College campuses should be places where students can express themselves, celebrate their identities, and build inclusive communities. But at West Texas A&M University, that freedom is under threat.

In 2023, the student group Spectrum WT planned a campus drag show to raise money for LGBTQ+ suicide prevention and support. University leadership shut it down. Now, a federal judge has ruled in favor of the university—upholding a drag show ban that silences students and sets a dangerous precedent.

The judge claimed the show wasn’t “expressive” enough to deserve First Amendment protection. But that misunderstands drag entirely. Drag is performance. It’s protest. It’s expression. And under the Constitution, it deserves protection—especially when organized peacefully by students for a charitable cause.

The ruling ignores what drag means to LGBTQ+ communities. It also ignores what censorship means to all of us.

West Texas A&M students have the right to organize and perform without government censorship—even if some find their message uncomfortable. That’s what free speech means. The decision to shut down student expression based on vague concerns about content or "appropriateness" opens the door to further discrimination, especially against queer and marginalized communities.

We’re calling on:

• The Texas A&M University System to reject this ruling and defend student expression
• University leadership to stop censoring LGBTQ+ students under the guise of “content review”
• Students, alumni, and faculty across Texas to stand up for equal rights on every campus

What happened at West Texas A&M isn’t about protecting public space—it’s about silencing LGBTQ+ voices. And we won’t stay quiet about it.

Sign this petition if you believe students should have the freedom to organize, perform, and exist without censorship.