Scottish ITV channel STV Glasgow has come under attack from gay rights groups, after a drag queen was banned from appearing on a magazine chat show, because she was not appropriate for a ‘family show’.

Alastair Smith, Chief Executive of Pride Glasgow, says that he was asked by the producers of The Riverside Show to come onto the show to talk about the event, which is on this weekend. He spoke to them on the phone and agreed that he would appear alongside Pride’s compère, drag queen Bee Fiarse Beaujambes. He then phoned back, saying that Bee would appear on the show with Spanish Eurovision singer Ruth Lorenzo instead of himself.

Smith told So So Gay: ‘The producer told me that he didn’t want the drag queen. When I promised him that she wouldn’t swear, he said, “It’s not that; it’s a family show, and we don’t want children asking their parents what a drag queen is.”

‘I explained that drag performers are part and parcel of the Pride celebrations, but he wouldn’t budge.’

Smith cancelled his appearance on the show, and asked that pre-recorded footage of Pride not be used. The producer has so far failed to respond to emails.

Bee commented: ‘I was on BBC One in Scotland three weeks ago, who never had any problems. When I heard about this, I’ve never experienced a rage like it. It’s completely illogical.

‘What STV Glasgow has done is demonstrated a distaste and prejudice for the LGBT community. Unless we look and act “normal”, whatever that is, we are not “appropriate” to be seen by kids. This hurts me on so many levels. Before I was a queen I was a nanny, a job I loved. Love knows no form or shape. It’s just love and that is all I am about.’

The producers of The Riverside Show, which is shown on Scottish ITV in Glasgow and the surrounding area, claim they had never booked Bee, and only wanted a representative from Pride Glasgow, rather than a performer. In a statement, a spokesperson for STV Glasgow said: ‘This is not our understanding of the correspondence with Glasgow Pride. STV Glasgow was keen to host Glasgow Pride on The Riverside Show and invited them on to promote this weekend’s event.’