Supreme Court Allows a Texas College Ban On Drag Shows Stand For Now

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The Supreme Court on Friday denied a request from a student group at West Texas A&M to host a drag show on campus. The denial allows the drag show ban at West Texas A&M to continue for now.

According to CNN, leaders of an LGBTQ group at West Texas A&M filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court asking that they be allowed to host a drag show on campus. Last year, West Texas A&M banned drag shows on campus. The LGBTQ student group wanted to hold a drag show on March 22nd. The group claims that the ban violates the First Amendment.

CNN reports that the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear the case the week of April 29th.

According to CNN, West Texas A&M President Walter Wendler, called the drag performance divisive last year when banning the show.

The university’s president, Walter Wendler, had declined the group’s request to host the event. According to court records, Wendler at the time described the performances as “exaggerating aspects of womanhood (sexuality, femininity, gender),” that, he said, “stereotype women in cartoon-like extremes for the amusement of others.”

He also called the performance “derisive, divisive and demoralizing.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the denial by the Supreme Court today in a press release.

“President Wendler’s efforts to uphold decency and protect women from hostile and degrading caricatures, and to protect children from exposure to obscene conduct, are completely defensible,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I’m pleased that a unanimous SCOTUS rejected the organization’s extraordinary attempt to force the University to host this activity.”

The Texas Attorney General has defended the University's President when he was previously sued for the ban.

CNN reports that last year's drag show that was banned from campus was moved off campus.