Frigide Barjot

Virginie Tellenne[1] (née Merle;[1][2] born September 25, 1962) better known by her alias Frigide Barjot, is a French humorist, columnist and political activist. A former socialite of the Parisian nightlife, who organized events defending the Catholic faith in the 2000s, Barjot rose to prominence in the early 2010s in France as a vocal campaigner against same-sex marriage and LGBT adoption.

Frigide Barjot
Frigide Barjot in 2014
Born
Virginie Merle

(1962-09-25) 25 September 1962
Boulogne-Billancourt, France
NationalityFrench
EducationJean Moulin University Lyon 3
Sciences Po
OccupationActivist
Known forOpposition to Same-sex marriage in France

Biography

Born into a family from Lyon, Virginie Merle studied the law at Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 and Sciences Po before joining the public relations office of the French Gaullist political party Rally for the Republic (RPR).[3][4][5] As a young woman, Barjot was a figure of the Parisian nightlife, and would regularly attend gay clubs; she has described herself as a "fag hag" (fille à pédés in French).[6][7][8]

In the 1980s, Barjot met Bruno Tellenne, also known as Basile de Koch, a speechwriter and the founder of comedy group Jalons;[2][7] the group styled itself as a "cultural intervention group", which specialized in parody and subvertising campaigns. She later became herself a member of Jalons, adopting the alias "Frigide Barjot",[note 1] and gradually became a prominent member within the group. In the 1990s, Barjot was a regular guest on some French talk shows such as On a tout essayé..[9]

In 2004, Barjot claimed to have had a mystical experience during a trip to Lourdes which reportedly renewed her Roman Catholic faith.[2] She became gradually more vocal about her religion, presenting herself as "Jesus's press attaché" and organizing events defending Christianity, especially then-Pope Benedict XVI.[10]

In 2012, as the French government announced their proposal to make same-sex marriage legal in France, Barjot was one of activists who organized demonstrations in Paris to oppose the project.[11] She became a spokeswoman for Manif pour Tous, a collective of associations campaigning against same-sex marriage and LGBT adoption.[3]

Personal life

In 1994, Barjot married humorist Basile de Koch (born Bruno Tellenne), founder of comedy group Jalons of which Barjot was a member.[12] As of 2013, they have two children.[2]

Filmography
  • Trois zéros (2002) – as Brigitte
  • People (2004) – as a jet setter
  • Turf (2013) – as a guest

Bibliography
  • J'élève mon mari, Éditions Jean-Claude Lattès, 2001, ISBN 2-7096-2234-3
  • J'éduque mes parents (co-authored with Basile de Koch), Éditions Jean-Claude Lattès, 2004
  • Manuel de survie de la femme moderne
  • Le manifeste foutiste : traité de sagesse à l'usage des petits et des glands (co-authored with Basile de Koch), Éditions Jean-Claude Lattès, 2000 ISBN 2-709-62125-8
  • Confessions d'une catho branchée, Éditions Plon, 2011 ISBN 978-2-259-21307-3
  • Touche pas à mon sexe, contre le « mariage » gay, Éditions Mordicus, 2013, ISBN 978-2-918-41459-9

See also

References

Notes
  1. The pseudonym, a pun on French sex symbol Brigitte Bardot, is made from frigide which is French for "frigid", and barjot which is slang meaning "crazy".[2]

Citations
  1. Frison, Mickaël (November 25, 2014). "Virginie Tellenne, ni "pute" ni Frigide". Europe 1 (in French). Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  2. Grousset, Véronique (January 4, 2013). "Frigide Barjot, figure de proue". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  3. France debates gay marriage, Nytimes.com
  4. France's gay marriage fight, BBC.co.uk
  5. Mass Rally in Paris: France Agonizes Over Plan to Allow Gay Marriage, Spiegel.de
  6. Rémy, Jacqueline (January 12, 2013). "Frigide Barjot, la fofolle de Dieu". Marianne (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  7. de Montclos, Violaine (21 July 2011). "Frigide Barjot, la catho déjantée". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  8. Barjot, Frigide. Touche pas à mon sexe !: Contre le "mariage" gay... (in French). Editions Mordicus. p. 1.
  9. Guyard, Bertrand (10 July 2013). "Laurent Ruquier: «Hollande et Ayrault ne sont pas très bons»". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  10. Le Vaillant, Luc (30 April 2011). "La fofolle de Dieu". Libération (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  11. Gay attack victim in France becomes cause celebre, as Senate debates same-sex marriage law, Washingtonpost.com Archived April 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  12. Gendron, Guillaume (4 January 2016). "Basile de Koch, branchouille de bénitier". Libération (in French). Retrieved 12 August 2020.
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