But after he and his partner Sergey Ostrikov were attacked outside Moscow, and especially since a bill banning gay "propaganda" was passed in June, Petel has feared for his safety. He is losing business -- and blames that on the law and an increasingly less tolerant climate towards homosexuality.
"People in the regions are very aggressive towards gays. Sergey and I were lucky to be alive last year because some people wanted to kill us. My fear has been growing since then."
And recently, "I was working on my video when I turned on the TV and saw video of one anchor of a Russian channel who said that you need to burn the gays' hearts," he told CNN. "I had to continue to smile, perform, say 'hello sexy' but it was difficult. I started to be afraid.
"I'm dressed down now when I go on to the street and I'm afraid police could arrest me. They can implement the law against me. I know that I'm not safe.
"I'm afraid to do what I used to. I'll probably change. I'm scared to come to the streets now wearing wigs or heels. I've started to wear them much more rarely.