This is a question of free speech.

How would you feel if the Board of Regents kicked your student organization off campus because they didn’t like how you were dressed? What if they banned a politician they disliked from hosting an event in Rudder Theatre? Would you be outraged if they refused to recognize a group that had different religious beliefs than them?

That’s effectively what they did on Friday, Feb. 28, when the Board of Regents banned drag performances from event venues across the 11 campuses in the Texas A&M System in a 35-minute meeting held with little warning, almost entirely in a private, executive session — worse yet, no students or community members were allowed to weigh in on the decision. The rule appears tailor-made to target Draggieland, an annual student-organized and student-funded drag show originally scheduled for March 27 at Rudder Theatre. 

This isn’t about whether you agree with drag. This is about our freedom of expression. This decision is not just disappointing, it mocks our Core Values and the dedication to free speech we claim to uphold.

While no one is entitled to venue space or other university resources, they are entitled to fair treatment. Events like Draggieland should be treated the same as any other seeking to use campus space, regardless of religious or political differences. Our own Aggie Core Values of Respect, Excellence, Loyalty and Integrity demand it. Since A&M is a public institution, the law demands it as well.

The Board, however, purports to have the law on their side and claims this rule is intended to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order banning federal funds from being used to promote “gender ideology.” Yet federal funds also can’t be used to promote religious ideology — does the Board also think it necessary to ban religious events such as Breakaway from campus venues? 

The regents are either arguing in bad faith, seeking to kickstart frivolous, taxpayer-funded litigation or are foolish and short-sighted.

Whatever the case may be, students, alumni, faculty, staff and the entire state of Texas deserve better. This university is a community, not a personal political project. We all get a say in this conversation.

In their resolution, the Board claims drag events “involve unwelcome and objectively offensive conduct based on sex,” “particularly when they involve the mockery or objectification of women.” Regardless of whether you agree with these statements, the Board never gave you the opportunity to weigh in. This determination was not made with input from students or the community affected by the decision — or even a single woman — but by eight men in a private, closed-door meeting.

But even now, the Board refuses to answer questions from the media and public about the validity of those claims. Did students complain about the presence of drag shows on campus? Why make this decision now? Why did no one receive advance notice of this discussion? Which, if any, university stakeholders drove this decision? Why did the Board not seek input from the public? 

But perhaps the most pressing question is simple: How does this ban contribute to the betterment of A&M? According to their website, the Board’s top responsibility is to “ensure a quality undergraduate and graduate education experience for all students.” How exactly does banning Draggieland accomplish this? Seeking to control students’ freedom of expression will have a laundry list of negative side effects — turning Aggies against one another, eroding respect for free speech, wasting taxpayer resources and shaming the university we love. 

We know because A&M System schools keep going down this path. The Board of Regents acts with impunity, believing they are accountable to no one but the governor. They are wrong. Their charge includes protecting the students, staff and faculty who form the foundation of everything A&M stands for. Still, they disregard the suffering their decisions impose and the reputational damage they inflict on our school. Do they not feel remorse for openly caring less for the students who associate with Draggieland than the hundreds of students who gathered at Rudder Plaza to watch Christian speaker Cliff Knechtle?

In 2022, then-President M. Katherine Banks came to The Battalion with an ultimatum: Give up editorial independence and join the university or lose our office space, faculty advisor and campus distribution. Students, alumni, advocacy groups, faculty, just about the entire Aggie community united to denounce Banks’ decision — and won. 

Yet once more, A&M believes it can stifle free expression without consequence. Today, we ask you to extend the same fire and passion you had for The Battalion’s cause to this one — they are one and the same.  

In the name of the First Amendment, we call on the Board of Regents — Bill Mahomes, Bob Albritton, David Baggett, Jay Graham, John Bellinger, Mike Hernandez, Michael Plank, James R. Randy Brooks and Sam Torn — to immediately call a special meeting to repeal this resolution. 

Moreover, we call on the Faculty Senate to oppose this resolution and unite to protect free speech and freedom of expression before the regents’ eyes turn to them. We ask that the Student Government stand up for its constituents and demand student input on student issues. We call on student organizations of all sizes and purposes to release statements in support — if they can do this to Draggieland, they can do it to you. Alumni, we ask that you reconsider your donations and make your opinions known. We urge every student who wants to invoke change to email the regents and speak your mind. Advocacy groups, media outlets and individuals of all renown: Keep your eyes on Aggieland. 

The Board is following its playbook to a tee. Create a controversial situation, then lie low and wait for the flames to subside. They will not comment or speak about this resolution. They’ll wait until the media turns to the next big topic of conversation and students think of this as nothing more than a footnote in A&M history. They expect this to die down. 

Don’t let them win.         

This editorial was approved by The Battalion’s editorial staff and serves as the official opinion of the publication.