College Station, Texas — A federal judge on Monday said the Texas A&M University system temporarily blocked a drug show ban on campus, bringing the annual “Drug Gieland” event to take place on Thursday.
The ruling comes after the Texas A&M University Regent board earlier this month banned drug shows from all 11 campuses, claiming it was not in line with the university’s “mission and core values.”
The board cited President Donald Trump’s executive order that prohibits federal agencies from promoting “gender ideology” as a reason to ban drug shows on campus due to the federal funds received by the university system. The board also cited a letter from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who supported the executive order.
The student organization, Queer Empowerment Council, quickly complained that it was banned for targeting the group’s annual event, Draggieland, scheduled for March 27th.
Drug Gieland, which has been in operation since 2020, has repeatedly sold out the College Station’s 750-seat Ladder Theatre for an adult-only show. Texas A&M cut funding for the 2022 event.
The lawsuit alleges that the ban violates the student’s 1 and 14th amendment rights. The group asked the judge to issue an injunction to suspend the drug show ban, ensuring that the Drug Gieland event was held on schedule.
Judge Lee H. Rosenthal granted the group’s request for a preliminary injunction in the 29-page decision.
“Everyone who finds a performance or a performer’s attack has a simple remedy. Don’t go,” Rosenthal said in his opinion.
This is not the first time a drug show has filed a lawsuit on the Texas A&M campus.
In 2023, the president of West Texas A&M University cancelled a student drug show claiming women were deteriorating. Some students accused the cancellation of the first amendment rights.
The judge in that case ruled that the cancellation did not violate the constitutional right to freedom of speech as it was expected that the child would be present. Draggieland is sold for people over the age of 18.
Here is Rosenthal’s complete opinion:
