RuPaul’s Drag Race star and Drag Race France host, Nicky Doll, has filed a lawsuit against conservative commentator Laurence Fox, who accused her and other drag performers at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony of being “pedophiles.” Nicky Doll announced the lawsuit via a social media post on August 2, including a legal statement highlighting the defamation and hate speech directed at the performers.
The legal statement, originally written in French and shared in English, details the unprecedented wave of hatred and insults that the artists faced due to their sexual orientation and gender identity. It cites multiple incidents of incitement to hatred, insults, online harassment, threats, and defamation received by the performers. The firm representing Nicky Doll, Stop Homophobie, has been notified of these incidents and has filed a defamation complaint against Laurence Fox and other social media users.
According to the statement, Nicky Doll has been a target of insults and hate messages for years, but the animosity reached a peak following her performance at the Olympics. The messages, which included death threats, extended beyond artistic criticism and made defamatory comparisons between drag performances and pedophilia. Nicky Doll emphasized the seriousness and unacceptability of these accusations, stating that any publication or message equating her performance with pedophilia will be reported.
Nicky Doll expressed her determination to seek justice, writing, “I will never again allow myself and other queer people to be defamed and demonized. If responding with love doesn’t work for some, then responding with justice should work. See you in court.”
This lawsuit follows a similar case where Laurence Fox was ordered to pay £180,000 ($220,000) to RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Crystal for defamation. During the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, Fox made another derogatory post targeting Nicky Doll and other drag performers. Nicky Doll responded the following day with a subtle yet firm message: “Lawyer on the line, see you in court!”
Two days later, Nicky Doll reiterated her stance, reminding Fox of his previous defamation loss and asserting that he would face legal consequences for his hateful comments once again. As of now, Laurence Fox has not responded to the lawsuit or Nicky Doll’s posts.
This developing story underscores the ongoing battle against homophobia and the misuse of public platforms to spread hate speech. The outcome of this case could set a significant precedent for how defamation and hate speech are addressed in the context of LGBTQ+ rights.
