Google staff attended a drag show that was nearly cancelled by the company after a petition was circulated by a group of Christian staff members, claiming that it went against their religion and the company's policy. There was some booing from the crowd directed towards the company during the show.
Originally intended as a celebration to close out Pride month, Tuesday evening's drag show at a bar in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood turned unexpectedly into a rallying cry for corporate allyship. The event, which featured drag performers, drew dozens of Google employees, some of whom booed their employer.Longtime drag performer Joshua Grannell, who goes by the stage name 'Peaches Christ', opened the show: "Folks who work at Google put this together and we did this last year and it was fabulous and it was fun and we had a good time," he said. "And this year, a group of Christians at Google signed a petition to take this event from their employees because they thought it was upsetting, offensive, controversial."The booing of the crowd, including several Google employees wearing company "Pride" T-shirts, made clear that the attendees viewed the company's decision to alter its original plans as a capitulation to the pressure of the petition and complaints by Christian employees.In conversations with CNBC, both employees and Grannell expressed their disappointment in the company; last year, the same event went off without issue. Grannell also noted that he has employed hundreds of people across the city as a performer for nearly 30 years, and described the Google incident as part of a "huge groundswell of hatred" aiming to use drag queens and trans people as scapegoats leading up to the 2024 presidential election. The incident follows a string of similar controversies, from Bud Light's partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney to North Face's ad featuring drag queen Pattie Gonia, as well as Pride-themed clothing from Target and Kohl's being criticized.
Following Grannell's opening monologue, he reiterated the purpose of the occasion - to commemorate Pride - then proceeded to present the performers situated on a small stage in the back of the venue, arranged with rainbow-colored lights. The first artist sang and danced in a sequenced Marilyn Monroe-style red dress to Diana Ross' enthralling "The Boss". The next performer dawned a large, multi-colored coat who performed to Gloria Gaynor's "I will survive". After them, a few other performers displayed their individual acts; some were musical skits with a comedic aspect, while others incorporated dancing and lip syncing. Grannell commented to CNBC on Google's decision to detach itself from the organized event: "For me, it's a real pity to witness this, nevertheless I believe it has to be pointed out. If you are going to embrace the rainbow flag and participate in the queer Pride parade, yet you don't back your queer staff and don't express a strong stance against anti-queer prejudice, not even in the name of religion, then you cannot be thought of as a valid ally."
Grannell noted that the situation for many drag performers is serious, as they are increasingly dependent on corporate sponsorship. "Google is a leader in this when it comes to San Francisco, and sets the bar for other firms," he said.People at the event were seen to be dancing and cheering, as well as delivering monetary tips to the stage, throughout the action-packed two hours. At the conclusion of the event, Grannell said to the audience, "Folks, we have some work to do, though. We'll take the victory, but let's keep fighting for what's right – we stand on the right side of history." His statement was met with the loudest round of cheers and applause.Google failed to answer a request for comment on the matter.
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