{"id":852706,"date":"2025-06-01T19:12:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T00:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/01\/why-texas-universities-drag-bans-backfired\/"},"modified":"2025-06-01T19:12:35","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T00:12:35","slug":"why-texas-universities-drag-bans-backfired","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/01\/why-texas-universities-drag-bans-backfired\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Texas Universities\u2019 Drag Bans Backfired"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The University of Texas and Texas A&M systems attempted to ban university-sponsored drag performances\u2014but not without dissent from students and local organizers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Austin drag queen and activist Maxine LaQueene does a student\u2019s makeup on Monday, April 28, as a part of Day of Drag, a student-led event that included a line-dancing workshop, political education, lip sync battles, and stations where local drag queens put students in drag.<\/p>\n

(Aaron Boehmer)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first time River Perrill saw a drag performance in person was inside the lobby of Jester Center, a lively 24-floor dormitory complex at the University of Texas, Austin. \u201cIt was a surprise,\u201d said Perrill, who was in the auditorium playing a trivia game when drag queens rushed in, handing out flyers about a show happening right outside the doors. \u201cI was like, \u2018Oh my God, this is exciting.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Perrill, a student from Houston, had an interest in drag from an early age. \u201cReally, it was seeing RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>\u2014that seems like a lot of our generation\u2019s first introduction. I just fell in love,\u201d they said, adding that seeing the art form onscreen was particularly formative as they were first coming out in sixth grade. \u201cI always did [drag] in my bedroom,\u201d Perrill said. In 2020, Perrill began to experiment with makeup and, by the end of that year, got their first wig for Christmas.<\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t until they came to Austin in 2022 that they felt emboldened to express it more publicly. \u201cSeeing it live was like, \u2018Oh I could go on stage or I could perform in front of people.\u2019\u201d And in April of last year, Perrill made her performance debut as Rio Grande at \u201cBig Tits, Bigger Dreams,\u201d an open-mic night at a local gay club, Cheer Up Charlies, hosted by Brigitte Bandit<\/a>, a beloved Austin drag queen known for her organizing around political education and the Texas legislature.<\/p>\n

But Perrill says they exist in a sort of bubble. Inside, it\u2019s beautiful; there\u2019s the city\u2019s drag scene, as well as their friends and supportive professors. Outside, Perrill feels a \u201cpressure of hatred,\u201d they said. \u201cIt\u2019s the walk from my dorm to the classroom that I\u2019m like, \u2018OK anything could happen in this time span.\u2019\u201d And that pressure\u2014thanks to university policies that adhere to the ultra-conservative Texas and federal governments\u2014continues to encroach on safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students on campus.<\/p>\n

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Local drag queens and kings, students, and LGBTQ+ organizers and advocates gathered on Monday, April 28, for Day of Drag. The event\u2019s lead student organizer, Isabella Thomas, said they hope that Day of Drag serves as a \u201ccatalyst\u201d against the university\u2019s drag show ban.(Aaron Boehmer)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As I talked with Perrill, they were sitting in the same residence hall in which, almost three years ago, they saw their very first drag performance in person, sponsored by the university. Today, such a performance in that very same hall is prohibited. In March, the University of Texas system prohibited<\/a> its campuses from sponsoring or hosting drag performances\u2014just a few weeks after the Texas A&M system issued a similar ban<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Texas A&M ban<\/a> was direct, banning all drag performances across its 11 public campuses, claiming that the art form did not align with the school\u2019s \u201cmission and core values\u201d and could create a \u201chostile environment for women.\u201d The ban also cited President Trump\u2019s and Texas Governor Greg Abbott\u2019s transphobic executive orders, which claim that only two genders exist.<\/p>\n

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The UT system\u2019s ban is more ambiguous, prohibiting drag performances on campuses only if sponsored or hosted by the universities. In a statement, Kevin Eltife, the UT system\u2019s now-former<\/a> Board of Regents Chair, cited<\/a> it as a means of complying with \u201call applicable federal, state and local laws and executive orders, including any restriction on the use of public funds,\u201d but did not note the specific laws. He went on to say that \u201cif the board needs to take further action to make this clearer, we will do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

In College Station, the ban posed an immediate threat to Draggieland, an annual competition put on by the student-led Queer Empowerment Council at an on-campus theatre. In response, the council organized a Day of Drag demonstration on March 6 and sued the school\u2019s board of regents<\/a>, arguing that the governing body was not allowed to censor students based on personal prejudices<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a result, federal judge Lee H. Rosenthal temporarily blocked the ban<\/a> and granted an injunction allowing Draggieland to proceed as scheduled on March 27 while the case continued through the courts. In her ruling, Rosenthal said that \u201cthe law requires the recognition and application of speech rights and guardrails that preserve and protect all our treasured First Amendment rights.\u201d The Queer Empowerment Council said<\/a> the ruling signaled \u201canother display of the resilience of queer joy\u201d as \u201can unstoppable force despite those that wish to see it destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n

At UT Austin, a coalition of drag performers, LGBTQ+ advocates, and students organized a Day of Drag demonstration on campus for April 28, which included a line-dancing workshop, drag makeup stations, and a lip-synching battle. Isabella Thomas, a government and Spanish student and the lead organizer of the event, said she hopes Day of Drag serves as a \u201ccatalyst,\u201d pushing the board of regents to expand or further clarify the ban so that it\u2019s \u201cchallengeable in court\u201d\u2014like the lawsuit at Texas A&M.<\/p>\n

Thomas described the lead-up to the event as \u201cabsolutely horrible,\u201d full of meetings with administration staff and persistent follow-up e-mails and phone calls\u2014all to ensure that the event followed what she described as \u201ctedious\u201d university policies. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m working a full-time job trying to get this together,\u201d they said ahead of the evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is really disheartening [and] reminds me of the attacks on [diversity, equity, and inclusion],\u201d Thomas said. \u201cAs the Multicultural Engagement Center shut down<\/a>, students took on these roles to continue to provide community.\u201d Thomas said they entered UT with access to the MEC, the Gender and Sexuality Center<\/a>, and other on-campus resources\u2014all of which have since \u201cbeen stripped away from us,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

Instead, students like Thomas have to fill the gaps, organizing on campus and putting programs together that would have otherwise been the job of MEC or GSC staff members. \u201cUT doesn\u2019t care about its students or free speech, because drag is free speech,\u201d Thomas said, adding that placing the burden on students to foster safe, welcoming environments doesn\u2019t allow them much time to focus on their studies.<\/p>\n

All of Thomas\u2019s efforts paid off, though, as Day of Drag ran smoothly, she said\u2014save for UT administrators watching them from across the plaza. \u201cWe got more turnout than I expected, which is reaffirmation that queer people are here, enjoying the event, hopefully feeling represented, appreciated, loved, and just happy to be in this space together,\u201d Thomas told me at the event, during which she wore a blond wig and pink makeup, waving a small transgender pride flag that read \u201cProtect Trans Kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Austin drag icon Brigitte Bandit greets a student at the Day of Drag event on Monday, April 28. \u201cThe students did most of the work,\u201d Bandit said. \u201cI was like, \u2018Let\u2019s get the students as involved as possible. Let\u2019s put the students in drag.\u2019 And I just helped get the word out.\u201d(Aaron Boehmer)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brigitte Bandit, a local drag performer who Thomas credited for the idea of sending students to class in drag, hosts \u201cLegiSLAYtion and Liberation\u201d every Tuesday. The event takes place at Oilcan Harry\u2019s, a gay entertainment venue, in which she reviews current events and the Texas Legislature\u2014all while in drag. To Bandit, these shows speak to the importance of finding community more than ever. \u201cWe can\u2019t lose hope,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s really easy right now to feel hopeless and sad, and to fall into, \u2018What can I do as a single person?\u2019 But remember that there\u2019s people who love you and support you, and there\u2019s resources available no matter what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Irina Griffin, a studio art student at UT Austin, the ban is not rooted in reality. \u201cFor the UT system in particular, if you\u2019re moving to Austin, you are going to see queer people. You are going to see queer art,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cYou might as well get familiar with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this way, the ban \u201cfeels like a disservice,\u201d Griffin said, especially to students like her, who \u201cfind comfort, power, and self-expression\u201d in it and other forms of queer artistry. \u201cThe saddest thing about it all is that there are still people here who want drag to be here on campus, but it just feels like their voices are being silenced or diminished,\u201d she said. Drag is, instead, made into a \u201cproblem\u201d that is \u201cdangerous\u201d and \u201cscary,\u201d despite there being \u201cnothing dangerous or scary about it,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cIt\u2019s just people expressing themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c[Drag] builds this new identity that you create out of yourself, but it\u2019s also an extension of your personality,\u201d Perrill said, adding that they are able to better express their true self in drag while also discovering new facets of their identity. \u201cWhy not be a new person?\u201d Perrill said. \u201cWe\u2019re stuck in this body for however long, why not try out different avatars?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Austin-based drag queen Gigi Supernova performs a number at the student-led Day of Drag event on Monday, April 28, at the University of Texas, Austin.(Aaron Boehmer)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Almost three years ago, Griffin attended the same performance that Perrill saw, in which more than a hundred freshmen gathered together in the lobby of Jester Center. \u201cSeeing drag queens at the school felt like, \u2018OK, I can be who I want to be here.\u2019 There\u2019s no expectation and there\u2019s also no limit,\u201d Griffin said.<\/p>\n

Griffin recalls at one moment in the performance, the crowd made a tunnel with the drag queens positioned at the very end. \u201cYou could run and dance through it, and I just remember doing that, and my face hurt from smiling so much,\u201d she said. \u201cCollege is scary and can be really intimidating, but there was something so strangely comforting about that experience that just made it feel like, \u2018OK, everything\u2019s going to be fine.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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    At the Day of Drag event, Bandit\u2014who wore a denim ensemble, ruffled chaps in the color of the transgender pride flag, and a keffiyeh draped around her shoulders\u2014led the crowd in chants for Black trans lives, bodily autonomy, and a free Palestine. What\u2019s really important amid feelings of hopelessness, Bandit told me, is to \u201ckeep people connected with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cGo to your local drag shows [and] support your local drag queens now more than ever,\u201d Griffin said, later adding that \u201cif everyone went to a drag show once in their life, they would have a completely different perception of what drag is and what it can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

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    \n Aaron Boehmer<\/a>
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    Aaron Boehmer is a journalism student at the University of Texas at Austin. His work has also appeared in Texas Monthly<\/em>, The Drift<\/em>, Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles<\/em>, and The Dallas Morning News.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

    \t\t Aaron Boehmer
    Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The University of Texas and Texas A&M systems attempted to ban university-sponsored drag performances\u2014but not without dissent from students and local organizers. Austin drag queen and activist Maxine LaQueene does a student\u2019s makeup on Monday, April 28, as a part of Day of Drag, a student-led event that included a line-dancing workshop, political education, lip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":852707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[836,35182],"tags":[5979,10640],"class_list":{"0":"post-852706","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"category-universities","9":"tag-texas","10":"tag-universities"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=852706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/852707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=852706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=852706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=852706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}