The DJ at the center of the controversial Olympics opening ceremony dance routine took a legal turn, according to a report from the New York Post.
Amid backlash against the performance writ large, which many believe was a mockery of Christianity and the Last Supper, the DJ who performed at the show said her lawyer is filing a complaint over online threats.
Barbara Butch stood at the center of the infamous drag queen performance wherein she held her hands in a heart while donning a silver crown that mimicked a halo. Butch’s lawyer said in a letter posted to her Instagram that the DJ “has been threatened with death, torture and rape, and has also been the target of numerous anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist, and grossophobic insults.”
Butch who dubs herself a “love activist” is reportedly filing several complaints regarding online abuse through her lawyer Audrey Msellati. Legal complaints of this nature are typically examined by French judicial authorities. Said authorities determine whether to launch a formal police investigation upon review.
“Whatever some may say, I exist,” Butch said in an Instagram statement. “I’ve never been ashamed of who I am, and I take responsibility for everything — including my artistic choices. All my life, I’ve refused to be a victim: I won’t shut up.”
Butch’s lawyer said that legal complaints will be filed regardless of “whether committed by French nationals or foreigners and intends to prosecute anyone who tries to intimidate her in the future.”
The backlash came as the ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly backtracked in statements claiming that his choreography wasn’t inspired by the Last Supper. Many online noted that the line-up of drag queens, including Butch, looked similar to Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting showing Jesus Christ among the apostles.
Organizers for the Paris Olympics said there was “never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group.” The intent was allegedly to “celebrate community tolerance.”
This piece first appeared at TPUSA.
