Texas A&M Institutes Systemwide Ban On Drag Shows

People holding rainbow flags at an outdoor gathering

Texas A&M University System has banned drag shows across all 11 of its campuses, claiming such performances violate presidential and gubernatorial orders while creating a hostile environment for women.

Key Takeaways

The Texas A&M System Board of Regents unanimously passed a resolution banning drag shows on all 11 campuses, citing inconsistency with university values and mission.
Officials claim drag shows violate orders from President Trump and Governor Abbott to recognize only two sexes and create a “hostile environment for women.”
The ban affects established events like Draggieland and follows Texas’ 2023 law eliminating DEI and LGBTQ offices from higher education institutions.
Legal experts argue drag performances are protected under the First Amendment, suggesting potential constitutional challenges ahead.
The decision arrives amid broader state efforts to restrict LGBTQ expression in educational settings, despite a federal judge previously ruling similar restrictions unconstitutional.

Texas A&M System Eliminates Drag Shows From All Campuses

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents has enacted a system-wide ban on drag performances across all 11 of its campuses. In a special meeting, the regents passed a resolution prohibiting the use of university facilities and resources for drag shows, citing concerns about “sexualized, vulgar or lewd conduct” and claiming such performances are inconsistent with the university system’s mission and core values. The resolution passed with near unanimity, with only one regent abstaining from the vote, and takes immediate effect across all Texas A&M System institutions.

The board’s decision aligns with conservative perspectives that suggest drag performances demean women and promote gender ideology. The regents specifically claimed that drag shows violate recent orders from President Donald Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, both of whom have directed government entities to recognize only two sexes. This ban follows Texas’ 2023 law that eliminated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices and LGBTQ programs at higher education institutions across the state.

The @tamusystem Board of Regents passed a resolution to ban drag shows across its 11 campuses, citing both executive orders from @realDonaldTrump and @GregAbbott_TX. A drag show protest is planned for later this week. https://t.co/yqX1r7pTyZ

— The Texan (@TheTexanNews) March 3, 2025

Student Events Canceled as Policy Takes Effect

The immediate impact of the ban is already being felt on campuses, with the cancellation of Draggieland, an annual drag show organized by the student Queer Empowerment Council at Texas A&M’s College Station campus. This popular event, which typically draws substantial attendance, must now seek off-campus venues if it wishes to continue. The resolution instructs university leadership to cancel any upcoming drag events that may have been planned and to adjust venue policies to reflect the new prohibition.

Kelly Risch, organizer of Draggieland, said “It really was an awesome place where people could come and express themselves. It definitely draws the biggest audience out of any queer event here, and the fact that it happened on campus was a really big deal, because there’s really not a lot of similar events like that at that magnitude or scale.”

This isn’t the first time drag shows have become a contentious issue within the Texas A&M System. In 2023, West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler unilaterally canceled a student-organized drag charity show, prompting both a faculty no-confidence vote and a free speech lawsuit. That previous incident highlighted the tension between administrative authority and students’ expressive rights that continues with this system-wide ban.

“The Board finds that it is inconsistent with the System’s mission and core values of its Universities, including the value of respect for others,” the resolution states. https://t.co/y4vsnj6klu

— KWTX News 10 (@kwtx) March 2, 2025

Legal Challenges Expected Over First Amendment Concerns

Legal experts have already raised significant concerns about the constitutionality of the ban. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has been outspoken about the First Amendment protections that apply to drag performances. As public institutions, Texas A&M System universities are bound by constitutional limitations on speech restrictions, which generally prohibit viewpoint-based discrimination against protected expression.

“Drag is protected expression. Full stop,” said JT Morris, attorney from FIRE.

This position is reinforced by a 2023 federal court decision that struck down a similar Texas law targeting drag performances as unconstitutional. In that ruling, the judge determined that broad restrictions on drag shows represented impermissible government censorship of protected speech. Civil rights organizations, including the ACLU of Texas, have condemned the regents’ resolution and suggested it prioritizes cultural politics over educational concerns.

Broader Context of Campus Culture Debates

The drag show ban arrives amid escalating tensions about the role of universities in cultural and social issues. Critics of the ban, including Equality Texas representative Sofia Sepulveda, have highlighted apparent contradictions in the regents’ expressed concerns about women, pointing to gender disparities in faculty hiring at Texas A&M itself. Meanwhile, conservative supporters view the decision as appropriate protection of traditional values and institutional mission in higher education.

“To do this now, while that’s already happening, is a waste of time and resources and makes it seem like the Board of Regents is more focused on culture wars than educating their students,” they said,” said Ash Hall, policy and advocacy strategist for LGBTQIA+ rights at the ACLU of Texas.

The resolution specifically asserts the regents’ authority to limit university venue use to events aligned with institutional mission. However, a Texas A&M System spokesperson has not directly addressed the free speech concerns raised or explained the need for a special meeting to enact this policy. The outcome of potential legal challenges remains uncertain, with both sides preparing for what could become another significant constitutional test case regarding expressive rights on public university campuses.