There are times when more is too much — and there are times to pour it on. With a goal of honoring Seattle Pride’s 40th anniversary by bringing together a world record 40 drag queens performing on one stage, dozens of Seattle’s fiercest assembled on Capitol Hill at Neighbours Thursday night for “The World’s Largest Drag Queen Stage Show.” The 2012 record of 39 performers was crushed — 43 Seattle drag queens took the stage.

“We know Seattle has one of the biggest and best drag queen communities in the country, so bringing everyone together for this historic event just made perfect sense,” Adam McRoberts of Seattle Pride said in a statement about the world record attempt. A portion of the proceeds benefitted the Pride Foundation.

As much as the night was a giant, Pride-ful stunt, drag queen culture continues as a valued part of the Capitol Hill community and is an important player in the entertainment and nightlife offerings of Pike/Pine and Broadway where drag shows draw crowds.

More Pride
Seattle Pride’s Capitol Hill components continue with Seattle Women’s Pride Friday night and Trans* Pride stepping up next week. Kai M. Green has been announced as the annual event’s featured speaker:

 Kai M. Green is a writer, scholar, poet, filmmaker, abolitionist, feminist and whatever else it takes to make a way towards a new and more just world. He examines questions of gendered and racialized violence in his art and scholarship. His film, “It Gets Messy in Here,” examines the lives of transgender men and masculine identified women of color and their bathroom experiences. Kai is a PhD candidate in the department of American Studies and Ethnicity at USC, where he is completing his dissertation, “Into the Darkness: A Black Queer (Re)Membering of Los Angeles in a Time of Crises.” He is also a member of the Community Coalition to End Sheriff on Inmate Violence in LA County Jails where he serves on the editorial board of the organizations’ quarterly publication, “Dignity and Power Now.” Kai is also a member of the community advisory board for ‘In the Meantime Men’s Group’, an organization focused on the health and wellness of Black gay men. Kai is committed to creating consciousness raising art and scholarship.

For more things to do — Pride and beyond — around Capitol Hill this weekend, check out our latest On the List.

You can find the full event roster for 2014 Seattle Pride on Capitol Hill here.