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Barbara Butch

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For other people with similar names, see Barbara Bush (disambiguation).

Barbara Buch
Butch in 2021
Butch in 2021
Background information
Birth nameLeslie Barbara Butch
BornParis, île-de-France, France
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Activist
  • musician
  • DJ
Years active2004–present

Leslie Barbara Butch is a French disc jockey and lesbian activist.[1] She campaigns for fat acceptance and has made the short film Extra Large.[2][3] She was awarded the Out d'or [fr] 2021 "personnalité LGBTI de l'année" ("LGBTI personality of the year") by the French Association of LGBTI Journalists.[4][5][6] In 2024, she was featured in the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, which was criticized as controversial due to a perceived mockery of Christianity.[7][8]

Early life

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Leslie Barbara Butch was born at the Marie-Louise Clinic in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, where her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother were born before her.[9] Her mother, a secretary of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and her father a house painter, was of Sephardic Jewish descent from Morocco Heidi, and she grew up in a traditional Jewish family.[10][11] She grew up in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, studied music theory, piano, Brazilian percussion and guitar in her teens, and created her own mixtapes and recorded cassettes. The Eclaireuses et Eclaireurs israélites de France (Jewish Guides and Scouts of France) was a key part of her life during those years.[9] Later, she started going to Pulp, a leading Parisian club hosting lesbian parties.[9]

Career

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Butch started to build her DJ career playing in bars in Montpellier, initially using the DJ name "Scratcheuse de gazon" before reverting to her actual name. In 2008 she moved back to Paris, working at Rosa Bonheur and then other club venues such as the Machine du Moulin Rouge.[8]

On 5 February 2020 she posed naked on the cover of Télérama with the question: ‘Pourquoi on rejette les gros? (Why do we reject fat people?). This led to her becoming the face of Jean Paul Gaultier's perfume La Belle Intense.[8][9]

In 2023, Butch was a guest celebrity judge in a Season 2 episode of the French language reality television series Drag Race France (titled "The Musidrag"), broadcast on France.tv Slash.

Controversy

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On 26 July 2024, she performed in the Festivité section of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, mixing French variété classics in a set featuring actors from the drag queen scene.[8] A statement from Paris 2024 said that it was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's fresco The Last Supper, which depicts Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, while Thomas Jolly and the Olympic Games' X account stated that this represented an interpretation of the Greek deity Dionysus.[12] Butch uploaded an Instagram story comparing the Paris scene to Da Vinci's painting, and referred to it as a "new gay testament".[13] Due to the former interpretation, the World Council of Churches responded that Christians around the world were angered,[14] with the act being deemed blasphemous by the Catholic Church.[7] She received a number of online threats after the performance, and stated through her lawyer that she would be filing legal complaints in response.[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Barbara Butch, The Lesbian DJ and Fat Activist Who Will Make You Dance". Bowie Creators — Home of Queer & Feminist Creators. 27 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  2. ^ Boulant, Jeanne (13 December 2021). ""J'aurais pu lâcher l'affaire": Barbara Butch raconte son difficile combat contre la grossophobie". BFMTV (in French). Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  3. ^ Ramphul, Kalindi (29 March 2022). "Oh yeah ! Barbara Butch présente Extra large, un film contre la grossophobie qui donne envie". Madmoizelle (in French). Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Out d'Or 2021 : Leslie Barbara Butch désignée « personnalité LGBTI de l'année »". KOMITID (in French). 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  5. ^ Rajeshvari, Neha (11 December 2021). "DJ Barbara Butch named "LGBTI Personality of the Year"". Khabar Non Stop. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  6. ^ "La DJ Barbara Butch désignée "personnalité LGBTI de l'année"". ladepeche.fr (in French). 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Catholic bishops around the world demand IOC formal apology". Catholic News Agency. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Cousin, Victor (26 July 2024). "JO 2024 : qui est Barbara Butch, DJ féministe et activiste LGBTQ +, qui a mixé lors de la cérémonie d'ouverture ?". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d "Barbara Butch, "Reine de la nuit"". France Inter (in French). 28 January 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  10. ^ Fox, Dale (22 June 2023). "DJ Barbara Butch: 'I'm a fat, queer lesbian, and I'm really proud'". Attitude. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Barbara Butch • Coup d'Été". Coup d'Été.
  12. ^ Kaloi, Stephanie (28 July 2024). "Paris Olympics Producers Say 'The Last Supper' Inspired That Opening Ceremony Scene: 'Many Have Done It Before'". TheWrap. Retrieved 29 July 2024. Many, including Jolly and the official Olympics Games X account, said that the scene is an 'interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus' that 'makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.' Others, including a statement from Paris 2024 producers obtained by TheWrap Sunday, said that it was in fact inspired by Da Vinci's famous painting — a skewing of the religious imagery that has been slammed by Christians as a mockery of Jesus Christ. 'For the "Festivities" segment, Thomas Jolly took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting to create the setting,' producers said in the statement.
  13. ^ Harris, Rob (31 July 2024). "'Not a provocation': Drag show performers thought biblical painting was inspiration". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Global Christian organization demands explanation from IOC for Last Supper parody". Anadolu Agency. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Olympic 'Last Supper' DJ files legal complaint after torrent of online abuse". The Guardian. Associated Press. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
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