Draggieland 2025 occurred Thursday, March 27, in Rudder Theater. Six drag queens and one drag king competed for the coveted “Queen of Draggieland” title. Though the performance gathered an almost sold-out audience, Draggieland each year is fraught with complaints and public distaste for drag and the community it has gathered at Texas A&M.
The A&M System Board of Regents banned on-campus drag shows on Feb. 28, a tailor-made decision to target Draggieland despite being funded and running independently of the university. This decision was met with both praise and outrage, as the Queer Empowerment Council, or QEC, and Draggieland supporters alike searched for solutions, including a new venue. But after QEC retained legal counsel from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a federal judge stopped the ban from being enforced, allowing Draggieland to air on its originally scheduled day.
“This is the biggest drag show that’s been in College Station,” said Bill Becker ‘16, a Draggieland 2025 panel judge and former queen. “This is the expansion of queerness, community, diversity and it can look like this, and it can look like so many other ways, but this is how it looks when it’s highlighting the joy.”
The attempted ban was recognized not only as a limitation on the Bryan-College Station drag community but also as an act that threatened the existence of other queer-focused organizations on campus.
“It’s been an event for years now, and they allow really conservative speakers to come,” former student Jackson Bailey said. “Why can’t we have our event? It’s something the First Amendment allows.”
The QEC president and material sciences and engineering graduate student Sophia Ahmed said she takes controversies in stride, acknowledging that problem solving skills come naturally with her leadership position in a queer organization.
“This is queer excellence, because seeing all the art displayed tonight, and seeing people give it their all is a sign of excellence,” Ahmed said.
The show was filled with bright colors, representation and endless applause. For many who attended, drag is a form of expression that serves as an outlet for creativity and joy.
“I felt like journeying through drag helped me explore my queerness and my freedom of expression, and it released me from the shackles and burdens that the world tries to constrict us with,” Becker said. “Drag is crucial to letting people know that they’re not alone, letting people know that we are loud and proud.”
As the night continued, the six queens and one king took turns in a presentation round that included an introductory video and each artist’s first appearance of the night, followed by a lip sync performance. Melaka Mystika and Petty Brooks accompanied the showcase of talent, the drag show’s two hosts who supported each performer with comedic commentary and opinions on the importance of drag.
“I think that it’s a very privileged thing to say when people say, ‘When they go low you go high,’ because not all of us have the privilege to not stoop to their level,” Mystika said. “The rights that we have now, none of them were won by being nice. They were won by a little scuffle.”
Towards the night’s end, the scores for each performer’s presentation and initial lip sync were tallied up, and the panel announced Natasha Nova and Maria Maria as Draggieland 2025 finalists. After a final lip sync, Maria Maria was named the 2025 Queen of Draggieland, the first woman of color to win.
“This was gonna be stripped away from us, but we fought the good fight, and we spoke our word like we needed to,” Maria said as she took the crown. “To any queer, Black people out there, open up those doors, because this was a door I didn’t even know wasn’t open. But baby, I busted this door wide open.”
Draggieland 2025 concluded Thursday night with laughter, smiles and an appreciation for the opportunity that Draggieland provides performers and audience members alike.
“These are people who are living their life, celebrating all of themselves on stage where other people can see,” Becker said. “It’s glorious to be all of who you are. It is fabulous to show off all the pieces, even when the world says, ‘We’re not enough.’”
