French DJ and LGBTQ+ icon carries Paralympic torch to defy hate she endured over Olympics ceremony

PARIS (AP) — French performer Barbara Butch carried the Paralympic torch Sunday evening in an act of defiance after being targeted by hate speech over her appearance in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

“I chose not to be afraid to exist in the public space,” Barbara Butch, a popular DJ and LGBTQ+ icon said in an interview with broadcaster France Info before walking onstage with the torch at a musical event in Saint-Cloud, a western suburb of Paris. “I know I represent France in the same way as anyone else,” she added.

The performer filed a formal legal complaint alleging online abuse after suffering online harassment, death threats and insults following her performance in the July 26 Olympics opening show. Five other artists and performers, including the ceremony's artistic director, Thomas Jolly, made similar complaints after suffering a torrent of abuse.

Butch said she has received “tens of thousands of hate messages.” A specialized team has managed to identify “hundreds of people who had sent ... the most violet messages," she said.

"Justice will do its job and then we will tackle the international level,” Butch said.

Butch was among nearly 1,000 torch bearers - who will carry the Paralympic flame, split between 12 torches, to 50 cities across France in the next few days to highlight communities that are committed to promoting inclusion in sport and building awareness of living with disabilities.

Other torch bearers include former Paralympians, young para athletes, volunteers from Paralympic federations, innovators of advanced technological support, people who dedicate their lives to others with impairments and people who work in the non-profit sector to support carers.

The 12 flames will become one again when the relay ends in central Paris on Wednesday after visiting historical sites along the city’s famed boulevards and plazas before lightening the cauldron during the three-hour opening ceremony.

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FILE -A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

GAINESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The opening matches of the Solheim Cup began in front of half-empty grandstands surrounding the first tee at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on Friday morning, with transportation issues preventing fans from getting to the golf course.

Fans posted on social media that they were stuck for hours waiting in lines for buses at Jiffy Lube Live, a concert venue near the golf course about 40 miles west of Washington, D.C.

In the 20 minutes before the matches began, a small trickle of fans speed-walked toward the grandstand, but there was no sign of the record crowds that organizers had promised.

LPGA Tour officials had no immediate comment on the transportation problems.

Esther Henseleit struck the opening tee shot for Europe in the team competition against the United States as part of an alternate-shot pairing with Charley Hull. Allisen Corpuz followed for the U.S., paired with top-ranked Nelly Korda.

Europe is seeking to capture the Solheim Cup for a record fourth straight time.

Players frequently describe the opening tee shot at the Solheim Cup as more nerve-wracking than anything in women's golf, fueled partly by fans who fill grandstands hours in advance to cheer the home team.

The few hundred fans who made it in time for Friday morning's opening remained quiet for the European tee shots and cheered throughout as the Americans hit theirs, a departure from golf etiquette that players have come to embrace at team competitions.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Europe's Carlota Ciganda watches her putt on the first hole during a Solheim Cup golf tournament foursomes match at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Gainesville, VA. (AP Photo/Matt York)

The sun rises over the 14th hold before the start of a Solheim Cup golf tournament foursomes match at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Gainesville, VA. (AP Photo/Chris Szagalo)

Empty seats on a grandstand are seen on the first hole during a Solheim Cup golf tournament foursomes match at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Gainesville, VA. (AP Photo/Matt York)