BARBARA BUTCH
Full volume
PRIDE ICON AWARD SUPPORTED BY MAGNUM
Having endured violence, race hate, homophobia and fatphobia, French DJ Barbara Butch knows how music can be a powerful tool in helping to bring people together
Words Dale Fox
Photography Markus Bidaux HAIR & MAKEUP BY GRACIE COX
‘M y great-grandmother always told me that, ‘Everyone is beautiful; every body is beautiful.’” This message is one that Barbara Butch has carried with her since childhood. The French DJ, lesbian activist and body-positivity advocate has weathered homophobia, fatphobia and two abusive relationships over her 42 years. Despite this, she’s learned to take these negative experiences and turn them into something positive, at the same time spreading this ethos throughout the LGBTQ+ community via her love of music.