Federal appeals court blocks West Texas A&M drag ban

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: The Hill

LGBTQ
Federal appeals court blocks West Texas A&M drag ban

BY BROOKE MIGDON 08/18/25 06:06 PM ET

A federal appeals court on Monday blocked West Texas A&M University from banning student drag performances on its campus, overruling a lower court order that claimed First Amendment protections do not extend to drag shows.

The 2-1 decision from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asserts the university acted unconstitutionally when it canceled student-organized charity drag performances in 2023 and 2024. In a March 2023 email to students, faculty and staff titled, "A Harmless Drag Show? No Such Thing," University President Walter Wendler said drag discriminates against women and compared it to blackface.

"West Texas A&M University will not host a drag show on campus," Wendler wrote in the email, which also referenced his Christian religious beliefs. The school, part of the Texas A&M University System, is public and not religiously affiliated. … "I will not appear to condone the diminishment of any group at the expense of impertinent gestures toward another group for any reason, even when the law of the land appears to require it," Wendler wrote. He added that students should donate directly to the Trevor Project, the LGBTQ youth suicide prevention organization that was to be the drag show's beneficiary.

{snip}

The ruling comes several months after a federal judge handed a victory to another student-led LGBTQ group that sued the Texas A&M University System and its flagship earlier this year over a policy banning drag performances on each of its 11 campuses. … The university system’s Board of Regents voted almost unanimously in February to adopt a resolution that states drag events are inconsistent with the system’s “mission and core values, including the value of respect for others.” The resolution cites an executive order from President Trump that proclaims the U.S. recognizes only two unchangeable sexes, male and female, and aims to prevent federal spending on “gender ideology.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/lgbtq/5458585-west-texas-am-drag-ban-fire-trevor-project/amp/

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Fifth Circuit blocks West Texas A&M University's ban on student drag performances, reversing district court: www.thefire.org/news/victory...

— Adam Steinbaugh (@adamsteinbaugh.bsky.social) 2025-08-18T20:26:48.371Z

Adam Steinbaugh
‪@adamsteinbaugh.bsky.social‬

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Fifth Circuit blocks West Texas A&M University's ban on student drag performances, reversing district court:

https://www.thefire.org/news/victory-5th-circuit-blocks-west-texas-ams-unconstitutional-drag-ban

VICTORY! 5th Circuit blocks West Texas A&M's unconstitutional drag ban
In a victory for student expression on campus, the Fifth Circuit overruled a lower court to halt an unconstitutional ban on student drag performances at West Texas A&M University.
www.thefire.org
August 18, 2025 at 4:26 PM