A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Texas A&M University System’s ban on drag shows, allowing the annual “Draggieland” event to proceed as scheduled on Thursday. The ban was put in place earlier this month by the Board of Regents, citing that drag shows do not align with the university’s “mission and core values” and referenced President Trump’s executive order against promoting “gender ideology.”
The Queer Empowerment Council, a student organization, quickly sued the university claiming that the ban was specifically targeting their annual event, Draggieland. The event has been a popular and sold-out show since 2020, despite Texas A&M cutting funding for it in 2022.
The lawsuit argued that the ban violated the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of the students, and asked the judge to issue an injunction to allow the Draggieland event to proceed. Judge Lee H. Rosenthal granted the group’s request for a preliminary injunction in a 29-page decision, stating that those who find the performance offensive can simply choose not to attend.
This is not the first time a drag show on a Texas A&M campus has faced legal challenges. In 2023, a student drag show at West Texas A&M University was canceled by the president, leading to a lawsuit by students claiming their First Amendment rights were violated. However, in that case, the judge ruled that the cancellation did not violate free speech rights as children were expected to be present, unlike Draggieland which is marketed for adults.
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