A Google-sponsored drag show has been criticized by the search engine giant's Christian employees.
Participants hold up a Google banner during Berlin's annual Christopher Street Day (CSD) gay pride parade on July 22, 2017. Gays and lesbians all around the World are celebrating the Christopher Street Day (CSD) gay and lesbian pride parade.
Because of this, the tech firm was left with no choice but to distance itself from the LGBTQ event.
Usually, Google finances Pride events in San Francisco and other parts of the world each year.
This 2023, Google decided to sponsor the "Pride and Drag Show" event, which features Peaches Christ; a popular drag performer.
Google-Sponsored Drag Show Criticized by Christian Employees
According to NBC News' latest report, the Pride and Drag Show was removed from Google's internal description.
People walk past the Google pavilion at CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 8, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 10 and features about 4,500 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 170,000 attendees.
The search engine giant did this after a petition created by its Christian employees opposing the event circulated.
Hundreds of Google staff joined the petition. They claim that it disrespects and sexualizes Christian co-workers.
Aside from this, they also accused Google of religious discrimination.
"Their provocative and inflammatory artistry is considered a direct affront to the religious beliefs and sensitivities of Christians," said Google employees in their petition.
Aside from sponsoring the controversial event, employees were also disappointed with Google's decision to secretly remove the event from its internal website instead of being vocal about it.
What Google Says About The Drag Show
Google didn't confirm if the removal of the drag show was conducted because of the petition.
Instead, Google spokesperson Chris Pappas explained that the Pride and Drag Show was planned by an internal team without going through the company's standard event process.
"While the event organizers have shifted the official team event onsite, the performance will go on at the planned venue - and it's open to the public, so employees can still attend," he added.
Pappas further stated that Google has long been proud to support and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.
The company's spokesperson also stated that for the past years, Google-sponsored Pride celebration events featured drag artists, as reported by USA Today.
The controversial drag show was still conducted in San Francisco instead of staging it in a sterile conference room at Google's Silicon Valley headquarters.
If you want to learn more about the issue with the Google-sponsored LGBTQ event, you can visit this link.
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