Southend Adventure Island says Pride 'not for us' over drag act

Crystal said there were no complaints when he performed at Adventure Island in 2021 and 2022

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."

The owner at Adventure Island, pictured right of the pier, said the venue would not participate in future events

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.

Crystal said he was happy to have "good faith conversations" about the performance

"If we were having good faith conversations about whether or not my act was appropriate for children, then that is something I would be willing to discuss," he told the BBC.

The MailOnline reported parents were left "horrified" by his performance.

'Backfired'

Philip Miller MBE, the executive chairman and owner of Stockvale Group of Companies, which includes Adventure Island, said: "We humbly apologise to all of our loyal customers for any offence caused.

"There was confusion between us and the act as to what we would allow or not, as it were.

"The grinding act was most definitely a non-starter as we are ostensibly a family park and that is just not family entertainment."

He added: "Rest assured we will not be re-booking this act or participate in any future Pride celebrations.

"It's just not for us. We tried to be inclusive, but it has backfired on us."

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Crystal said he had not been contacted by any representative of Adventure Island since the performance.

The Adventure Island events were organised separately and independently of Southend-on-Sea Pride - an event that included live entertainment and a parade - and which organisers said was attended by more than 5,000 people.

Festival chair Sam Adams said: "We will continue to produce Southend Pride as a fully inclusive and safe space for the whole community."