Following a petition signed by some employees opposing the Pride event, Google has distanced itself from the planned drag show. The petition, which was seen by CNBC, was signed by several hundred employees who alleged that it sexualizes and disrespects Christian co-workers, and accused the company of religious discrimination. The drag performance remains available to members of the public, but Google has promoted an alternate social gathering at its offices instead.
Google has decided to no longer categorize the “Pride and Drag Show” event scheduled for Tuesday as part of its official diversity, equity and inclusion event series for Pride month, after an internal petition was circulated raising religious discrimination concerns. Popular drag performer “Peaches Christ” was scheduled to perform at the LGBTQ+ bar, Beaux, in San Francisco to wrap up the month of Pride events.
The petition, signed by a few hundred employees, stated that the drag performance “sexualizes and disrespects Christian co-workers” and requested an apology from the organizers and promoters of the event. It also accused Google of violating its event guidelines which ban “sexuality explicit activity,” while calling for the event to be cancelled.
Google is now encouraging its employees to attend a separate social gathering at its offices rather than the ‘Pride and Drag Show.’ Its spokesperson Chris Pappas said, “We've long been very proud to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community. Our Pride celebrations have regularly featured drag artists for many years, including several this year,” adding that the event was planned “without going through our standard events process.”
The petition and removal of the event has been subject to criticism among some employees, with some citing the complaint as subjective and feeding into political culture wars. In response to this, drag shows have been heavily targeted by religious and conservative organizations leading up to the 2024 presidential election - with a flurry of legislative proposals being backed by GOP governors.
Google does however continue to support the LGBTQ+ community through its website featuring several affirmations such as “A Space to Belong,” which promotes the need for inclusive spaces that bring us together and celebrate belonging.
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