Texas University President Wrongly Canceled Student Drag Show

West Texas A&M University violated a LGBTQ+ student group’s First Amendment protections in canceling a charity drag show in 2023, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

In a split decision reversing a trial court, a panel on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found that the university held limited power to restrict the performance’s content because the auditorium hosting the show is available to the public, not just to students.

“President Wendler’s new anti-drag-show policy did not somehow transform Legacy Hall into a limited public forum,” Judge Leslie Southwick, an appointee of George W. Bush, wrote for ...