Greg Abbott Celebrates Texas Drag Show Ban: 'This Is the Way'

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has welcomed a public university's decision to cancel a drag show for the second time.

Walter Wendler, the president of West Texas A&M University, made the announcement after the Supreme Court last Friday rejected an emergency appeal from a student group that had been blocked from staging the charity drag show.

"Spectrum WT [the group] asked three courts to prevent the denial of their pending application to conduct an on-campus drag show," Wendler said in a Monday email to faculty, staff and students. "I did not rule on the application out of respect for the judicial process."

He continued: "On March 15th, a unanimous United States Supreme Court rejected the attempt to prevent another denial. And so, the Spectrum WT application to conduct an on-campus drag show is denied for the reasons given previously and for the reasons further explained in court filings and those provided by the courts themselves."

This comes as drag shows across the country have been targeted by right-wing activists and lawmakers. Texas and other conservative states have sought to crack down on drag performances and curb LGBTQ+ rights.

Wendler also cited Texas Senate Bill 12, which prohibits "sexually oriented performances" on public property if audience members are under 18. He added that when the Court "makes a final decision, it will be implemented."

"This is the way," Abbott, a Republican, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. "Our Universities are to educate our students, not indoctrinate them."

He previously hailed the Supreme Court's decision, saying drag shows "are not welcome at Texas universities."

Newsweek has contacted Abbott's office and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a national civil liberties group that is representing Spectrum WT, for comment via email. A university spokesperson declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.

The dispute at the university in Canyon, which is just south of Amarillo, first arose when Wendler canceled a charity drag show organized by the group a year ago. In a column filled with religious references, Wendler wrote that drag shows discriminate against women and are "derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny, no matter the stated intent."

Spectrum WT sued, arguing that the ban was a violation of the First Amendment, and sought the Supreme Court's intervention as the date for its 2024 drag show neared.

FIRE said in a statement that its clients "remain disappointed by Wendler's admitted disregard for the First Amendment. But this fight is not over."

The statement added: "The Fifth Circuit will hear oral arguments in the case next month. And FIRE will be there advocating for our clients and for the First Amendment freedoms of every public university student — no matter how they express themself."