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The Supreme Court on Friday denied a college pupil group’s emergency petition to allow a charity drag show to happen on the West Texas A&M University campus in Canyon later this month.
“The application for writ of injunction pending appeal presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is denied,” the court docket mentioned in its ruling.
The group, Spectrum WT, which describes itself as LGBTQIA+ college students and allies who meet weekly and host numerous occasions locally, filed a lawsuit final 12 months, alleging the varsity was violating its free speech.
The college informed Fox News Digital it had no remark on the pending litigation. Fox News Digital has reached out to Spectrum WT.
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The Supreme Court on Friday denied a Texas college group’s emergency petition to allow a charity drag show to happen on the West Texas A&M University campus later this month. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonprofit free speech advocacy group that’s representing the scholars, informed Fox News Digital, “While FIRE is disappointed by today’s denial of an emergency injunction, we’ll keep fighting for our clients’ First Amendment rights. The Fifth Circuit will hear oral arguments in the case next month. The show is not over.”
The college students ultimately held final 12 months’s show off-campus, however have continued the litigation to hold the varsity from barring future exhibits.
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Last 12 months, the varsity’s president, Walter Wendler, wrote in an open letter revealed on the varsity’s web site and titled “A Harmless drag Show? No Such thing” that he deemed the occasion, which was deliberate to increase cash for the Trevor Project, he didn’t imagine that drag exhibits “preserve a single thread of human dignity.”
West Texas A&M’s president known as drag exhibits “misogynistic.” (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Wendler wrote that though the Trevor Project’s efforts towards suicide prevention are “noble,” drag exhibits are “misogynistic” and current “women in cartoon-like extremes for the amusement of others.”
He added, “Drag shows are derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny, no matter the stated intent,” likening it to blackface.
In its lawsuit, Spectrum WT mentioned: “The First Amendment protects expressive conduct, including performance theater (like drag shows), whether held in high regard by supporters or low esteem by detractors.”
Campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. (Google Maps)
But final September, a U.S. district court docket choose denied the group’s request for a preliminary injunction, ruling, “It is not clearly established that all drag shows are inherently expressive.”
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The New Orleans-based fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled arguments on the case for late April.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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