The chair of the University of Texas System's governing board says UT campuses will not host drag shows. The announcement came after Republican Tarrant County Judge sent a letter asking for a drag ban.
, O鈥橦are shared a letter to UT鈥檚 Board of Regents dated March 13, calling drag shows 鈥渟exually-oriented events.鈥�
Because the UT System gets federal funding, banning drag shows would help it comply with declaring that 鈥渇ederal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology,鈥� O'Hare wrote.
鈥淭he UT System exists to provide quality education to hundreds of thousands of students. Rather than promoting anything to do with education, drag shows and related events denigrate women,鈥� he wrote.
It's not clear whether the letter prompted UT's decision.
Yesterday, I sent a letter to the UT-System Board of Regents regarding the use of taxpayer resources for sexually-oriented events.
— Office of Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare (@TarrantCoJudge)
四虎影院 reached out to UT for comment. In an emailed statement, Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife wrote, "All activities at UT institutions are expected to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and executive orders, including any restrictions on the use of public funds."
"Our public university facilities, supported by taxpayers, will not serve as venues for drag shows. Our institutions will not sponsor them. If the Board of Regents needs to take further action to make this clear, we will do so," he wrote.
In his letter, O鈥橦are cited an event at UT Arlington in February that featured a drag performer, but he did not specify which event. 四虎影院 has reached out to UTA for comment.
鲍罢础鈥檚 hosted an event last month that featured a drag queen. Association cofounder and CEO Elwim Sorto said O'Hare has the wrong idea about drag.
鈥淚f anything, it's an admiration for womanhood," he said.
The event was to promote sexual health and to show people 鈥渢hat there鈥檚 still a community on campus, that there鈥檚 still people trying to do the work,鈥� Sorto said.
Last legislative session, a law known as SB 17 banned diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at Texas鈥� public universities. That led UTA to shut down its LGBTQ+ resource program.
鈥淓ven though these people are trying to put us down, right, trying to say that we probably don't necessarily exist, right, that we're still here,鈥� Sorto said. 鈥淲e're still providing a positive space, with Lady Gaga playing in the background, Chappell Roan. And that we're not going anywhere.鈥�
The event didn鈥檛 get any money from the university, Sorto said.
鈥淭his is something that was solely hosted and coordinated by us. There was no involvement of UTA 鈥� anything that coincides with SB 17,鈥� he said.
Texas A&M has already on its campuses, including the annual event in College Station.
鈥淚t was encouraging to see a public university system complying with the law, prioritizing education, and valuing women,鈥� O鈥橦are wrote in his letter.
The Queer Empowerment Council, a coalition of student organizations,
"Drag is self-expression, drag is discovery, drag is empowerment, and no amount of censorship will silence us," the council said in a statement. "We are committed to ensuring that our voices are heard, and that Draggieland will go on, no matter the obstacles we face."
Conservative politicians around the country have moved to in recent years.
In 2023, O'Hare called for an investigation of a Fort Worth bar that hosted an all-ages drag show.
He asked the state comptroller to look into whether the bar was operating as an unlicensed sexually-oriented business 鈥� a designation usually reserved for places like strip clubs and adult bookstores.
Drag is not inherently sexual, spokesperson Johnathan Gooch told 四虎影院 at the time.
鈥淛ust as with any other type of performance, there are PG versions and there are PG-13 versions,鈥� he said.
To Sorto, the Queer Social Work Association鈥檚 event was not inappropriate just because there was a drag queen there 鈥� and targeting drag shows isn't helping anyone.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just because it's queer," he said.
This story has been updated with a statement from UT System Chairman Kevin P. Eltife.
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