Federal judge blocks drag show ban, allows Draggieland to proceed
Source: The Battalion, student newspaper of Texas A&M
Federal judge blocks drag show ban, allows Draggieland to proceed
The on-campus drag show is scheduled for March 27 in Rudder Theatre
Tenny Luhrs, Associate News Editor
March 24, 2025
On Monday, Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ruled to block enforcement of the Board of Regents' on-campus drag show on First Amendment claims. Draggieland will proceed as originally scheduled on March 27 in Rudder Theatre.
"The court finds that plaintiff QEC has demonstrated: (a) a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of its First Amendment claims; (b) that it will suffer irreparable harm absent a preliminary injunction; and (c) that the public interest favors this injunction," the order reads. ... The 29-page opinion from the court, in the southern district of Houston, emphasizes the importance of the First Amendment right to free speech and expression, particularly on public college campuses like Texas A&M.
"A&M has consistently recognized in its policies on speech and conduct on its campuses that exposure to a variety of ideas, including ideas that may offend some or many listeners, is a critical part of the education it promises to provide," the court's opinion reads.
The Board of Regents' resolution blocking Draggieland followed a slow decline of university support for the event and the QEC. A&M sponsored the drag show in 2020 and 2021, but in 2021, the Board withdrew their direct support, leading to the creation of the QEC in 2023, which now hosts the event.
"It is a ticketed event; only those who want to attend do so," the court's opinion reads. "Anyone who finds the performance or performers offensive has a simple remedy: don't go."
{snip}
This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Read more: https://thebatt.com/news/federal-judge-blocks-drag-show-ban-allows-draggieland-to-proceed/
I'll get a link to the opinion.
Hat tip, Popehat and Adam Steinbaugh at Bluesky
https://bsky.app/profile/kenwhite.bsky.social
Reposted by Domestic Enemy Hat
Adam Steinbaugh @adamsteinbaugh.bsky.social
https://bsky.app/profile/adamsteinbaugh.bsky.social
·
1h
BREAKING: Federal court blocks Texas A&M's ban on student drag shows in
@thefireorg.bsky.social
lawsuit.
"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."
https://www.thefire.org/news/victory-federal-court-blocks-texas-ams-unconstitutional-drag-ban
VICTORY: Federal court blocks Texas A&M's unconstitutional drag ban
A federal judge upheld the First Amendment rights of a Texas A&M student group by blocking an attempt by officials to ban the group's upcoming drag show "Draggieland"
www.thefire.org
March 24, 2025 at 9:58 AM
https://bsky.app/profile/adamsteinbaugh.bsky.social/post/3ll4w2hnck726
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Hat tip, The Fire, for the link to the opinion
https://www.thefire.org/sites/default/files/2025/03/Opinion%20-%20Texas%20A%26M%20Queer%20Empowerment%20Council%20v.%20Mahomes%2C%20et%20al..pdf
= new reply since forum marked as read
