Leslie Barbara Butch is a French disc jockey and lesbian activist.[1] She campaigns for fat acceptance and has made the short film Extra Large.[2][3] She was awarded the Out d'or 2021 "personnalité LGBTI de l'année" ("LGBTI personality of the year") by the French Association of LGBTI Journalists.[4][5][6] In 2024, she DJ'd in the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.[7]
Early life
Leslie Barbara Butch was born at the Marie-Louise Clinic in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, where her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother were born before her.[8] Her mother, a secretary, was Ashkenazi Jewish, and her father, a house painter, was of Moroccan heritage, and she grew up in a traditional Jewish family.[9][10] She grew up in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, studied music theory, piano, Brazilian percussion and guitar in her teens, and created her own mixtapes and recorded cassettes. The Eclaireuses et Eclaireurs israélites de France (Jewish Guides and Scouts of France) was a key part of her life during those years.[8] Later, she started going to Pulp, a leading Parisian club hosting lesbian parties.[8]
Career
Butch started to built her DJ career playing in bars in Montpellier, initially using the DJ name "Scratcheuse de gazon" before reverting to her actual name. In 2008 she moved back to Paris, working at Rosa Bonheur and then other club venues such as the Machine du Moulin Rouge.[7]
On 5 February 2020 she posed naked on the cover of Télérama with the question: ‘Pourquoi on rejette les gros? (Why do we reject fat people?). This led to her becoming the face of Jean Paul Gaultier's perfume La Belle Intense.[7][8]
In 2023, Butch was a guest celebrity judge in a Season 2 episode of the French language reality television series Drag Race France (titled "The Musidrag"), broadcast on France.tv Slash.
On 26 July 2024, she performed at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, mixing French variété classics in a set featuring actresses from the drag queen scene.[7] She received a number of online threats after the performance, and stated through her lawyer that she would be filing legal complaints in response.[11]
References
- ^ "Barbara Butch, The Lesbian DJ and Fat Activist Who Will Make You Dance". Bowie Creators — Home of Queer & Feminist Creators. 27 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ Boulant, Jeanne (13 December 2021). ""J'aurais pu lâcher l'affaire": Barbara Butch raconte son difficile combat contre la grossophobie". BFMTV (in French). Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ Ramphul, Kalindi (29 March 2022). "Oh yeah ! Barbara Butch présente Extra large, un film contre la grossophobie qui donne envie". Madmoizelle (in French). Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Out d'Or 2021 : Leslie Barbara Butch désignée « personnalité LGBTI de l'année »". KOMITID (in French). 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ Rajeshvari, Neha (11 December 2021). "DJ Barbara Butch named "LGBTI Personality of the Year"". Khabar Non Stop. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "La DJ Barbara Butch désignée "personnalité LGBTI de l'année"". ladepeche.fr (in French). 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d Cousin, Victor (26 July 2024). "JO 2024 : qui est Barbara Butch, DJ féministe et activiste LGBTQ +, qui a mixé lors de la cérémonie d'ouverture ?". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Barbara Butch, "Reine de la nuit"". France Inter (in French). 28 January 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ Fox, Dale (22 June 2023). "DJ Barbara Butch: 'I'm a fat, Jewish, queer lesbian, and I'm really proud'". Attitude. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Barbara Butch • Coup d'Été". Coup d'Été.
- ^ "Olympic 'Last Supper' DJ files legal complaint after torrent of online abuse". The Guardian. Associated Press. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
External links
- Barbara Butch at IMDb
- Extra Large at IMDb