A drag queen has said he is “very disappointed” after a theme park said it would refuse to host future Pride events because of his performance.
Crystal was on stage at Adventure Island as part of an event to coincide with the weekend’s Southend-on-Sea Pride festival.
The owner said there was “confusion” over what was allowed and future Pride events were “just not for us”.
The entertainer performed at the venue for the two previous Pride events.
Crystal, who was a contestant on season one of the BBC’s RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, said: “It is just another example in a long line of corporations using Pride as a means to make some money, but as something to be abandoned once it becomes challenging or difficult.”
A video of Crystal’s performance on Saturday showed him using an angle grinder against a metal plate fixed to his crotch, making sparks fly.
Crystal said his act was no different to some entertainers seen on Britain’s Got Talent, or by pop stars such as Lady Gaga or street artists in London’s Covent Garden, but that his performance was only perceived as sexual because he was in drag.
The performer, who grew up in Canada and whose real name is Colin Munro, also said he received homophobic abuse twice in Southend that weekend and police intervened when a man threatened to punch him and his friend on the beach in the city last year.
Read more: Southend Adventure Island says Pride ‘not for us’ over drag act
