Texas A&M System leaders are not likely to succeed in the Queer Empowerment Council's lawsuit against a drag show ban, a judge ruled Monday.
An LGBTQ group at Texas A& M University can hold its annual drag show on campus after a U.S. district court judge ruled Monday that it will likely succeed in a lawsuit against the institution's board members who banned the events.
The show, 'Draggieland,' is set to take place at an A&M venue on Thursday. Read more: Several hundred Aggies protest drag show ban “Today is a resounding victory for the First Amendment at public universities in Texas,' attorney Adam Steinbaugh said. 'The court reaffirmed that state university officials cannot block student expression they claim is offensive. State officials should stop trying to score political points at the expense of students’ First Amendment rights.” A Texas A&M University System spokesperson said that officials have received the judge's opinion and are evaluating next steps. The board oversees 11 universities, including the flagship in College Station. Students in the campus LGBTQ coalition, the Queer Empowerment Council, sued Texas A&M University System board members, the chancellor and university president in early March. They alleged that the drag show ban violated the group's First Amendment rights, while the Texas A&M System Board of Regents said it viewed drag shows as potential violations of President Donald Trump’s executive order recognizing two sexes. They said the events also 'involve sexualized, vulgar or lewd conduct' and 'conduct that demeans women.' The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is representing the council. Draggieland, a pageant-style event, has regularly sold out seats while drawing protests since it began in 2020. “We’re overjoyed with today’s decision,' the Queer Empowerment Council wrote in a statement. '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.” District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ruled granted the council a preliminary injunction, meaning it would receive temporary protections as the case continues. The President George H.W. Bush appointee said that Draggieland is considered expressive conduct, continuing a long tradition in theatre. “The Board, and some members of the A&M community, are offended by the Draggieland performance,' Rosenthal wrote in a court opinion. 'To ban the performance from taking place on campus because it offends some members of the campus community is precisely what the First Amendment prohibits.” The board failed to show that Draggieland met the criteria it set out for banned drag shows, including that they are 'lewd,' Rosenthal said. It also failed to draw a parallel between Draggieland and a court-upheld, cancelled drag show at West Texas A&M University. That event was expected to include children, but Draggieland was not marketed as child-friendly and was expected to be attended by consenting adults. “Anyone who finds the performance or performers offensive has a simple remedy: don’t go,” Rosenthal wrote. The Queer Empowerment Council did not receive funding from Texas A&M to produce the 2025 show. Almost 170 tickets were refunded after the system prohibited the events in campus event spaces, according to the judge. It was not immediately clear whether Monday's temporary block would affect any other schools in the Texas A&M University System or the University of Texas System. UT System leaders said last week that its university facilities would not serve as venues for drag shows.
Texas A&Amp M University LGBTQ Texas A&M Texas A&M System Foundation For Individual Rights And Expression M University System M System Board Of Regents West Texas A&Amp University Of Texas System M University System The Board Draggieland M Lee H. Rosenthal Adam Steinbaugh Donald Trump George H.W. Bush U.S. Texas A&Amp College Station First Amendment
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