Crystal appeared on Good Morning Britain on 26 April to discuss the Laurence Fox libel case (ITV)
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Crystal successfully sued right-wing activist Laurence Fox for libel, and was awarded £180,000 in damages, split between three claimants.
She’s now announced what she plans to do with her share of the money.
Fox was sued by former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Crystal, whose name out of drag is Colin Seymour, in 2020 after an exchange on X/Twitter.
During the argument, sparked by Fox’s criticism of supermarket chain Sainsbury’s after a Black History Month celebration post, the Reclaim Party founder called the two men paedophiles – as well as Coronation Street star Nicola Thorp.
In January, high court judge Mrs Justice Collins Rice ruled Fox’s comments were “harmful, defamatory and baseless”. Fox had also tried to counter sue the pair for calling him a racist. The counter claims were dismissed at the same time.
A subsequent ruling issued on Thursday (25 April) ordered him to pay Blake and Drag Race star Crystal, whose real name is Colin Seymour, £90,000 each.
Laurence Fox hit out at the ruling, insisting that he is planning to appeal.
Posting a screenshot of the cost of amputation of one leg below the knee for £97,980-£132,990, he wrote: “You get the same wonga if you lose a leg at work. So surreal it’s almost funny. Lady justice ain’t blind. She’s got both eyes wide open. Will be appealing.”
Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Friday (26 April), Crystal explained what effect Fox’s comments had on her, and also explained what she planned to do with the money she’s been awarded.
She explained: “Paedophilia is one of the oldest homophobic tropes that there is, and it’s a very sticky and serious accusation that can linger on someone’s reputation.”
“It was really a full spectrum of hate coming my way and I had no idea what the implications were going to be for my career, for my safety,” she added, saying she’d since been “threatened” at events for being in drag, and had hundreds of messages on X/Twitter calling her a “nonce”.
Crystal went on to say that the money would be given to charity, adding: “maybe I’ll buy a bidet with a Fox head on it and I can think of Laurence Fox at a certain time everyday.”
“I don’t think there’s any getting through to [Fox],” she added. “But to anyone else, queer people are not a danger to children and if you think that’s the case then you’ve been fed a lie, we’re just trying to live our lives.”