Amid severe criticism across the world that the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris insulted the Christianity, French drag queen Nicky Dolly took to social media and said that there was a reason the opening ceremony ruffled some feathers. “Because the Olympics are the biggest stage in the world and us queer people have always been the audience of other people’s life and achievement and it is the time that we are welcome in the space,” Nicky wrote.
“It was my absolute honour to perform in front of billions of people around the world, and celebrate our Olympians. And remember, to the ones that had their feathers ruffled seeing queerness on their screen: WE AIN’T GOING NOWHERE,’ she wrote.
Nicky was one of the many torchbearers for the Parus Olympics and she also performed during one segment of the ceremony. Amid backlash that their performance mocked the Last Supper, Nicky clarified that the image depicted was not of the Last Supper but the feat of Dionysius.
A woman wearing a silver, halo-like headdress stood at the center of a long table, with drag queens posing on either side of her. Later, at the same table, a giant cloche lifted, revealing a man, nearly naked and painted blue, on a dinner plate surrounded by fruit. He broke into a song as, behind him, the drag queens danced. This tableaux drew condemnation among people who saw the images as a parody of “The Last Supper,” the New Testament scene depicted in da Vinci’s painting by the same name. The French Bishops’ Conference, which represents the country’s Catholic bishops, said in a statement that the opening ceremony included “scenes of mockery and derision of Christianity,” and an influential American Catholic, Bishop Robert Barron of Minnesota, called it a “gross mockery.”
Artistic director Thomas Jolly said the idea was to send a message of love and of inclusion. The outcry led spokesperson Anne Descamps to apologize.