A federal judge has ruled that a university in the Texas Panhandle did not violate the constitutional right to free speech when the school’s president canceled a drag show earlier this year.
The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk on Thursday, stands out among a string of high-profile legal battles over drag shows across the United States. Notably, federal courts have blocked drag show bans in Florida, Montana, Tennessee and a separate federal judge in Texas from being implemented.
Earlier this year, Walter Wendrell, the president of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, located just south of Amarillo, announced in a letter and column laden with religious references that drag performances would not be allowed on campus because, he said, they discriminate against women. He also wrote that such performances were “derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny, no matter the stated intent.
“FIRE strongly disagrees with the court’s approach to First Amendment analysis and its conclusions. We will appeal, and our fight for the expressive rights of these brave college students will continue,” said JT Morris, a senior attorney for FIRE, in a statement.
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Federal judge rules Texas university that canceled drag show didn't violate free speech rightsA federal judge has ruled that a university in the Texas Panhandle did not violate the constitutional right to free speech when the school’s president canceled a drag show earlier this year
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