French drag artist Nicky Doll has taken legal action against British actor and politician Laurence Fox after he lashed out at drag queens involved in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, calling them “deviant little pedos” on social media.
The July 26 ceremony, in which a group of transvestites portrayed Greek gods and was seen by some as a parody of Leonardo va Vinci’s religious painting “The Last Supper,” sparked debate worldwide. Fox posted about the performance on Just laugh at the deviant pedophiles. Eternity is ab***h.”
Nicky Doll, whose real name is Karl Sanchez, announced the lawsuit through a statement from lawyer Anne Sophie-Laguens. The statement detailed that performers faced online harassment and threats after the July 26 ceremony.
“Stop Homophobia Advocates have received numerous reports of hate speech, insults, online harassment, threats and defamation,” the statement said. It added that Sanchez, who gained international recognition as a contestant on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” has experienced “an unprecedented wave of hostility and malice” since the appearance.
“These messages go far beyond artistic criticism and, for some, convey odious and defamatory amalgams, equating drag performance with pedophilia,” the statement added. “These comparisons are serious and unacceptable. It is in this sense that justice has been served and that any publication or message that equates Nicky Doll’s achievements with encouraging pedophilia practices will be reported.”
In a separate one statement to Today.com, Sánchez addressed Fox directly: “I’m about to sue you again for defamation – the very same issue you were sued for and lost.” The drag artist added: “This is my kind of activism. I’m going to make him pay for the things everyone else says because I want to show that now is the time to stop labeling queer people in a bad way.”
This isn’t the first time Fox has faced legal action involving a drag performer. He recently lost a High Court defamation case brought by Stonewall trustee Simon Blake and drag artist Crystal. Fox was ordered to pay £90,000 ($115,200) each in damages. The case arose from Fox’s online comments directed at Blake and Crystal after he was criticized for his comments about Sainsbury’s plans for safe spaces for black employees.
French DJ and activist Barbara Butch has also filed a police report after receiving death threats for her participation in a performance at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games along with Thomas Jolly, the event’s artistic director.
Fox is a leader of the Reclaim Party. His last credit as an actor was the role of Hunter Biden in Breitbart TV’s “My Son Hunter” (2022).
Elsa Keslassy contributed to this report.