A student LGBTQ+ organization is suing Texas A&M University over its newly adopted policy banning drag performances on its public campuses.
The federal lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of the Queer Empowerment Council, a coalition of student groups at Texas A&M University-College Station. The lawsuit aims to block the university from enforcing the policy, which the school’s Board of Regents unanimously approved last week.
The ban halts all drag performances on A&M’s 11 public campuses, including the annual “Draggieland” event, which has been held on the College Station campus since 2020.
In its resolution, the Board of Regents deemed drag shows “inconsistent with the system’s mission and core values,” arguing that the performances “involve conduct that demeans women” and could create a “hostile environment.”
Attorneys with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), the organization representing the student coalition, argue that the ban constitutes unconstitutional censorship.
“Public universities can’t shut down student expression simply because the administration doesn’t like the ‘ideology’ or finds the expression ‘demeaning,’” said FIRE attorney Adam Steinbaugh. “That’s true not only of drag performances, but also religion, COVID, race, politics, and countless other topics where campus officials are too often eager to silence dissent.”
Opponents of the drag ban have planned an on-campus “Day of Drag” protest for Thursday and say they remain committed to holding Draggieland, even if forced to move it off-campus.
“Drag is self-expression, drag is discovery, drag is empowerment, and no amount of censorship will silence us,” read a statement from the Queer Empowerment Council. “We are committed to ensuring that our voices are heard, and that Draggieland will go on, no matter the obstacles we face.”
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