A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Texas A&M University System regents’ ban on drag shows across all of its campuses.
The ruling allows the annual drag event, “Draggieland,” to proceed as planned on Thursday in Rudder Theatre at the university’s flagship campus in College Station.
Since 2020, students have participated in the event through cross-dressing, with men wearing heels, prosthetic women’s body parts, extravagant wigs, and extreme makeup.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression sued on behalf of the Queer Empowerment Council, which organizes “Draggieland.”
In her ruling, Judge Lee H. Rosenthal, a George HW Bush appointee, said that the Queer Empowerment Council was likely to succeed in its claim that the ban violated the First Amendment.
“We’re overjoyed with today’s decision,” stated the Queer Empowerment Council. “This is another display of the resilience of queer joy, as that is an unstoppable force despite those that wish to see it destroyed. While this fight isn’t over, we are going to appreciate the joy we get to bring by putting on the best show that we can do.”
The Texas A&M regents cited compliance with executive orders by President Donald J. Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott prohibiting taxpayer funds from promoting “gender ideology” as reason for the ban.
They also stated that drag shows demean women and are “inconsistent with the system’s mission and core values of its universities, including the value of respect for others.”
“Texas universities have every right to dictate what events are held on their campuses,” wrote Gov. Abbott on 𝕏 in response to the ruling. “Drag shows promote radical gender ideology. They are not welcome at Texas universities.”
Rosenthal, however, ruled that the view that drag shows are inappropriate content is subjective and discriminatory.
“To some, Draggieland, which features fully clothed performers, would be considered no more ‘lewd’ or ‘indecent’ than the scantily clad performers in The Cher Show that was performed in the Rudder Theatre, and no more demeaning to women than a beauty pageant,” Rosenthal wrote.
In 2023, West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler banned drag shows on the campus, similarly arguing that the performances mock and demean women. In that case, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled in favor of the ban, citing the presence of children and stating that free speech rights change when minors are involved.
Last week, the University of Texas System followed the Texas A&M System’s lead and issued a campus-wide ban on drag shows.
Texas Scorecard did not receive a response from the TAMUS Board of Regents before publication on whether they will appeal the ruling.
