Donald Trump Jr. took to X to share his feelings and discuss his love for the games. He claimed a connection to the games as his mother was a former Olympian, and stated that “it’s not only a shame, but a true disservice to some of the most talented and dedicated people on earth.” His dislike of the display was echoed by Elon Musk, who also took to X to state that the performance “was extremely disrespectful to Christians.”
Religious leaders were also not pleased by the performance. Bishop Robbert Barron of the Winona-Rochester Diocese in Minnesota posted a video discussing his opinions to X. He asked what he believed to be a rhetorical question: “Would they ever have dared mock Islam in a similar way?” Barron went on to compare this performance to mocking a scene in the Quran. His video has garnered almost four million views and a wide range of responses, as individuals expressed both outrage based on the religious comparisons and agreement regarding the disrespect that was felt.
What was intended to be a jubilant drag performance celebrating French culture and inclusivity became a widely debated topic at an eventful Olympic games. When the Olympics come back to the United States in 2028 for the first time since 1996, the Los Angeles games will undoubtedly similarly serve as the subject of and sounding board for an ever changing social climate. All over the world, audiences have four more years to prepare their fingers to post on X, as athletes are preparing for the biggest athletic competition of their lives.
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