Drag queen Tova Ura Vitch read during at the Reading With Pride event put on by the Drag Queen Story Time Kentucky in the Portland neighborhood Sunday afternoon. March 26, 2023 Photo: Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
A drag queen story hour performance in Philadelphia has been recognized as setting the world record for the biggest such event, with 263 people coming to hear drag performers read children’s books.
The event at the National Constitution Center this past Saturday was organized by Philadelphia Gay News and featured performers who read Philadelphia- and LGBTQ+-themed books, including Hello, Philadelphia! by Martha Day Zschock, Twas the Night Before Pride by Joanna McClintick, Elmer by David Mckee, The Family Book by Todd Parr, and Kevin the Unicorn by Jessika von Innerebner.
“The event was vicious, malicious, homophobic, and dangerous,” one rider told LGBTQ Nation.
According to Philadelphia Gay News, officials from the Guinness Book of World Records were there to count the attendees and agreed that it set the record for “largest attendance at a drag queen story time reading.”
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“Today was an amazing day,” said drag performer Brittany Lynn, who read Hello, Philadelphia! at the event.
One mother, Deniz, who brought her sons, said she was especially glad that the event was her younger son’s first drag story hour.
“I’m so glad he gets to experience this,” she said.
“Creating history-making moments like we’ve done today, hosted on land synonymous with our country’s fight for fundamental rights and freedom, serves as a powerful reminder of the resiliency, talent, and culture that make up the fabric of our great American city,” Philadelphia Gay News editor Mark Segal said in a statement.
The AP notes that this event is the first to set a record in this category. The largest drag event, according to Guinness, is a 2023 drag brunch in Brooklyn with 412 attendees.
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