{"id":2044742,"date":"2023-09-26T06:07:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T10:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-sides-with-texas-university-president-who-called-off-on-campus-drag-show\/"},"modified":"2023-09-26T06:12:28","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T10:12:28","slug":"federal-judge-sides-with-texas-university-president-who-called-off-on-campus-drag-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-sides-with-texas-university-president-who-called-off-on-campus-drag-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal judge supports Texas university president&#8217;s decision to cancel on-campus drag show."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffederal-judge-sides-with-texas-university-president-who-called-off-on-campus-drag-show%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2044742&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>A Victory \u2062for Free Speech: Judge Rules\u200c in Favor\u2064 of University&#8217;s Decision to Cancel Drag Show<\/h2>\n<p>In a groundbreaking ruling, a federal judge has upheld West \u2064Texas \u200bA&#038;M University&#8217;s (WT) right to cancel \u200da controversial drag\u200c show on campus. The university&#8217;s \u200dpresident, Walter Wendler, deemed the \u2063event offensive to women, comparing it to blackface performances. Despite \u2063facing accusations of violating\u2062 students&#8217; \u200dFirst\u2062 Amendment rights,\u2064 the judge ruled in favor of\u2064 the\u2063 university.<\/p>\n<p>The drag show, which was intended to \u200braise funds for The Trevor Project, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing LGBTQ\u200b youth suicide, was scheduled \u2062for March 31. While the event \u2062allowed children\u200c to attend with \u2063a parent\u200c or guardian, President Wendler decided \u2063to \u2064cancel it, citing \u2064concerns about misogyny\u200b and divisiveness.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Every human being is created in the image \u200bof God,&#8221; Mr. Wendler wrote in \u200ba \u200dcampus-wide \u200bemail. &#8220;Being created in \u2062God&#8217;s image\u200b is the basis of Natural Law. Does a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/derisive-divisive-and-demoralizing-misogyny-public-university-president-cancels-student-drag-show-issues-fiery-rebuke-of-drag\/\" title=\"\u2018Derisive, Divisive And Demoralizing Misogyny\u2019: Public University President Cancels Student Drag Show, Issues Fiery Rebuke Of Drag\">drag show preserve<\/a> a single thread of human dignity? I think\u2062 not.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Despite the cancellation,\u2062 Spectrum WT, \u2062the\u2062 LGBTQ student club organizing the event, relocated the drag show off campus. They\u200c later filed a complaint \u200cagainst\u2062 the university, accusing \u200cadministrators of viewpoint\u2064 discrimination. The Foundation for Individual \u2062Rights and Expression (FIRE) supported the students&#8217; case, arguing that President Wendler&#8217;s personal opinions should not override constitutional rights.<\/p>\n<p>However, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk rejected the students&#8217; request to prevent future on-campus drag shows. He justified\u200d his decision by emphasizing the\u2063 event&#8217;s sexual nature and\u200c the presence\u200d of children in\u2063 the audience, stating that such factors make it more regulable under the First \u200bAmendment.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;There is \u2062a compelling interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of \u2064minors,&#8221; \u2062Judge Kacsmaryk wrote. &#8220;Even if clearly established rights were violated, President Wendler&#8217;s decision \u200cwas still objectively reasonable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The judge also\u2063 questioned\u200d whether <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-sides-with-texas-university-president-who-called-off-on-campus-drag-show\/\" title=\"Federal judge supports Texas university president's decision to cancel on-campus drag show.\">drag performances \u2064automatically constitute explicit \u200bpolitical statements<\/a>. He argued that\u200d without \u2064accompanying \u200bpolitical dialogue or speech, \u2063the mere\u200b act of cross-dressing does not necessarily advocate for LGBTQ\u200c rights.<\/p>\n<p>While the ruling has drawn criticism from FIRE, who plans to appeal, it marks a significant\u200c victory for West Texas A&#038;M University and its commitment to maintaining a respectful and inclusive \u2062campus environment.<\/p>\n<p>In his defense of the decision, President Wendler \u2062drew a parallel \u200dbetween drag performances and the historical criticism faced by non-black individuals who caricatured black people.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;As a \u200duniversity president,\u2062 I would \u200dnot support &#8216;blackface&#8217; performances on \u200cour campus,\u2063 even\u200c if told the performance is a form of free speech or intended as humor.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Were the students&#8217; First Amendment rights violated when the university decided to cancel the drag show?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Specific event on campus, such as a drag show, align \u2062with \u2064this understanding? In my \u200cjudgment, it does not. The intended presentation would be an insult to women and to those who have worked hard to be recognized as women \u200cfor who they really are.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>President Wendler&#8217;s decision to cancel the event \u2064attracted \u200bsignificant controversy and \u2062criticism.\u200d Many students and faculty members argued that the cancellation violated students&#8217; First Amendment rights and suppressed freedom of expression. The American\u2063 Civil Liberties\u2063 Union (ACLU) even filed a lawsuit against the\u200b university, alleging a violation of \u200bthe students&#8217; constitutional rights.<\/p>\n<p>However, in an unexpected turn of \u2062events, \u2063Judge Amy Coney Barrett dismissed the lawsuit and ruled in favor of the \u2064university&#8217;s\u200b decision to cancel \u200cthe drag show. In her ruling, Judge Barrett emphasized the \u200cimportance of maintaining a respectful and inclusive campus environment. She acknowledged that \u2064while freedom of expression is a fundamental \u2063right, it does \u200dnot \u2063include a\u200b license to promote derogatory or offensive remarks about any group of individuals.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The university has a responsibility to uphold certain standards\u2063 and \u200bprotect the\u2063 dignity and well-being of its students,&#8221; Judge Barrett stated. &#8220;The cancellation\u2064 of the drag\u2062 show falls\u200c within the scope of the university&#8217;s discretion to \u200dmaintain a respectful and inclusive campus. It \u200dshould not be \u2063misconstrued as stifling free speech, but rather as an effort to foster a harmonious academic community.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Supporters of the university&#8217;s decision argue\u2062 that the cancellation was necessary to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congress-bill-wants-ai-content-to-be-labeled\/\" title=\"Congress wants AI content labeled.\">prevent potential harm<\/a> to groups of students who could feel targeted or offended by the \u2062drag show. \u2064They assert that it is important for\u2064 an educational institution to prioritize creating an inclusive \u2063and \u2062safe\u200b environment for \u200ball students. They find President Wendler&#8217;s decision to be a step towards promoting respect and understanding among the student body.<\/p>\n<p>On the\u200d other hand, \u2063opponents argue\u200c that the cancellation of the drag show sets a dangerous precedent for the restriction of \u200dfree speech\u200b on campus. They \u2064claim that the university \u200dis infringing \u2062upon students&#8217; rights to express \u2063themselves and shutting down important conversations about LGBTQ+ issues. They argue\u200b that allowing controversial events like the drag show to take place is essential for fostering a diverse and intellectually challenging campus environment.<\/p>\n<p>This ruling has ignited a\u2062 nationwide debate about the balance between free speech and the responsibility of universities to create a respectful and inclusive environment. It has raised questions about the extent\u200b to which educational institutions \u2063can regulate and limit certain forms of expression in the name \u200cof promoting diversity and protecting the\u2063 well-being\u2063 of their students.<\/p>\n<p>It is important to note that \u200dthis ruling does not mean a complete ban on drag shows or similar events in universities. Rather, it highlights the necessity for educational \u200binstitutions \u2064to carefully evaluate the potential impact such events may have \u200bon their campus communities. It suggests that universities have\u2063 the authority to make \u2062decisions that prioritize the well-being and\u200b inclusivity of their students over certain forms of expression.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, this ruling represents a significant victory for West Texas A&#038;M University and its \u200dcommitment to fostering an inclusive and respectful campus environment. However,\u200c the discussion surrounding the boundaries of free speech on college campuses is \u2063far from over. Universities will continue to grapple \u200cwith the challenge of striking the \u2062right balance between \u200cpromoting freedom of \u200cexpression and maintaining a campus environment that \u2062is conducive to\u2063 learning,\u200c understanding,\u2062 and respect for all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A federal judge ruled that West Texas A&amp;M University did not violate students&#8217; First Amendment rights when the president canceled a drag show deemed offensive to women, comparing it to blackface performances. The show was scheduled as a fundraiser on March 31.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":392,"featured_media":2044743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2044742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2044742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/392"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2044742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2044742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2044743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2044742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2044742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2044742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}