West Texas A&M University is facing an ongoing federal court battle after administrators attempted to ban student-organized drag performances, a move judges have repeatedly ruled likely violates the First Amendment.

The dispute began in 2023, when WTAMU President Walter Wendler prohibited drag shows on campus, citing his personal religious beliefs as part of his justification in a campus-wide letter. Spectrum WT, an LGBTQ+ student organization, sued, saying the ban amounted to unconstitutional content-based censorship at a public university.

While the U.S. Supreme Court declined emergency relief in 2024, federal courts ruled decisively in 2025, with a district judge blocking the ban and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals allowing drag events, including Draggieland, to proceed while litigation continues. Courts found drag performances likely constitute protected expressive conduct.

A federal bench trial will begin in late January 2026, aiming to resolve the broader dispute. The university argues the events are inappropriate for campus, while students maintain the ban targets speech based on viewpoint, an argument courts have repeatedly accepted.

The case has drawn national attention from free speech and civil liberties advocates. Kevin Bolling of the Secular Student Alliance said the controversy strikes at constitutional fundamentals:

“This comes to the very core of what we hold as principles in the U.S. Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion,” Bolling said. “President Wendler repeatedly cited his personal religious beliefs as a public official to cancel an approved student event at a public university. Separation of church and state is vital, and he clearly violated that.”

Legal experts say the outcome could shape how public universities nationwide regulate student expression, particularly when administrators object to speech on moral or religious grounds.

About the Secular Student Alliance
The Secular Student Alliance is the largest organization in the U.S. representing secular and nonreligious students, with chapters at high schools and colleges across the country. SSA provides leadership training, legal support, and advocacy tools to empower the next generation of community and civic leaders.