Minima Gesté, famous French drag queen, is set to carry the Olympic flame arriving in Marseille on Wednesday, France 24 reported.
“Having a drag queen carry the torch – and perhaps fall over, wait and see! – is an enormous source of pride. One of the messages that I want to carry is the pride in my community because 10 years ago having a drag queen carry the torch would have been unimaginable.”
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, expressed her full support last week.
I reaffirm my full support for her. I’ll say it again: I am proud and, yes, Paris is proud that a drag queen will carry the torch and the values of peace and humanity.
The city authorities stated that Minima Gesté had fallen victim to “homophobic and transphobic insults” and that they would help her launch legal action. The performer was chosen by the city to be one of the torchbearers when the relay reached the capital on July 14 and 15.
However, national-oriented politician Marion Marechal claimed Gesté was responsible for “particularly vulgar” and “hyper-sexualised performances.”
“I don’t think that this is a good way of representing France to the world.”
Olympic flame journey
The torch relay began on May 8 in Marseille ahead of the opening of the Games on July 26. The flame reached Marseille, a port city in the south of France, after a 12-day journey from Greece aboard the Belem, a 128-year-old three-masted ship that once carried sugar from France’s colonies in the West Indies.
Florent Manaudou, France’s 2012 Olympic men’s 50 metres freestyle swimming champion, brought the torch to the land. About 6,000 law enforcement officers, including snipers and dog units, guarded Marseille’s Old Port.
Organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are facing stress, as France is on its highest alert level amid a complex geopolitical situation, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has stated.
It’s an unprecedented level of security. Life goes on in Marseille but under great security.
From Marseille, the torch will continue its 11-week journey to France’s overseas territories in the Caribbean and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In total, it will be carried by around 10,000 torchbearers before arriving in Paris on July 26 for the opening ceremony of the Games.
Previously, Marseille-born great football player Zinedine Zidane was considered a popular favourite to be the torchbearer.
