The High Court in the UK has ruled in favor of Drag Race UK star Crystal and Simon Blake, a trustee of UK charity Stonewall, in their libel case involving British actor Laurence Fox.
The two won their suit against British actor and conservative activist Laurence Fox after he called them pedophiles in an October 2020 X exchange.
Multiple sources report the beef began after Fox said he would boycott U.K. grocery store Sainsbury’s for supporting “racial segregation and discrimination” after the company said it would establish safe spaces for Black employees during Black History Month in October 2020.
— Crystal (@crystalwillseeu) January 29, 2024
Crystal responded to Fox’s boycott by calling him racist. Fox, in turn, replied to several X users by calling them pedophiles, including Blake and Seymour.
“I’ve said it before, but paedopholia is one of the oldest and most damaging homophobic tropes. Since Mr. Fox used that word about me, I have been re-labeled as such dozens of times, been physically threatened, and been afraid for my safety in public,” Crystal said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.
“This judgment unequivocally states that his tweet was defamatory and that it caused me harm. I am very happy to have this finalized, and I hope it will make some difference in the ongoing demonization of queer people as 'groomers' or 'dangerous.' This is a lesson: we will not take it.”
Fans were introduced to Crystal when she competed on the very first season of Drag Race UK.
Since losing his suit, Fox says he plans to appeal the case. “It means that we’re going to have to go back to court, to appeal, to get a meaning of this word,” he said.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK performer Crystal (@crystalwillseeu)
— Metro (@MetroUK) January 31, 2024
spoke to Metro about her libel case win against Laurence Fox
Fox was sued by her and former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake after calling them ‘paedophiles’ in 2020, which is a common homophobic trope pic.twitter.com/cek93Qn0L0
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