On Friday, Feb. 28, the Board of Regents adopted a resolution banning drag performances across the 11 campuses that make up the Texas A&M System.
In response to the resolution, the annual drag event Draggieland, hosted by the student organization Queer Empowerment Council, or QEC, has been forced to reschedule or move venues.
Backlash to the regent’s amendment has been swift across the state. GLAAD and Texas ACLU, two organizations that advocate for LGBTQ+ representation, have issued press releases supporting the show and condemning the regents’ unanimous decision.
Faith, a drag king originally scheduled to perform at Draggieland, who goes by the performance name of Sir Loin Long, has been part of the Bryan-College Station drag community since 2019. He was the first drag king to perform at Draggieland and prolifically documents his drag performances on social media.
Long described the Board of Regents’ decision as “total B.S.”
“Just say you are homophobic,” Long said. “No need to hide it by saying it goes against Core Values. They allowed neo-nazi Richard Spencer to speak on campus, despite a large protest due to freedom of speech, so why is it suddenly a problem for the queer community?”
Long was mentored by drag kings in Houston and was one of the few kings to perform at Draggieland. Drag kings — performance artists who personify male gender stereotypes — have historically been rarer than queens, though both have the same roots in LGBTQ+ history.
“Every year we put on Draggieland, we are hit with an obstacle,” Long said. “Whether it be official statements saying, ‘You are not affiliated with us,’ removing all school funding for the show, or outright banning it …. We have not only overcome this obstacle, but we have sold out every year.”
Marco Martinez, the Brazos Valley’s Pride Community Center’s secretary, was set to be Draggieland’s emcee. He said the resolution has a chilling effect on the local community.
“I wish I could say it was a surprise,” Martinez said. “We’re extremely disheartened that A&M and the Board of Regents are using this queer art form to vilify our community, especially when it’s based on unfounded fears and misinformation that are being fed to the public.”
Martinez said that in light of increasing rhetoric and introduced legislation that aims to remove marriage rights for LGBTQ+ couples, the Pride Community Center, the only community center in the Brazos Valley that provides outreach and education for the LGBTQ+ community, has begun to plan workshops and legal assistance for those who would be affected by the bills. The Pride Community Center
“Understandably, there are people who are angry and upset about the decision,” Martinez said. “ … Drag is an art form that symbolizes resilience of the queer community, and we all share a knowledge of how important drag has been in the queer liberation movement of the ‘70s. It goes without saying that … a lot of people are taking it as foreshadowing of what is to come.”
In an interview conducted before the Board of Regents banned drag shows, former showrunner and Ph.D. student in biochemistry and molecular biophysics Kelly Risch discussed the logistics of planning the event.
“Draggieland does make money, and all of the money that is made just goes right back into hosting Draggieland and hosting the other events,” Risch said. “We do have donors … all the money goes just right back into the queer students and the queer events here.”
A recently enacted policy interpretation letter from the Department of Education faces a lawsuit over vague language that could ban universities from distributing funds for organizations deemed to cater to diversity, equity and inclusion.
“So much goes into an event of this scale,” Risch said. “ … It takes a year to plan. We have four teams … Each of those teams have about four Texas A&M students on it. … Working on something of this magnitude within the scope and the rules of the university takes a huge coordinated effort.”
Draggieland has faced multiple challenges since its inception in 2020, starting with protests and the defunding of the organization by the university in 2022.
“If you are a queer person and afraid because the negative voices seem to be 10 times louder than the positives, keep strong,” Long said. “You belong here. You have a family here. And our fight is not over until we are treated like human beings.”
QEC has planned a “Day of Drag” protest for Thursday at Academic Plaza, and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, is representing QEC in a federal lawsuit to stop the ban. The lawsuit will join others from FIRE, as the group aims to defend other student groups stopped from putting on drag shows.
“They saw how important it was, so it really stresses that point — queer people are so resilient,” Risch said. “You can do whatever you want, you can try to get rid of us but we’re here. We’re here to stay. You’re not getting rid of us that easily.”
