Texas’ Republican lawmakers have long argued that drag shows endanger children. That was always a stretch, but Texas A&M University has taken things a step further. The university’s Board of Regents voted to ban drag performances on its 11 campuses, and the resolution, which unanimously passed on Friday, said drag show events are “likely to create or contribute to a hostile environment for women,” citing “mockery or objectification.” Sure, Jan. Who’s going to tell the board that female drag queens exist?
Following the ban, Draggieland, an annual event on the College Station campus scheduled for March 27, will have to relocate, the Texas Tribune reported. Draggieland sells out every year and only admits adults ages 18 and older. The Queer Empowerment Council, a student group that organizes LGBTQ+ events at Texas A&M University, told The Battalion that members did not know about the resolution before it passed.
The resolution also calls on the system’s chancellor and university presidents to cancel any upcoming drag shows, according to the Tribune. Last year, Texas A&M University cut its LGBTQ+ minor and stopped offering gender-affirming care at the Beutel Student Health Center.
Sofia Sepulveda, field director for Equality Texas, told the news website that A&M should focus on addressing the gender disparities among the flagship’s faculty instead.
“If A&M is worried about creating a hostile environment for women, then why don’t they hire more women?” Sepulveda said in an interview with the Tribune. “Right now, only 40% of the faculty at Texas A&M are women, 60% are men. That’s a serious issue.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression also released a statement condemning the board’s decision.
“The only thing hostile here is Texas A&M’s disregard for the First Amendment. Drag is protected expression. Full stop,” the organization posted on X. “Whether drag or Bible study, public universities cannot ban or punish students’ protected expression. Banning speech because it might offend someone else is viewpoint discrimination, the third rail of the First Amendment.”
Read more at Texas Tribune.
