A federal judge on Monday argued that a Texas A&M University ban on drag shows can be considered a violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, so a planned drag show extravaganza is expected to take place on Tuesday as planned.
The Tuesday show, to be called "Draggieland," is an event in which participants wear gender-bending clothes, dance in costumes and talk about drag and LGBTQ culture.
The group called the Queer Empowerment Council, which brought a lawsuit against A&M based on a new rule banning such special events, was addressed by Judge Lee Rosenthal's ruling.
The senior judge with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas said it's likely the school's ban is a violation of First Amendment rights.
The Texas A&M Board of Regents passed a resolution in February banning all drag performances at the system's 11 colleges.
The board said that drag shows are “likely to create or contribute to a hostile environment for women,” adding that the resolution is also intended to comply with recent executive orders from the White House de-emphasizing gender issues and Governor Greg Abbott's recent instructions for state-related committees and agencies to stop the promotion of gender issues or face a loss of federal or state funding.