Federal judge temporarily blocks Texas A&M University from enforcing drag ban

A federal judge in Houston has blocked Texas A&M University from implementing a drag ban on campus.

Senior U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal on Monday issued a temporary injunction that would allow the groundbreaking on-campus drag show Draggieland to continue.

Texas A&M officials originally announced the ban Feb. 28, with the University of Texas revealing one of its own a few weeks later.

Both bans followed a recent executive order by Texas Gov. Gov. Greg Abbott demanding that state agencies shut down efforts “to distort commonsense notions of biological sex.” State Republican lawmakers have also filed multiple bills in recent sessions aimed at banning or limiting drag performances.

The Queer Empowerment Council, a Texas A&M University student group, sued the university system and its leaders over the ban, which they said violates the First Amendment.

In his opinion, Rosenthal said protecting free speech is particularly important on higher-ed campuses.

“Nowhere is free speech more important than in our leading institutions of higher learning. Colleges and universities serve as the founts of — and the testing grounds for — new ideas,” the judge wrote. “Their chief mission is to equip students to examine arguments critically and, perhaps even more importantly, to prepare young citizens to participate in the civic and political life of our democratic republic.”

The Draggieland performance scheduled for this Thursday “may proceed as originally scheduled,” Rosenthal also said in his order.

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This article appears in Mar 19 – Apr 1, 2025.