The woman at the centre of a controversial performance during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics has been revealed to be a DJ, producer and self-described “love activist” named Barbara Butch.
Some Christians were open about their discomfort with the act – a parody of the Last Supper, the famous biblical scene of Jesus Christ and his twelve apostles sharing a final meal before crucifixion.
The artistic interpretation, which included a troupe of drag queens and a transgender model, as well as French actor and singer Phillippe Katerine, led some to accuse the organisers of creating a “woke” parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting.
Models, dancers, fashion icons and drag queens from the host country took part in the scene, gathering on a bridge over the capital’s river around a table that doubled as a catwalk.
At the center was Barbara, sporting a halo-style crown and a tight-fitting blue and silver ensemble as she stood in front of her DJ equipment surrounded by several drag queens and dozens of dancers and performers.
DJ Barbara Butch, who was at the centre of a controversial performance during the Paris 2024 opening ceremony, said the painting had been created to “celebrate love” (pictured at the Attitude Pride Awards in London in June 2024)
The DJ, producer and self-proclaimed “love activist” donned a specially designed halo helmet for the performance (pictured)
A fashion show featuring clothes designed by some of France’s most promising young designers took centre stage, while those seated on either side performed elegant choreographies.
And one of the most impressive pieces was the crown worn by Barbara, which was actually a custom-made headset incorporating a pair of headphones.
The piece was created by multidisciplinary artist Flavio Juan Núñez and designer Laurent Tijou.
It is crafted from natural silver chrome leather, wood and Swarovski crystals, according to an Instagram post shared by Barbara.
In the post, she added that the painting had been created to “celebrate love, inclusion and diversity through music and dance to bring us all together.”
However, while there were fans of the show, opinions were divided and some organizations publicly criticized the segment.
Among them was the Catholic Church in France, whose French Bishops’ Conference issued a statement saying: “This ceremony unfortunately included scenes of mockery and ridicule of Christianity, which we deeply deplore.”
Other criticism came from further afield: American Catholic Bishop Robert Barron shared his thoughts via video.
Barbara Butch is photographed preparing for her performance, as stylists place her striking headdress on.
In a clip about the performance, she said: “I love the Olympics, so I turn on the opening ceremony of the Olympics. And what do I see now? It’s in Paris, France, a city I love, I spent three years as a PhD student there.
‘I see this crude mockery of the Last Supper and will not describe it further.
‘France evidently felt that in trying to show the best of its culture, the right thing to do was to mock this very central moment of Christianity, when Jesus, at his last supper, gives up his body and blood in anticipation of the cross.’
He continued: “It is presented through this crude or frivolous mockery. France, which used to be called the eldest daughter of the church.
‘France has sent Catholic visionaries all over the world. France, whose culture – and I am referring to respect for the individual, human rights and freedom – has a very deep-rooted foundation in Christianity.
‘France thought it was right to mock the Christian faith.
“Now I would like to pose a question, and we all know the answer: would you have dared to mock Islam in a similar way? Would you have ever thought of mocking a scene from the Quran in such a rude and public way? And, as I say, we all know the answer.
But the artistic imitation of the Last Supper, which also involved a troupe of drag queens and a transgender model, has caused offence among some Christians for making a “crude mockery” of religion.
‘The interesting thing here is that this deeply secularist (postmodern) society knows who its enemy is, names them, and we must believe them, because that is what they are.
“But we Christians, we Catholics, must not be timid. We must resist, we must make our voices heard.”
An unexpected source of criticism was Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, who claimed the depiction of the Last Supper was “extremely disrespectful to Christians” and added: “Christianity has become toothless.”
However, the performers are not without their admirers and critics: Barbara Butch, who was the centre of attention for the performance, has more than 70,000 followers on Instagram.
Posting about the segment on the platform, she shared an image of herself in her costume and wrote: ‘Hi, my name is Barbara Butch, I’m a love activist, DJ and producer based in Paris.
‘My goal is to bring people together, bring humans together and share love through music so we all dance and make our hearts beat in unison. Music sounds better with all of us!’
In addition to her work in music, Barbara (aka Leslie Barbara Butch) is an activist for causes including lesbian rights and fat acceptance: as part of her fat acceptance work, she made the short film Extra Large.
Barbara Butch (pictured at the 2023 Attitude Pride Awards in London)
And in 2020, she posed nude on the cover of French cultural magazine Télérama. The cover text read: “But why do we reject fat people?”
Her work has been recognised by the French Association of LGBTI Journalists: in 2021, she was awarded the Out d’or 2021 prize (LGBTI personality of the year).
The Paris-born personality, who used to perform under the name ‘Scratcheuse de gazon’ before reverting to his given name, reportedly began his career as a DJ in Montpellier, where he played in bars.
He continued his career by returning to Paris in 2008, where he worked in places such as The Moulin Rouge Machine and Rosa Bonheur among others.
Barbara has also appeared on television, such as Celebrity guest judge in 2023 on the French reality series Drag Race France.
