Stepping off the stage after the electrifying Summer Olympics’ opening ceremony, drag artist Nicky Doll felt an incredible high. Despite enduring 45 minutes of relentless rain and performing on a bridge above the Seine River, her makeup remained flawless. Watching waacking and voguing, dance styles steeped in queer history, captivate billions of viewers around the globe only added to her elation.
In the intimate dressing room aboard a boat, a sense of jubilation filled the air. Doll, renowned for her appearances on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and as the host of “Drag Race France,” reflects on the pride shared among fellow performers in having a significant platform in the year 2024 to authentically express themselves.
However, the following day brought an unexpected turn for Doll. To her dismay, she found herself at the center of a colossal backlash triggered by the ceremony. French Catholic bishops criticized the event, labeling it as a mockery of Christianity. Even Donald Trump denounced it as a disgrace. The focus of the uproar was a particular scene where Doll and other “Drag Race” artists posed, interpreted by critics as a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting, the “Last Supper.”
The controversy snowballed rapidly, fueled by social media outrage. Doll’s phone buzzed incessantly with notifications, tagging her in various derogatory remarks. She received personal attacks and menacing threats, escalating to disturbing levels. As the storm of online abuse grew, a special police unit intervened to probe hate crimes against fellow performers, including DJ Barbara Butch.
Doll, originally from Marseille and now based in New York, reflects on the unprecedented use of religion to target the LGBTQ+ community. She expresses feeling blindsided by the underhanded tactics employed against them.
Among the faceless trolls lurked Laurence Fox, a former actor turned controversial right-wing commentator, notorious for his inflammatory remarks. Fox’s derogatory post labeling the performers at the ceremony as “little pedos” sparked further outrage. In response, Doll took the decisive step to file a defamation lawsuit against Fox in France, determined to hold him accountable for his harmful rhetoric and its impact.