Students protest after WT president cancels drag show

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CANYON — Students held a protest on campus Tuesday after West Texas A&M University (WT) President Walter Wendler sent out a letter to students, staff and faculty of the university Monday afternoon, announcing that the university would not permit a planned drag show on campus.

The drag show was scheduled for March 31, to raise money for the Trevor Project, which according to its website, is a nonprofit organization that focuses on suicide prevention counseling and the mental health of LGBTQIA+ young people. The group also provides other mental health services and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ youth.

WT Spectrum, a student organization for LGBTQIA+ students and allies, was recruiting for the proposed drag show. Open and Affirming Congregations of the Texas Panhandle has started a petition which had more than 4,100 signatures as of 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, decrying the university’s decision to cancel the drag show. The petition can be found at https://www.change.org/p/save-the-wtamu-drag-show .

According to the statement from the petition, the group states “Not only is this a gross and abhorrent comparison of two completely different topics, but it is also an extremely distorted and incorrect definition of drag as a culture and form of performance art.” They also allege the act by the university president violates university policy by denying a student organization a benefit available to any other organizations based on a political, religious and ideological basis.

The Open and Affirming Congregations of the Texas Panhandle said in a Facebook post that students are planning to protest the president's decision on campus every day this week.

More:Wendler commentary: A harmless drag show? No such thing.

Wendler titles the letter with the assertion that there is no such thing as a harmless drag show before stating that “every human being is created in the image of God and therefore a person of dignity.” Continuing, Wendler states: “Does a drag show preserve a single thread of human dignity? I think not. As a performance exaggerating aspects of womanhood (sexuality, femininity, gender), drag shows stereotype women in cartoonlike extremes for the amusement of others and discriminates against womanhood. Any event that diminishes an individual or group through representation is wrong.”

He then relates this event to a previous event he expressed concerns about, a quinceañera celebration, which he said debased Latinas.

Wendler also states in the letter: “Should I let rest misogynistic behavior portraying women as objects? While I am not a woman, my best friend I have been married to for over a half-century is. I am also blessed to have daughters-in-law and granddaughters. Demeaning any demeans all. This is not an intellectual abstraction but a stark reality.”

Describing drag shows as derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny, Wendler states that the conduct runs counter to the values of WT, comparing it to a blackface performance.

“It is wrong. I do not support any show, performance or artistic expression which denigrates others in this case, women for any reason,” Wendler adds in the letter.

Wendler ends the letter stating that again it is not possible for a drag show to be harmless and that he opposes it as a diminishment toward women. He said that people should support the Trevor Project by donations and skip seeing a drag show.

A WT student identified as R.J. spoke about the protest and the university's decision to cancel the drag show.

"We are protesting today for love, not hate; the letter from the university's president was uncalled for and a disservice to all students," R.J. said. "This is coming from a person without experience or knowledge of drag. If they just came to one show, they would see how backward their comments are. This show has been in the works for over a month, and canceling it right before the show is wrong."

A Texas Tribune story on Tuesday also noted that Republican Texas lawmakers have zeroed in on drag shows with a handful of bills that would regulate or restrict performances, including some legislation that would classify any venue that hosts a drag show as a sexually oriented business, regardless of the show’s content. On Thursday, a Senate committee will debate a bill that could impose a $10,000 fine on business owners who host drag shows in front of children, the story noted. Rachel Hill, government affairs director for LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Texas, said in the Texas Tribune article that drag doesn’t mock women but is an art form that allows performers to take back power from what she said can be stifling gender norms.

In addition, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a national civil liberties group, sent a letter to Wendler reminding him that "under both the U.S. Constitution and Texas state law, the public university cannot cancel an artistic performance simply because it conflicts with an administrator’s personal beliefs."

“By unilaterally canceling the event because he personally disapproves of the views it might express, WTAMU’s president appears to have violated both his constitutional obligations and state law," FIRE attorney Alex Morey said in a statement. "It’s really surprising how open he is about knowingly violating the law, especially because government officials who violate clearly established First Amendment law will not retain qualified immunity and can be held personally liable for monetary damages.”

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Drag show canceled by West Texas A&M president draws protests, outcry