Judge Lee H. Rosenthal, a George H.W. Bush appointee, ruled that Texas A&M must allow Drag Shows. Children might attend. The Judge said the student group that organizes Draggieland, the Queer Empowerment Council, was likely to succeed in showing the ban violates the First Amendment.
The Draggieland Show Must Go On
This means Draggieland will go on as planned on Thursday at the flagship university’s Rudder Theatre in College Station.
Draggieland is an annual pageant in which contestants wear clothing or makeup that often, but not always, runs counter to their expected gender identity. The contestants dance and answer questions afterward about what drag and LGBTQ culture mean to them. Since it started in 2020, the 750-seat venue has repeatedly sold out.
The council argued that public universities are not allowed to censor student performances based on their dislike of its content or perceived ideology.
The regents said they were trying to comply with recent executive orders issued by President Donald J. Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott telling agencies not to promote “gender ideology” or else they could lose funding from the federal and state government.
They’ve also argued drag shows mock and objectify women, which violates federal anti-discrimination law.
These lawsuits are going on nationwide to oppose Donald Trump’s executive order.
It’s a very low class event in a prominent university. It’s hard to respect lawyers and judges these days.
Judge grants relief in Texas A&M drag show case, allowing 'Draggieland' show to take place https://t.co/5LdvLuFkSb
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) March 24, 2025
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