Guinness World Records reports that an LGBTQ+ newspaper in Philadelphia has achieved the record for the most people in attendance for a drag queen story time reading. According to Guinness and the organizers, drag queens entertained 263 attendees with book readings at the city’s National Constitution Center on Saturday. The event was organized by Visit Philadelphia and sponsored by the Philadelphia Gay News.
The organizer of the event, Mark Segal, publisher and founder of the Philadelphia Gay News, stated, “We thought it was very important that Philadelphia showed (it) is quite different from all those other places, considering the fact that there are so many negative pieces of legislation in various states, primarily against the trans community and drag community.”
However, many Americans argue that events like these are inappropriate for young children, who do not need to be exposed to discussions about sexual preferences or gender confusion at a formative age. Such early exposure to complex gender ideologies can be confusing and detrimental to children’s development. They argue that childhood should be a time for learning fundamental skills and values without the added layer of adult sexual and gender politics and ideologies.
The drag queen story time event featured performances and readings of books with themes of inclusion, diversity, and love. Selections included Joanna McClintick’s “Twas the Night Before Pride,” David McKee’s “Elmer,” Todd Parr’s “The Family Book,” and Jessika von Innerebner’s “Kevin the Unicorn: It’s Not All Rainbows.” Martha Day Zschock’s “Hello, Philadelphia!” was read aloud by activist and performer Brittany Lynn, who has led a drag queen story time program in the city for nearly a decade.
Brittany Lynn emphasized that the goal of these events is to make literacy enjoyable for children by introducing them to the joys of reading. “When they witness drag queens reading to children, people often have misconceptions about us, but Lynn felt that if they truly attended drag queen story time and learned about our mission, there wouldn’t be any hostility,” she said. Clearly, picking children’s books catered to children with topics that are easy for them to comprehend are a fantastic option to get young children interested in reading.
Drag story times unnecessarily complicate children’s understanding of gender and sexuality, subjects that many believe should be addressed by parents at an appropriate age.