With the passage of Senate Bill 17, public universities in Texas have been prohibited from establishing or funding offices through the university that adhere to diversity, equity, or inclusion-, or DEI, related tasks. As the controversy surrounding the annual Texas A&M event Draggieland grows, queer students have begun to look for solutions to provide support to fellow queer Aggies across campus.

The creation of multiple student-led organizations have arisen in order to support queer students at Texas A&M in the aftermath of the passage of SB 17. The Queer Empowerment Council has worked to continue the tradition of Draggieland and to fight back against those who disapprove of the event and of drag.

While the concept of “drag” possesses negative connotations for some, events such as Draggieland — an Aggie event where drag queens compete for the title of queen — are imperative to create and support initiatives on campus that promote the well-being of queer students, students involved said. 

The annual, on-campus competition began in 2020 and returns with a new theme each spring. Though the event has faced setbacks over the years — such as the university defunding it two years ago — Draggieland still sees support from its hosting groups, participants and attending students. But the threat still looms over some. 

Di’Amore McQueen, a drag queen, said after SB 17’s passing last year, the need for events like Draggieland became even more apparent as LGBTQ+ resources at public universities across Texas were shut down. 

“It’s important, very important,” Adams said. “We are drag queens. We are doing the best we can do for ourselves, and it’s our job. This is who we are.”

Adams has been performing for almost a year and said she has never felt more herself than when in drag. Adams came out as a transgender woman in January of 2023 and has since seen how important queer-focused organizations are to supporting those going through gender transition.

“I was born a male and have received lots of support from my family,” Adams said. “We have to support all trans people as a community. Many adults see a drag queen and don’t want to deal with it, but we’re here.”

Queer representation is also a prominent issue on college campuses, especially in places where there have been efforts to disband college pride offices. At A&M, student-led organizations have begun leading the charge in Aggieland after the Pride Center shut down in 2023, such as hosting events supporting queer students.

The LGBTQ+ community at A&M continues to form groups that support other queer Aggies and provide a safe space for self-expression, such as the Queer Empowerment Council, or QEC. Material sciences and engineering graduate student Sophia Ahmed, the president of QEC, said she is actively working  to ensure comfortability and create new opportunities for fellow queer students.

The QEC aims to support aggies that are part of the LGBTQ+ community as well as continue events and practices that used to be led by the pride center prior to SB 17. Ahmed firmly believes that the QEC offers uniformity and visibility for queer students. 

“We just want to support our affiliate orgs that also elevate the lives of queer people on our campus,” Ahmed said. “So, the [QEC] was created as a response to negative actions against the queer community here.”

Ahmed said she firmly believes in the importance of events such as Draggieland on campus. She serves as the social media head for Draggieland and aids the QEC with putting on other queer-focused events such as Pride Mentors and Lavender Graduation. 

“The QEC is an umbrella word for all of the queer orgs on campus, and we’re committed to the rights and welfare of LGBTQ+ students at Texas A&M,” biochemistry and biophysics graduate student Kelly Risch said. “Draggieland used to be hosted by the university, and then they stopped hosting it. And all of the queer orgs rose up and decided that this important event shouldn’t be lost.” 

Risch, Draggieland’s showrunner, said the preserving queer representation at A&M has been the focus of multiple LGBTQ+ organizations who understand the impact pride resources being shut down has. 

“There’s actual statistics that say that the well-being of queer students is aided by having a resource, like a friendship or organization,” Ahmed said. “It’s an expression of queer joy on our campus and resilience of queer students, especially in the light of many negative actions.”

Draggieland is still set to occur in the spring of 2025, and auditions occurred on Oct 25. Proceeds will go back into funding for other QEC events and organizations as well as next year’s Draggieland. 

“Not only is this a really fun show, but it’s also now a symbol of queer resilience in the community,” Risch said. “So it’s really fun and it’s really important. It’s an inherent part of the queer community. When you attack drag, you’re attacking the queer community. You can’t pick and choose parts of our culture.”