A French drag queen who was chosen to take part in the Paris Olympics torch relay has been criticized online and criticized by conservatives after a video was released this week.
Minima Geste, 33, has become the latest flashpoint in the culture war surrounding the Olympics after a spat over the opening ceremony music and the official Olympic poster.
“We reaffirm our full support for her,” Anne Hidalgo, the socialist mayor of Paris, said in a statement Friday.
“Once again, I am proud, and so is Paris, that drag queens carry the torch and values of peace and humanity,” she added.
The city said Geste was the victim of “homophobic and transphobic insults” and that this would help her initiate legal action.
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The performer, who appeared in a video message on social media on Wednesday, was selected by the city to be one of the torchbearers when the relay arrives in the capital on July 14 and 15.
“It's a source of great pride to have drag queens carry the torch, even if they might fall, watching them do it,” said Geste, who wears 25-centimeter (10-inch) heels for formal wear. Ta.
“One of the messages I want to convey is pride in my community. Ten years ago it would have been unimaginable for a drag queen to carry the torch,” the LGBTQIA+ community activist added.
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She said that performing as a drag queen in a corset and high heels is physically demanding, but “it's not an Olympic sport yet,” adding that she previously did wrestling and synchronized swimming.
Far-right politician Marion Marechal said Geste was responsible for a “particularly vulgar” and “overly sexualized performance”.
“I don't think this is a good way to represent France to the world,” she said on the TF1 channel on Thursday.
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Maréchal will be joined by other conservatives, including his aunt, far-right leader Marine Le Pen, at the opening ceremony on July 26, where French-Malian R&B superstar Aya Nakamura will perform. He was also furious at the rumors.
Le Pen criticized Nakamura's dress, accused her of not singing in French, and said Nakamura's appearance would “humiliate” people.
The criticism, which critics like Culture Minister Rashida Dati said was seen as racially motivated, underscores the difficulty of forging national unity around the Olympics in such a sharply divided country. did.
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When Paris' elaborate, hand-painted official poster was unveiled in March, the removal of the Christian cross atop the Invalides landmark sparked a debate about the country's heritage and identity.
The torch relay will start in Marseille on May 8th, ahead of the opening of the Olympics on July 26th.
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