Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Conservatives Rage Over 'Satanic' Opening Ceremonies—And Get Hit With Blunt History Lesson

Harrison Butker; Sequana; Drag queens perform tribute to Dionysus during Paris Olympics
Cooper Neill/Getty Images (top left); @Olympics/X (bottom left and right)

After conservatives claimed the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony was 'satanic' for supposedly depicting the Last Supper with drag queens and that the Olympic flag bearer was actually 'Death' on a horse, history buffs were quick to call out just how off the mark they were.

After conservatives claimed the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony was "satanic" for supposedly depicting da Vinci's The Last Supper with drag queens and that the Olympic flag bearer was actually "Death" on a horse, history buffs swiftly called them out.

The opening ceremony included a scene in which a dinner platter was lifted to reveal the mostly nude entertainer Phillipe Katerine singing in French. In the background, dancers and drag queens struck poses along a long table.


As the camera panned through the tableau, it first showed a person crowned with an aureole in front of DJ turntables. The next shot captured the rest of the table, lined with performers holding their poses. The table then transformed into a catwalk, with the drag queens and models taking the stage to pay homage to Paris' fashion scene.

The Olympic Committee later dismissed the blasphemy allegations, explaining that the performance was an interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus intended to highlight “the absurdity of violence between human beings.”

Drag queens perform during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games@Olympics/X

Drag queens perform during the 2024 Paris Olympic GamesOlympics/X

But conservatives, including Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who generated controversy earlier this year for a misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ+ commencement speech, were furious.

Butker himself took to X, formerly Twitter, to share a verse from the Epistle to the Galatians, which teaches that Christian believers are justified not by the law but by faith in Jesus Christ:

“Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting.”

You can see his post below.

Similarly, Donald Trump Jr., who claimed his late mother Ivana Trump was a Czech Olympian, lashed out with the following message:

"Now with the ever predictable ([and] seemingly satanic to me) drag queen opening ceremonies and never ending bs, no one I know even thinks about it beyond maybe watching some highlights."
"It’s such a shame that event that used to create so much national pride now creates, at best, indifference. Using the games to push woke ideology has zero to do with anything the games stands for."

You can see his post below.

Hate influencer Chaya Raichik, best known as the woman behind the anti-LGBTQ+ "Libs of TikTok" social media accounts, also condemned the "sick, satanic, degenerate opening ceremony."

You can see her post below.

Others followed suit with their own homophobic attacks.


Critics, however, were quick to shut all this down with a valuable history lesson, pointing to the Olympic Committee's previous explanation that the performance was a tribute to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre.

The Feast of the Gods, painted by the artist Jan van Bijlert@MagninMusee/X

Dionysus was regarded as an outsider, a core aspect of his cult that often emphasized his more rebellious traits. He was frequently referred to as Eleutherios, or "the liberator," because his wine, music, and ecstatic dance allowed his followers to escape self-consciousness and societal constraints.

As the "twice-born" god, Dionysus had transcended the boundary between life and death, and he was often depicted as bridging the gap between the civilized and uncivilized, the known and unknown. He was seen as a deity of chaos and a protector of outcasts.

Vance Nichols, a set designer who works with country music legend Dolly Parton, also made some valuable points in a viral Facebook post:

"It was not the Last Supper. It was a depiction of an ancient Greek Bacchanal… because, you know, the Olympics are ancient and Greek. Surprise!"
"And if you didn’t know, a Bacchanalia is an uncontrollably promiscuous, extravagant, and loud party. The parties often spanned several days which honored the god of wine, Bacchus (the blue guy covered in grape vine). He is also known as Dionysus, the Greek god of fertility, later known as the god of wine and pleasure."

Nichols also pointed out that the figure of "Death on a pale horse" the right-wing had gotten so up in arms about was actually Sequana, the goddess associated with the River Seine:

"And finally, it was not Death on a pale horse. It was Sequana, Goddess of the Seine, the River in which the boat precession took place. She was meant to be the representation of the Olympic spirit and of Sequana. If some of you weren’t so busy trying to end the Dept. of Education, you might know this. Loosen the clutch on your pearls."

You can see Nichols' post below.

Sequana was especially revered at the springs at the Seine's source in the valley of the Chatillon Plateau, northwest of Dijon in Burgundy. Depicted standing in a duck boat, with the duck holding a ball in its beak, and wearing a diadem, she stretches out her arms to greet pilgrims visiting her shrine.

The Celts venerated water as a source of life, and for its cleansing and healing properties. Her followers were known as the Sequani by the Romans.

Sequana in a duck boatWikimedia Commons

People were quick to call out conservatives for this too.


Thomas Jolly, the opening ceremony's artistic director, defended the production during a news conference on Saturday when asked about some of the backlash:

“When we want to include everyone and not exclude anyone, questions are raised. Our subject was not to be subversive. We never wanted to be subversive."
"We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together. We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that. In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country."
"I didn’t have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver. In France, we are republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey.”

And perhaps no statement about the controversy was as succinct as former Illinois Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger. who said the backlash "proves outrage is addictive":

"People desperately searching for reasons to be offended, and it’s destructive to your soul. Take a deep breath and live your life. (This is a reminder to myself as well.)"

You can see his post below.

Knowledge is power, conservatives.

More from News/lgbtq

Paul Mescal in 'Gladiator II' Parody
Saturday Night Live/YouTube

Paul Mescal Wows 'SNL' Fans With His Singing Chops In Musical 'Gladiator II' Parody

We've all heard the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," and we've certainly all heard advice about doing what's working for others, in the hopes of it working for us, too.

With the whirlwind of popularity surrounding Wicked and Moana 2 right now, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see more musical adaptations surge onto the scene in the hopes of riding their coattails of success.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jake Tapper; Markwayne Mullin
CNN

Jake Tapper Expertly Rips MAGA Rep's Defense Of Pete Hegseth's 'Drinking Problem'

CNN reporter Jake Tapper expertly shut down GOP Oklahoma Representative Markwayne Mullin's defense of Pete Hegseth's qualifications as a potential nominee for Secretary of Defense.

Hegseth, a former Fox and Friends weekend co-host, was selected by President-elect Donald Trump to join his cabinet as U.S. Secretary of Defense despite his lack of experience in global defense.

Keep ReadingShow less
2025 calendar with tweet overlayed reading: "We are so doomed"
Pakin Songmor/GettyImages; @Haywhyforyou/X

People Just Noticed An Ominous Detail About The 2025 Calendar—And Oh Dear

Christmas is already around the corner. Can you believe it?

This time each year, many of us are SMH-ing over the fact that another year has sped by as the holidays following Halloween hit us in rapid succession.

Keep ReadingShow less
Anok Yai; Alex Consani
Dave Benett/Getty Images; Dave Benett/Getty Images

Supermodel Sparks Debate With Reaction To Losing 'Model Of The Year' Award To Trans Model

Model Anok Yai sparked quite the debate on social media after she said she was "exhausted" and proceeded to call out the British Fashion Council after they awarded the 2024 Model of the Year award to trans model Alex Consani.

Consani, the first out trans model to ever win Model of the Year, expressed her excitement on Instagram, sharing celebratory photos and videos accompanied by the captions:

Keep ReadingShow less
Jonathan Bennett; Jonathan Bennett as Aaron Samuels in 'Mean Girls'
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images; Paramount Pictures

Jonathan Bennett Reveals He Wasn't First Choice For 'Mean Girls' Role With Wild Story

Most of us have applied for at least one dream job, only for it to be offered to someone else. But sometimes the story doesn't end with the job offer; in fact, we might get another chance at that job or even something better.

And according to Veronica Mars actor Jonathan Bennett, this concept can be applied to acting gigs, as well.

Keep ReadingShow less