Google distanced itself from a drag show it sponsored after staff said it was offensive to Christian workers, a report says

• Hundreds of Google employees signed a petition opposing a drag show the company sponsored for Pride.
• They said it disrespected Christian workers and amounted to religious discrimination, per CNBC.

Google distanced itself from a Pride Month drag show it had sponsored shortly after some employees started a petition claiming it was offensive to Christian staff, CNBC reported.

Google had planned to end its series of sponsored Pride events with a "Pride and Drag Show" featuring a performance by Peaches Christ at LGBTQ+ bar Beaux in San Francisco on Tuesday, CNBC reported.

But several hundred Google employees had signed a petition opposing the event, saying that the drag show disrespected the company's Christian workers and amounted to religious discrimination, the outlet reported. The performer's "provocative and inflammatory artistry is considered a direct affront to the religion beliefs and sensitivities of Christians," staff wrote in the petition, per CNBC.

Google did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside of regular working hours.

The petition's organizers said that they had complained to Google's HR team about the event, per CNBC.

Google told CNBC that the show was no longer part of its official DEI initiatives and that the company was encouraging employees to attend events at its offices instead, though the drag performance would still go ahead and staff would be able to attend. A Google spokesperson told the publication that the drag event had been planned by an internal team "without going through our standard events process" and did not say whether the changes to the event were related to the petition.

"We've long been very proud to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community," the spokesperson added. "Our Pride celebrations have regularly featured drag artists for many years, including several this year."

Google's distancing from the drag performance comes as a number of companies have clashed with customers or employees over LGBTQ+ and Pride Month initiatives.

Bud Light was hit by a huge wage of conservative backlash after it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a promotion. Target staff got threats from anti-LGBTQ+ activists over its Pride collection, causing it to pull some items from stores which angered employees. And Starbucks workers said that the company wouldn't let them decorate their stores for Pride, prompting some staff to go on strike.