Drag queens parodied Leonardo da Vinci’s rendition of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday evening, creating international outrage.
During the Olympic ceremonies, 18 performers re-created the scene, a depiction of Jesus Christ’s final meal with his disciples before his crucifixion. The burlesque performance was an “interpretation of the Greek God [of wine and festivity] Dionysus” to make viewers “aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings,” the Olympics said on X.
The scene featured some half-naked performers, one in the middle with a halo atop her head, behind a long table. A man who was painted blue, and with only vines covering his genitals, sat in the middle of the table and was surrounded by flowers. Viewers called the performance “crazy,” and Christian commentators on social media said that the scene made a mockery of the Christian faith.
The Paris games also opened this year with a performance by LGBTQ icon Lady Gaga paying tribute to French dancer and singer Zizi Jeanmaire near the River Seine, a performance by French-Canadian singer Céline Dion by the Eiffel Tower, and a torch-bearing act by rapper Snoop Dogg.
Journalist Kyle Becker said on X that “the 2024 Paris Olympics has gone full Woke dystopian.”
“The opening ceremony was filled with transgender mockery of the Last Supper, the Golden Calf idol, and even the Pale Horse from the Book of Revelation, “ Becker said. “The Olympics has made it clear that Christian viewers aren’t welcome.”
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker called the visual “crazy” on Instagram, and quoted Galatians 6:7: “Be not deceived, God is not mocked.” European Parliament member Marion Maréchal said on X, “To all the Christians of the world who are watching the #Paris2024 ceremony and felt insulted by this drag queen parody of the Last Supper, know that it is not France that is speaking but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation. #notinmyname.”
Athlete Riley Gaines also commented on the display, saying on social media: “Men in wigs front & center at the Olympic Games. No one ever tell me this group is ‘oppressed’ or ‘marginalized’ again.”
Out magazine, an LGBTQ publication, meanwhile praised “queens everywhere” for “this huge moment for drag performers breaking through the mainstream and showing their talents to the entire world.”