Another day, another Satanic panic by right-wing Christians. And this time it involves LGBTQ+ people.
The uproar comes after Irish singer Bambie Thug's supposedly "Satanic" performance of their song "Doomsday Blue" in this year's Eurovision song contest.
The performance is definitely provocative, and combined with Thug's non-binary LGBTQ+ identity, it makes them the perfect target for right-wingers.
BAMBIE THUG - DOOMSDAY BLUE (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)youtu.be
But at no point has it seemed to occur to conservatives that their outrage might be the point of the performance—even after Thug themself called the uproar "quite iconic" and said it's "p*ssing off all the right people."
Thug calls themself a "rebel witch" who's been "conjuring Ouija Pop since 1993," and "Doomsday Blue" uses the phrase “avada kedavra," popularized in the "Harry Potter" series by outspoken transphobe JK Rowling.
Thug called it a form of "wordplay," a sort of reclaiming of the word from Rowling's TERF-y hands, and has also used their performances to call for trans rights and a "ceasefire" in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
All of that to say: Thug is being purposefully provocative to make several points, and taking it at face value, rather than looking at the deeper meaning, is a bit silly.
But conservative Christians have rarely risen to the occasion when it comes to such intentionally provocative issues. And boy are they furious about Bambie Thug.
Several took to social media to express their outrage at the supposedly Satanic nature of their performance.
SATANIC RITUALS \nIRELAND \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddea \nEurovision fans 'blown away' by Ireland's Bambie Thug as singer delivers showstopping gothic performance\u203c\ufe0f\n\nBambie Thug, 31, a non-binary artist from County Cork, delivered a showstopping performance of their song Doomsday Blue for the crowd in Malmo,\u2026— (@)
But many others found the whole uproar ridiculous and applauded Thug for triggering all the right people.
Absolutely cracking up at all the pearl clutching over Ireland\u2019s @Eurovision 2024 \u201cSatanic\u201d song entry by @Bambiethug. \nIt\u2019s actually a brilliant song and I am here for it! \ud83d\ude08\ud83d\ude08\n\n#CrownTheWitch #BambieThug #Eurovision2024 #Ireland \n\nhttps://t.co/WcmZjW4WCt— (@)
As for Thug themself? They had some choice words for anyone up in arms about their work, and made it clear that upsetting them was precisely the point.
Thug told Rolling Stone:
“Honestly, I think it was quite iconic to have created such uproar. I’m p***ing off the right type of people – people who suppress love, compassion, understanding, people who are slaves to their programming, transphobes, the far-right and a few priests so it seems..."
“People fear what they don’t know, and a lot of the time people like me spark fear in others because deep down they are jealous of the freedom I live in."
"I wish all my haters love and kindness and hope one day they get to experience true compassion for themselves and others.”
Couldn't have said it better.
@jimmyfallon/Instagram