At West Texas A&M University, students have spent more than two years fighting to defend their right to put on a drag show—a performance meant not only to celebrate queer identity but to raise funds for suicide prevention in the LGBTQ+ community. When university president Walter Wendler abruptly canceled the 2023 show, he compared drag to blackface and claimed it was demeaning to women. He went further, declaring that no drag show would ever again be allowed on campus.

Students in the group Spectrum WT knew this was not just about drag. It was about silencing LGBTQ+ voices under the guise of morality. They took the university to court, and in August 2025, a federal appeals court agreed with them. The Fifth Circuit blocked Wendler’s ban, finding that drag is protected expression under the First Amendment and that students faced “irreparable harm” to their rights if the ban stayed in place.

This ruling was a victory—but it is not the end. The university and the Texas A&M System continue to fight for drag bans across campuses, echoing a broader push by conservative officials to censor LGBTQ+ expression statewide. Similar bans have popped up at the University of Texas and the University of North Texas, despite judges consistently finding that drag is protected speech.

Public universities exist to foster learning, art, and diverse voices—not to shut them down. Drag is a form of performance that has existed for centuries, often as a way to explore identity and resilience through art. At West Texas A&M, students were not asking for special treatment. They were asking for the same freedom given to church groups, political candidates, and other organizations already using campus venues.

The Fifth Circuit made clear that silencing drag shows is unconstitutional. Now it is time for the university and the Texas A&M System to stop wasting resources fighting student expression and start respecting the Constitution.

Add your name if you agree: students deserve free speech, free expression, and the right to celebrate their identities without censorship.