2024 Olympic Games in Paris: “You can be a transvestite and carry the Olympic flame”

At 31, Martine Nahmias, known as drag queen Miss Martini, will carry the Olympic flame on one leg of the relay in the south of France to “bring joy” and advocate for an inclusive society.

“I’m honored to do this and I think it’s important for the whole world to see that in France you can be a transvestite and carry the Olympic flame,” says Miss Martini.

She is proud to have become the first drag queen of the relay on May 11 in Digne-les-Bains, in the Alps of Haute-Provence, three days after the flame arrived in Marseille on Wednesday. Another drag queen, Minima Gesté, plans to take part in the fire during her visit to Paris on July 14 and 15.

Profession: physiotherapist

A physiotherapist by profession, Martin Nahmias began performing in drag under the pseudonym Miss Martini in 2015 “everywhere in Marseille, in all LGBT+ venues,” but not only. For example, he gives a monthly show at the Cabaret de l’Etoile Bleue.

He greets AFP at his Marseille apartment, applying makeup and donning a frilly red dress, a long blonde wig and a sparkling silver necklace before heading out for a walk through the streets of France’s second city.

Accustomed to these brilliant outfits, as for the photo shoot during which he “embodied the Olympic flame” in a red-hot dress, he will regretfully have to settle for the sober white T-shirt of the flame bearers on the day of the relay. . But he still plans to “accessorize it all” with “a nice belt, nice heels and a wig.” [perruque] amazing “.

And all this in order to “put on a show, make people dance, give joy to the eyes of the public, make them dream” in the 200m, which will see him carry the flame in Digne-les-Bains, May 11 at 12: 00:21:00

“The values ​​of the Olympic Games are universal”

In addition to this celebratory presence at the relay, Miss Martini also intends to convey a message for an inclusive society where everyone has a place. In Paris, a transvestite chosen to carry the flame became the target of digital harassment by far-right media,” said the city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo.

“Clearly the far right thinks it is inappropriate for a drag queen to carry the Olympic flame. On the contrary, it opens up debate and reflection and demonstrates inclusivity,” says Martin.

Miss Martini also wants to raise awareness of transgender participation in pageants.

Following the first participation of a transgender weightlifting athlete in the Tokyo Olympics, the issue has become a headache for sports institutions. In November 2021, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) shifted responsibility to each sport, highlighting the lack of “scientific consensus regarding the role of testosterone in athletic performance.”

“It’s not a good answer,” says Martin Nahmias, who sees it as “a way to prevent transgender people from participating” in the category they want.

He added: “The values ​​of the Olympic Games are great and universal. We are for sports and inclusion + everyone + together. Society is developing and I think the Olympic system should develop at the same time.”