The Texas A&M University System is now facing a First Amendment lawsuit after its Board of Regents voted to ban drag shows across its 11 campuses last Friday, including a show scheduled for later this month.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) filed a federal civil rights lawsuit today on behalf of a Texas A&M student group, the Queer Empowerment Council, arguing that the Board of Regents' vote violated its First Amendment against viewpoint discrimination by the government.
"Public universities can't shut down student expression simply because the administration doesn't like the 'ideology' or finds the expression 'demeaning,'" FIRE attorney Adam Steinbaugh said in a press release. "That's true not only of drag performances, but also religion, COVID, race, politics, and countless other topics where campus officials are too often eager to silence dissent."
