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Google tried to distance itself from a previously planned drag show featuring longtime performer “Peaches Christ” in San Francisco but employees kept attending. Some of them booed the business owner for what they saw as giving in to pressure from an internal protest led by religion.
Jennifer Elias
A raffle show originally intended to mark the end of Pride Month turned into a rallying cry for the company’s alliance as dozens of Google employees, some of them boos employer.
“I don’t usually talk about that sort of thing,” began longtime San Francisco drag performer Joshua Granell, opening the multi-performance drag show Tuesday night from a small stand at a bar in the Castro neighborhood.
He continued, “People who work at Google put this together and we did it last year and it was great and it was fun and we had a good time.” And this year, a group of Christians at Google signed a petition to take this event from their employees because they thought it was disturbing, offensive, and controversial.
“Boo!” shouted dozens of attendees, including several Googlers wearing Pride T-shirts.
Grannell, who goes by the drag artist name “Peaches Christ,” was a planned performer in a drag show sponsored and promoted by Google to close out Pride Month. However, as previously reported by CNBC, the company removed its affiliation and instead encouraged employees to stay away from the raffle offer to attend a new event at its offices. The move came about when several hundred employees signed a petition opposing the performance of the pull, claiming it was offensive to their Christian faith and that they had complained to human resources.
The company said the event did not go through the proper approval process but did not comment on the petition.
The attendees and Grannell said they saw the change as succumbing to pressure from Christian employees’ petitions and complaints.
“I’ve been called out for all sorts of things,” Granell said onstage, referring to the petition. “Boo!” More attendees shouted. “We support you!” one of the employees shouted from the crowd.
Both the employees and Grannell told CNBC they were disappointed in the company over the decline, adding that the company held a similar event last year without any issues.
Attendees described Grannell as an “icon” and “institution” in the gay community.
“I’ve been a performer for nearly 30 years in San Francisco, and I’ve hired hundreds of people, performers, and artists all over the city,” Granell told CNBC.
“This thing that happened with Google, unfortunately for this event, actually signals a massive wave of hate across the country using drag queens and transgender people as scapegoats,” he told the crowd on Tuesday, which got more boos and shouts.
Drag shows have been a target for religious and conservative organizations and politicians ahead of the 2024 presidential election wave of legislative proposals Supported by GOP governors trying to limit drag events.
Companies have also faced a backlash for pride-related marketing. Bud Light came under fire after partnering with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, while The North Face received backlash for an ad featuring drag queen Patty Gonia. Target and Kohl’s have been criticized for Pride-themed clothing.
Joshua Grannell, who goes by the stage name Peaches Christ, addressed Google’s decision to distance itself from the previously planned drag show.
Jennifer Elias
After Granell’s opening monologue, he reiterated the reason for the event to celebrate Pride and then proceeded to introduce the performers on stage at the back of the venue, which held rainbow-colored lights.
The prima donna sang in a red Marilyn Monroe-style sequined dress in front of Diana Ross’ euphoric “The Boss.” The next artist blew up in a multicolored trench coat that danced to Gloria Gaynor’s “I’ll Survive.”
A few others followed suit, with their own unique actions. Some were comedy musical skits, while others featured dancing and lip-syncing.
“For me, it’s sad to see this happen, but I also think it should be called,” Grannell told CNBC after the show, referring to Google’s decision to distance itself from the planned event. “If you’re going to put a rainbow flag on things and parade queer pride but don’t support your LGBT employees and don’t take a stand against homophobic sentiment, even in the name of religion, then you’re not a true ally.”
The drag performer acted out a skit about her love of cats while lip-syncing Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.” The skit drew laughter from the audience.
The stakes for many drag performers are high, Grannell said, as some have become dependent on corporate sponsorship. “We’ve now created a culture where corporate ally includes paying performers and paying LGBT people for Pride Month. Google sets the standard for a lot of companies in the industry and in San Francisco,” he added.
Attendees and staff alike danced, cheered, and took turns shoving dollar bills onto the stage throughout the nearly two-hour event.
“You’ve got some work to do, Googlers,” Grannell told the audience as he finished the presentation. “We have to keep fighting and we will win – we are on the right side of history.”
The crowd erupted into applause and cheers.
Google did not respond to a request for comment.
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