By Farah G. Decano

 

“ALL the world’s a stage,” Shakespeare wrote.  The most romantic city in the world made the brilliant decision of making all Paris an Olympic stadium.  The opening ceremony and the sports activities treated the lucky onlookers, both in person and online, to stunning views of almost 35 beautiful places of the megalopolis.

Unlike previous launches, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Games was not held in a singular venue.  The atmosphere in the City of Lights must have been overwhelmingly festive before it got doused by the rains. It began with a parade of boats carrying 10,500 athletes from various parts of the globe along the River Seine, and ended with a memorable comeback of Celine Dion singing the famous “L’Hymne a l’amour” with the iconic Eiffel Tower as a backdrop.  There were 12 pompous events in between, such as the recorded performance of Lady Gaga and the Runway Fashion along a bridge that, for a while, allegedly mimicked the Last Supper.

 As regards the aforementioned show, did the organizers really intend to use Da Vinci’s rendition of the Last Supper as an inspiration for the drag queens to line up similar to Jesus’ disciples behind what appears to be a table?

Those who defend the organizers claim that what was portrayed before the world was a bacchanalian-themed party inspired by a much less known painting titled “Feast Of The Gods” created by a Dutch, Jan van Bijlert.  He depicted the god of wine and pleasure, Dionysus, in the foreground and literally on the ground, while the god Apollo, together with other gods, surrounded a table almost comparable to the manner the disciples did in the more famous Da Vinci painting.

The 2024 Parisian visuals in issue are drag queens whose central figure was wearing a headdress that looked like a radiating halo. The Bijlert painting also portrayed the god Apollo with a halo.  Would it be possible that any allusion to the Last Supper was not intended?  If it was not so, then why was the god Dionysus presented at the table of drag queens as if he were supper?  Wasn’t he uncovered from a dome-looking cloche like a blue chicken covered with grapes and pineapples before those in drag?

Or, conceivably the scene was a fusion of arts pursuant to artistic freedom.  After all, France is a bastion of liberties.  Perhaps, the show was not only conceptualized solely from Bijlert’s artwork but also from DaVinci, Hinduism (for the color of the god Dionysus), and the art of gender-bending.  Yes, doing drag has become an art form.

The scene was outrageous and jubilant.  It was convincingly very French.  However, the organizers should have been reminded that they were hosting the Olympics which aims to promote peace and harmony amongst people of the world.  They should not have imposed their French sensibilities in an event that is not exclusively French.

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Some say that Christians took offense because of their anti-LGBTQIA sentiments.  Was this an accusation by some members of the community who have a victim complex?   The latter must remember that the Last Supper was not just the last meal of Jesus Christ with his disciples.  It was during this time that He instituted the Holy Eucharist, one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. This event should not have been toyed around with because Christians consider this a sacred occasion.   

Let us face it. Christianity has not fully accepted homosexuality.  If one of its holiest occasions were performed by men in drag, then it would be considered an affront to their feelings.  Would we not be offended if our deceased heterosexual fathers were pictured speaking reverently before a crowd and the actor who portrayed them was in drag?

Members of the LGBTQIA plus demand respect.  It is in order, therefore, that they also give respect.  Boundaries, especially those involving faith, should not have been crossed.  What happened in France was seen as a step away from, and not towards, acceptance by society.

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