How a Texas A&M drag show advocated for free speech and won

Since it first began in 2020, the annual drag pageant Draggieland at Texas A&M’s College Station campus has regularly sold out their 750-seat campus theatre. This year, however, they almost didn’t get the chance.

At the end of February, the Texas A&M Board of Regents declared it would no longer be allowing drag performances on campus. “The Board finds that it is inconsistent with the System’s mission and core values of its Universities, including the value of respect for others, to allow Special Event Venues of the Universities to be used for drag shows,” it wrote. “The Board finds that Drag Show events are likely to create or contribute to a hostile environment for women.” It continued on to share its acknowledgement of the president’s Executive Order that “the federal government shall not promote gender ideology” and "federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology” and if they allowed drag shows on campus they “may be” violating these orders since the university receives federal funding. It meant that Draggieland, despite being student-funded and not university-funded, would be canceled.

The contestants and hosts of Draggieland 2025Faith Cooper

But students didn’t take it lying down. The university’s Queer Empowerment Council, a collective of queer student groups, quickly issued a statement advocating for both drag and the event, saying that quashing the event was “a significant blow to the LGBTQ+ community's representation and expression on campus,” adding that “the power of drag as a medium of art is undeniable, serving as a platform for self-discovery, inclusivity, and celebration of diversity.” They organized a Day of Drag in response to advocate for freedom of expression and sued the university to reverse the ban with lawyers from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

By March 24, a few days before the show, federal judge Lee Rosenthal ruled in the Queer Empowerment Council’s favor, temporarily shelving the university’s policy. “The law requires the recognition and application of speech rights and guardrails that preserve and protect all our treasured First Amendment rights," Rosenthal said, according to Houston Public Media. "Anyone who finds the performance or performers offensive has a simple remedy: don't go."

Dulce Gabbana performs at Draggieland 2025.Faith Cooper

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression shared in a statement that the judge’s decision “held that drag is theatrical expression protected by the First Amendment and that the university’s justifications for prohibiting the student-funded, student-organized ‘Draggieland’ performance fell short.” Organization attorney JT Morris echoed the statement, sharing that “Texas A&M, like any public university, has the utmost duty to respect the First Amendment rights of students.”

While the lawsuit will continue to play out in court, Draggieland was able to forge ahead for their 2025 event on March 27, 2025. Students, alumni, and faculty came out to support and advocate for students’ rights to free speech. The evening was not without drag artists standing up for free speech on the mic, either, Houston Public Media shared. "Some of the rights that we have now, none of them were won by being nice. They were won by a little scuffle, a little battle," drag artist and host Melaka Mystika said, according to the site. "I'm always gonna be loud for the people who can't be loud."

Melaka Mystika, guest host of Texas A&M's Draggieland, entertains the crowd Faith Cooper