PARIS.- The Paris Olympics opening ceremony made French DJ Barbara Butch famous and infamous around the world. Already known in France as an outspoken lesbian and activist for fat people, Butch — her stage name, of course — appeared with a crown and her mixing board in one of the last scenes, called “Festivity.”
For 45 minutes, dancers, including drag queens, showcased their talent along a raised catwalk that stretched down the stage before, at the very end, French singer Philippe Katerine emerged from under a giant silver dome, painted entirely in blue and wearing little clothing, to sing part of “Nude,” one of his songs.
The scene incited an almost instant public fury, particularly among those who interpreted it as parodying Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” and, by extension, mocking Christianity. Even after the ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, explained the inspiration was a grand pagan festival connected to the gods of Olympus, the fury continued, with former President Donald Trump calling the scene “a disgrace” on social media.
On Monday, Butch filed a complaint for cyberharassment, and the Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation for discrimination based on religion or sexual orientation. The next day, Jolly followed suit, and an investigation was opened into his case, too.
Butch has become accustomed to hate, but not at this level. She is a Jew from a working-class family who grew up in a small apartment above her parents’ restaurant in Paris, and antisemitism had provoked her grandmother to leave France for Israel years ago, she said.
Then, as an out lesbian and a proud fat person, Butch is a regular target of hostility — in person and online.
“My image bothers people,” said Butch, 43. “My mere existence is political.”
A DJ celebrated in LGBTQ-friendly bars and clubs, Butch became known for drawing words such as “dyke” and “fat” on her chest, belly and arms, as a response to the poisonous attacks.
“She represents people who are invisible in France,” said Zouzou Auzou, owner of Rosa Bonheur, a Paris bar where Butch has held a regular Sunday soiree for many years. “And she is someone who is very friendly and nice. There is nothing mean about her.”
Butch, who plays techno and electro music, as well as French pop songs, said she considers herself a “love activist.” She spoke in a video interview from southern France, where she had fled with her fiancee, two cats and two dogs. The conversation, which was conducted in French, has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: How did you end up in that scene of the ceremony?
A: The lead choreographer thought of me for this scene because of my story, my music, my experience as a DJ. During lockdown in 2020, while everyone was locked in their homes, I organized virtual get-togethers every Saturday, to get people across France dancing. There were 2,000 to 3,000 people together on Zoom. She said, “What you did to reunite people that come from everywhere, regardless of class, sexual or religious differences, we want to represent that during the Olympics. It needs to be put on the main stage.”
So, we built a playlist. I built it with songs I personally love to play when I’m mixing, and songs that are very important in French culture and that represent the history of music in France, that would bring people together because everyone knows the lyrics by heart. I wanted to make people sing, particularly the athletes, because it was the moment when the French athletes would float under the bridge, and they would have a blast on their boat.
Q: It must have seemed like a dream for you.
A: I try in my life not to put limits on myself and not to stick to beliefs. Women are always told they are less good, they shouldn’t do too much or do all that, they should be a little more self-effacing, because otherwise they won’t go as far, or won’t find love. For fat people, it’s even worse because we are constantly told that the moment we will be happy is when we are thin. So, I said to myself, all the barriers people try to put in me, I’m breaking them down and I’m doing it for all the people who can’t do it or who don’t dare to do it.
We all need models that represent us. I didn’t have one when I was younger, and I want young girls, little boys, who say to themselves that they cannot achieve their goals because they’re short or fat, or because they’re LGBT, to say, “Look, she did it. I can do it.” It was really to give hope and be a positive role model for people with my body type, with my identity, with my sexual orientation.
It’s really, really important to say we exist. What bothered people was the fact that all those people on the dance floor in that festivity scene exist.
Q: Were you told that you were representing a feast of the Greek gods?
A: Yes, of course. We were told Dionysus would be played by Philippe Katerine. And why Dionysus? Because he is the god of the wine festival, which is part of French culture. And so it made complete sense that we all ended up behind him, celebrating. Above all, the message was truly a message of peace.
Q: Can you tell us about your outfit and the crown?
A: I chose the French designer Gilles Asquin, who made this outfit with Victoria Luzion — she made the corset. The crown is actually the headset that I mixed with. Well, I didn’t really mix, because it was pouring rain and I could have been electrocuted.
Q: What was it like performing in that downpour?
A: It was amazing. It was magical. It was raining like crazy. They asked me, “It is pouring. Do you mind?,” I said, “No, I don’t mind.” From the very first song, I was totally into it. I was, like, “Wow, here I am, there are 1 or 2 billion people watching. This is huge.”
Q: It’s not the first time you’ve been the target of attacks and harassment. How was this different?
A: It’s because it’s on a different scale, an international scale. We’re talking about evangelists worldwide — and these are no jokesters. They’re very aggressive in their words and in their hatred. Most messages were like, “You won’t replace us.” We’re not claiming to replace anything. We’re just asking for people to be free to exist, for dignity for all.
And I realized I couldn’t let that go unanswered. I get a lot of death threats and rape threats. I also get anti-lesbian, transphobic and antisemitic abuse. So, I said to myself, at some point this really has to stop. That’s why my lawyer and I filed a complaint, and we called in a company that is analyzing all the accounts that have sent messages and comments that break the law. And we’re identifying everyone.
Q: You have tracked down some already?
A: Sure, we have phone numbers and addresses — in Poland, in the U.S., in France and in Germany. I want them to pay for this. I want the courts to deal with them and I want to win the cases.
My aim is not to make money. If we got money out of it, it would go to anti-harassment groups and child protection groups. Let’s not forget: Harassment leads to death. Most of all, I was thinking of the thousands of kids throughout the world who commit suicide because of behavior like this. I’m doing this for them.
This article originally appeared in
The New York Times.
