PARIS (AP) — Paris: the Olympic gold medalist of naughtiness. Revolution ran like a high-voltage wire through the wacky, wonderful and rule-breaking Olympic opening ceremony that the French capital used to astound, bemuse and, at times, poke a finger in the eye of global audiences on Friday night. That Paris put on the most flamboyant and diversity-celebrating of opening ceremonies wasn't a surprise.
Anything less would have seemed a betrayal of the pride the French capital takes in being a home to humanity in all its richness. But still. Wow.
Paris didn't just push the envelope. It did away with it entirely as it hammered home a message that freedom must know no bounds. A practically naked singer painted blue made thinly veiled references to his body parts.
Blonde-bearded drag queen Piche crawled on all fours to the thumping beat of “Freed From Desire” by singer-songwriter Gala, who has long been a potent voice against homophobia . There were the beginnings of a menage à trois — the door was slammed on the camera before things got really steamy — and the tail end of an intimate embrace between two men who danced away, hugging and holding hands. “In France, we have the right to love each other, as we want and with who we want.
In France, we have the right to believe or to not believe. In France, we have a lot of rights. Voila,” said the audacious show's artistic director, Thomas Jolly.
Jolly, who is gay, says being bullied as a child for supposedly being effem.