Judge Blocks Enforcement of Texas A&M Ban on Drag Shows
“Defendants … must permit the Draggieland performance to take place as scheduled on March 27, 2025, at 7:30 p.m., at the Rudder Theatre”
We highlighted the ban in a recent quick take. You could see this ruling coming from a mile away.
FOX News reports:
Judge blocks enforcement of Texas A&M system’s drag show ban, allowing ‘Draggieland’ event on campus this week
Senior U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has blocked enforcement of the Texas A&M University System board of regents’ drag show ban, insisting that an event called “Draggieland” must be allowed to take place at a university facility later this week.
“Defendants … must permit the Draggieland performance to take place as scheduled on March 27, 2025, at 7:30 p.m., at the Rudder Theatre,” Rosenthal’s eyebrow-raising order declares.
The grant of preliminary injunction comes as the Queer Empowerment Council at Texas A&M University, which is behind “Draggieland,” challenged the Texas A&M University System board of regents’ move to ban drag shows.
“Draggieland has been a vibrant and award-winning student-run event for many years, embodying queer joy and unity,” the Queer Empowerment Council said in a statement last month when responding to the ban.
A Texas A&M University spokesperson told Fox News Digital via email on Monday that the institution cannot comment on pending litigation.
“The system has received the opinion and is evaluating next steps,” a Texas A&M University system spokesperson told Fox News Digital via phone on Monday.
Fox News Digital also reached out to request comment from the Queer Empowerment Council at TAMU, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
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Comments
What was the regents’ reason for banning it in the first place? The show’s target audience is adult university students, not children, so on what grounds does a government institution, bound by the first amendment, presume to ban it?
Possibly to protect their business. The board of regents can set policy for what type of shows are allowed on campus and which are not. Drag shows are not real popular among the people who A&M is trying to get money from to educate their children so they say no more drag shows. Universities are businesses just like any other except they have no stockholders.
“…adult university students,..”
I like your sense of humor
They’re over 18, they’re adults.
The ban was stupid. Having said this doesn’t that judge have more important cases to consider?
No. A judge has only the cases that people with standing brings before him. And he has no discretion on which cases to accept.
He is a senior judge ergo semi-retired.
Also isn’t he assigned cases?
The point is he has no choice about which cases he’s assigned. Every person with standing is entitled to have his case heard.
Only SCOTUS gets discretion to reject cases (other than original jurisdiction ones).
the law and subsequent bills written by congress and state legislatures often have women listed as children ergo need extra “special” protections
so this proves interesting
we know the program should be allowed as its a clear protection of the first amendment but it does beg for the discussion of the continued *selective* use of women and children given equal status by the law in many cases