A drag queen has been chosen to be one of the people carrying the Olympic flame at the start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. She has faced hostility from the political right since being announced for the torch relay, but the city of Paris is supporting her.
“I understand that being visible is still crucial for our LGBTQIA+ community to be accepted,” said 33-year-old drag queen Minima Gesté in a video announcing her involvement. “So having a drag queen carry the flame—and possibly stumble with it, we'll have to wait and see—it’s a huge source of pride.”
The video was posted online on Wednesday, and many people in the comments attacked Minima. One person commented, “Cultural decline caused by the left,” while another called Minima’s participation a “shambles” and “absurd.”
Marion Maréchal, a far-right political figure and niece of Marine Le Pen, criticized Minima in an interview on TF1. “This person performs in a particularly vulgar, overly sexualized way,” she said. “I don’t believe it’s a good representation of France in the eyes of the world.”
However, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo defended Minima.
“I confirm my complete support for her,” Hidalgo said in a statement on Friday. “I'll say it again: I am proud and, yes, Paris is proud that a drag queen will carry the torch and promote the values of peace and humanity.”
The city’s official account mentioned that the original video was “subject to numerous homophobic and transphobic comments.”
“Public insults, particularly those of a homophobic and transphobic nature, are illegal,” the account stated, referring to France’s hate speech laws. “The Mayor of Paris will submit statements that she believes may constitute a violation of the law against public insults of a homophobic or transphobic nature to the Paris prosecutor’s office.”
“I couldn’t care less if Marion Maréchal Le Pen disagrees with me carrying the Olympic flame,” Minima said in an Instagram story. “I'll say it again: yes, I'm proud, and yes, Paris is proud that a drag queen will carry this flame and, therefore, the values of peace and humanity.”
Minima will be one of several individuals participating in the torch relay when it reaches Paris on July 14 and 15.
Maréchal has previously criticized the government based on rumors that French pop star Aya Nakamura, who is Black, was asked to perform at the opening ceremony. Nakamura was born in the West African nation of Mali and moved with her family to a working-class suburb of Paris at a young age, becoming a French citizen in 2021. Popular in France, her music is influenced by her African heritage.
“The French don’t want to be represented in the eyes of the world by a singer whose style is influenced by the hood and Africa,” Maréchal stated, as per an NPR translation. “This is a political move by [French President] Emmanuel Macron, who wants to show the world that France's face is multicultural, and that we are no longer a nation with Christian roots and European culture.”
