The Supreme Court declined to lift a ban after administrators at West Texas A&M University blocked an LGBTQ group from hosting a drag show on campus. https://twitter.com/NBCOUT/status/1768691366538698776 From NBC News:
The court decision in a brief unsigned order means the group, Spectrum WT, likely will not be able to hold the event on March 22 at an on-campus facility.
No dissenting votes were noted and the court did not explain its decision.
JT Morris, a lawyer representing Spectrum WT, said the group will continue to protest the ban, with oral arguments coming up in the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals next month.
The university’s president, Walter Wendler, blocked a similar event last year and has described drag shows as “derisive, divisive and demoralizing.”
In his objection to the drag show last year, Wendler also compared drag performances to “black face.” Spectrum WT says the drag ban represents a violation of its members 1st Amendment rights. They also note a university policy that is supposed to prohibit administrators from denying access to facilities based on “ideological views.” The performance space where the group intends on holding the event, Legacy Hall, has previously hosted drag shows, concerts, and beauty pageants. U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk rejected the request for an injunction last September. Spectrum WT turned to the Supreme Court after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals failed to act in time. https://twitter.com/chrisgeidner/status/1768688451816247586
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