Italian bar causes stir with gay ‘Last Supper’
By Ross Semple
A bar in the Italian city of Solerno has come under fire for its ‘alternative’ depiction of the ‘Last Supper’.
A weekly club night at Caffè Verdi ‘DiverCity’ posted an image to promote their event that was to take place on Thursday (April 13) on their Facebook page.
The image is an homage to Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’, with Jesus and his apostles swapped for hunky men with their shirts off. Around the table, a few of the men are making out, one of them has his bum out in a jock strap, while one of the ‘apostles’ has his head under the table, performing oral sex on another of the men.
The image immediately caused controversy, especially due to its timing. The event was organised on Holy Thursday, the ceremonial day in the Christian calendar that commemorates the Last Supper.
As The Local reports, Fabio Mammone, a member of the political party Forza Italia, said: “The organisers are neither blasphemous nor ‘alternative’ but simply misplaced and disrespectful.”
Some of the critical comments left on DiverCity’s Facebook page included: “I feel offended as a Catholic, because my Jesus will be defamed with a squalid show,” and: “You will have to apologize for the rest of your life for the lack of respect towards those who believe in Jesus. Shame!”
Coming to the defence of the event, a representative for Caffè Verdi said that they had “unconditional support” for DiverCity. The club night has been running at the bar on Thursdays for two years.
Emanuele Avagliano, one of the event’s organisers, took to Facebook to write: “We reiterate with strength and conviction our freedom to live and enjoy ourselves as we see fit.
Avagliano encouraged the LGBT+ clubgoers to attend “with even more force and conviction, to lay claim to a space of freedom which is indispensable for the gay and transgender men and women in our city”.
The event ended up going ahead as planned despite calls for it to be cancelled.
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