The drag controversy at the Olympics raises broader questions about Christianity, art and LGBTQ+ inclusion

With the end of the Paris Olympics, the noise surrounding the drag performance at the games’ opening ceremony may finally die down. But in the aftermath, some Catholics have raised the question of why the performance caused such an outcry among Catholics and whether believers might react differently in the future.

In the National Catholic ReporterRebecca Bratten Weiss, digital editor for US Catholicasks whether the Christians who were so outraged by the performance, which may or may not have been reminiscent of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” had learned anything. For Bratten Weiss, the Christian right’s outrage at culture and art is nothing new. She cites reactions to the film “The Last Temptation of Christ” and the artwork “Piss Christ” as previous iterations of this dynamic. And she recognizes that sometimes it is reprehensible to make fun of religion. But she continues:

“Knee-jerk, angry reactions to any representation of Christianity in art that is not as pious as cardboard cutouts suggest both confusion about the nature of art and a failure to engage seriously and critically with the wider culture. And Christian anger at drag queens representing a gospel scene shows that many have forgotten what it means to live that gospel in a diverse and rapidly changing world.

“It is not yet entirely clear whether the organizers of the ceremony had ‘The Last Supper’ in mind. But even if they were inspired by da Vinci’s famous work, Christians should not take this as a mockery. Art alludes to, comments on, engages with other art. This is the case with works that depict serious or sacred events, as well as with art that is overtly playful or secular. …

“Given how many times ‘The Last Supper’ has been imitated — on the TV series ‘Lost,’ ‘The Simpsons,’ and even the notoriously crude ‘South Park’ — why did people choose to take offense in this case? If it was the presence of drag queens and other queer pop culture icons that upset Christians, perhaps Christians should ask themselves why they think this goes too far. Do Christians really believe that the mere presence of a queer person is blasphemous or demonic? Are Christians incapable of seeing the image of God in LGBTQ+ bodies?”

While Bratten Weiss is aware that the Olympic organizers did not intend to offend anyone by having drag artists participate in the opening ceremony, she believes that the reaction of outraged Christians should be viewed as wrong, even if it was mockery. Demands for respect from those insulted come across as a “fragile claim,” she explains, pointing out that Christians have not really lived out the gospel they profess by creating a just society. The author states:

Also in the National Catholic ReporterTheologian Steven Millies used the Olympics controversy as a jumping-off point to criticize the way many Catholic bishops today pit themselves and their vision of the Church against the modern world. Millies is troubled to see leaders deviate from the Second Vatican Council’s desire for positive engagement with the world. Millies cites numerous examples of bishops who see themselves as victims of the world, writing:

“We Catholics value being outsiders, standing against the culture and the world, a little too much. Often Catholics seem to remain in a defensive posture, as if the Church is constantly under attack. This is no accident. For decades, Catholics in the United States have been taught to see the world as a hostile place to us and to see ourselves as ‘signs of dissent’ against that world.”

Millies is struck by this language of a “sign of contradiction.” He cites Pope John Paul II as the one who popularized it, followed by prelates who were against Vatican II and who took up the idea to place the Church in opposition to the world. He concludes by noting that the upcoming Synod on Synodality assembly is an opportunity to put the Church back on the path of commitment in line with Vatican II:

“By viewing ourselves for so long as a ‘sign of contradiction,’ the Catholic Church has been pushed out of the cultural mainstream and thus has encouraged the alienation of Catholics from the Church. … This inevitably has consequences for the effectiveness of our witness, our ministries and our mission.”

“Another synod will hold its second session in a few months. It will address, among other things, some of the issues left unresolved since the 1987 synod. Perhaps the call to become a synodal church can help Catholics this time to stop contradicting the world so resolutely and to rediscover how to walk together with it.”

To return to Bratten Weiss, she concludes with an appeal for calm in the face of the Olympic controversy and the culture war mentality behind it, which still exists among many Catholics – and perhaps also for the humility to apologize for their overreaction:

“Sometimes Christians are the victims, sometimes the oppressors. Sometimes we are the helpers, sometimes the bystanders. Unfortunately, Christian culture as a whole has failed when it comes to our treatment of LGBTQ+ people, even to the point of committing a true sacrilege against Christ in marginalized groups. In that sense, perhaps the organizers of the ceremony should not be asking for an apology.”

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