Drag Queen ‘Last Supper’ At Olympics Opening Ceremony Sparks Outrage

A dance troupe performing on the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics drew the ire of Christians all over the world after they appeared to mock Jesus and the Final Supper.

The ceremony, held on Friday alongside the Seine River within the French capital, featured the normal parade of countries. It was the primary time in Olympic historical past the ceremony was held outdoors a stadium.

However the festivities, which featured singers Celine Dion and Woman Gaga, drew controversy when a bunch of 18 performers — together with three members of “Drag Race France” — struck poses behind what regarded like a protracted desk with the Eiffel Tower within the background.

READ: France’s Olympic Hijab Ban Violates Worldwide Legislation And Exacerbates Tensions

On the middle of the desk was an ornately dressed dancer with a silver headdress that resembled a halo as depicted in well-known Renaissance fresco of Jesus and his apostles by Leonardo da Vinci that was accomplished in 1498. The dancer smiled and made a coronary heart form together with her arms earlier than the dancers carried out a choreographed routine.

“That is loopy. Opening your occasion by changing Jesus and the disciples on the Final Supper with males in drag,” Clint Russel, the host of the “Liberty Lockdown” podcast, posted on X. “There are 2.4 billion Christians on earth and apparently the Olympics wished to declare loudly to all of them, proper out of the gate NOT WELCOME.”

The Final Supper is the ultimate meal that, within the Gospel accounts, Jesus shared along with his apostles in Jerusalem earlier than his crucifixion. The Final Supper is commemorated by Christians on Holy Thursday and supplies the scriptural foundation for the Eucharist.

Paris 2024 organizers stated the efficiency was an “interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus” to make the world “conscious of the absurdity of violence between human beings.”

Choreographer Thomas Jolly defined his intentions to The Related Press following the ceremony.

“My want isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” he stated. “Most of all, I wished to ship a message of affection, a message of inclusion and in no way to divide.”