Google has dropped its sponsorship of a San Francisco Pride event after hundreds of employees signed a fiery petition lashing out against it.

The tech giant sponsors a series of LGBT events across the US annually, and this year the headline event was due to be a 'Pride and Drag Show' at Beaux gay bar featuring popular performer Peaches Christ. 

But employees noticed Google removed the San Francisco show from its internal events page after a petition was launched opposing the event on religious grounds, according to memos seen by CNBC. 

Signed by a few hundred people, the petition claimed that Peaches Christ's performances routinely sexualize and disrespect Christian values - while accusing Google of religious discrimination for sponsoring the act. 

Speaking about the 49-year-old drag queen, it read: 'Their provocative and inflammatory artistry is considered a direct affront to the religion, beliefs and sensitivities of Christians.'

The authors also demanded an apology from the organizers, saying they had complained to Google's HR department - People Operations - alleging the venue violated the company's event guidelines regarding sexually explicit activity. 

Peaches Christ, who shot to fame on the California drag scene following the launch of their night movie series Midnight Mass in 1998, hit back at the petitioners, accusing them of promoting 'anti-queer and anti-gay rhetoric'.   

Writing on Facebook, the drag queen said: 'This is another example of the really disturbing rise in anti-queer and anti-gay rhetoric that is using drag performers and trans people as scapegoats.

'Anyone who knows me and knows my career knows that I use this drag character and name to present love, to make people laugh, to create entertainment and to create space for outsiders.'