West Texas A&M president cancels drag show West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler is drawing ire for canceling a student drag show, arguing that such performances degrade women and are “derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny.” Students and First Amendment lawyers reject those assertions, calling his comments a mischaracterization of the art form. They also argue that the cancellation violates student’s constitutional rights and a state law that broadly protects free speech on college campuses, potentially setting the university up for a lawsuit. “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, students wrote in an online petition condemning Wendler’s letter and urging him to reinstate the show. Students plan to protest every day this week on the campus in the small West e as city of Canyon, according to a social media post by the pen and ffirming Congregations of the Texas Panhandle. “Drag is not dangerous or discriminatory, it is a celebration and expression of individuals,” student Signe Elder said in a statement. “Amidst the current climate of growing anti-trans and anti-drag rhetoric, we believe that it is important now more than ever to stand together and be heard.”
Elder is part of a group of students who have organized under the name Buffs for Drag to protest Wendler’s actions. Drag shows frequently feature men dressing as women in exaggerated styles and have been a mainstay in the LGBTQ community for decades. Drag performers say their work is an expression of queer joy — and a form of constitutionally protected speech about societal gender norms. But Wendler said drag shows “stereotype women in cartoon-like extremes for the amusement of others and discriminate against womanhood in a onday letter that was first obtained by marillo news site y igh lains.com. Wendler said the drag show was organized to raise money for The revor ro ect, a nonprofit that works to reduce suicides in the LGBTQ community. Wendler noted that it is a “noble cause” but argued the shows would be considered an act of workplace prejudice because they make fun of women. “Forward-thinking women and men have worked together for nearly two centuries to eliminate sexism,” Wendler wrote. “Women have fought valiantly, seeking equality in the voting booth, marketplace and court of public opinion. No one should claim a right to contribute to women’s suffering via a slapstick sideshow that erodes the worth of women.” is comments and decision to cancel the campus drag show come amid surging uproar over the lively entertainment as far-right e tremist groups have recruited conserva-
West Texas A&M University President WALTER WENDLER (Screenshot/YouTube WTAM Channel)
tives to protest the events, claiming that drag performances are sexualizing kids. Republican Texas lawmakers have also homed in on the performances with a handful of bills that would regulate or restrict drag shows, including some legislation that would classify any venue that hosts a drag show as a sexually oriented business, regardless of the show s content. n hursday, a Senate committee will debate a scaled-back bill that would impose a , fine on business owners who host drag shows in front of children — if those performances are sexually oriented. he bill defines a se ually oriented performance as one in which someone is naked or in drag and “appeals to the prurient interest in sex.” KATE MCGEE
State Dept. report reveals ongoing abuse, conversion therapy Duterte after he “mockingly” endorsed The State Department’s annual human conversion therapy and joked he had rights report that was released on Mon“cured” himself of homosexuality. day details the prevalence of so-called The report indicates “social, culturconversion therapy and the treatment of al and religious intolerance” in Kiribati intersex people around the world. “led to recurrent attempts to ‘convert’ The report notes LGBTQ+ and intersex LGBTQI+ individuals informally through rights groups in Kenya have “reported an family, religious, medical, educational, or increase in so-called conversion therapy other community pressures.” and ‘corrective rape’ practices, includungarian law prohibits ransgender ing forced marriages, exorcisms, physiThe State Department’s annual or intersex individuals from changing cal violence, psychological violence, or report was released this week. (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress) their assigned sex/gender at birth on detainment.” The report cites the Kenya legal and identification documents and ational Commission on uman ights there is therefore no mechanism for legal gender recognithat said “infants and children born with physical sex charaction. he report also cites statistics from the tt r Society, teristics that did not align with either a typical male or female a ungarian B and interse rights group, that indicate body were subjected to harmful medical practices for years one out of B and interse ungarians have gone in attempt to normali e them. through some form of ‘conversion therapy.’” A landmark law that extended legal protections to intersex he report notes then-British rime inister Boris ohnenyans took effect last uly. son’s government in April 2022 announced plans to ban conThe report notes “many reports of conversion attempts version therapy based on sexual orientation in England and conducted or recommended by evangelical and Catholic Wales. Activists sharply criticized the exclusion of Transgenchurches” in Brazil, even though the country has banned conder people from the proposal, and the British government version therapy. It also cites the case of Magomed Askhabov, later cancelled an LGBTQ+ and intersex rights conference a man from the Russian republic of Dagestan who “demandafter advocacy groups announced a boycott. ed a criminal case be opened” against a rehabilitation center Congress requires the State Department to release a huin the city of Khasavyurt in which he and other residents “were man rights report each year. physically abused and subjected to forced prayer as part of resident oe Biden last une signed a sweeping B their ‘treatment’ for homosexuality.” and interse rights e ecutive order. Secretary of State nt“There were reports police conducted involuntary physical ony Blinken at the beginning of this year’s report notes the exams of transgender or intersex persons,” notes the report. mandate directed the State Department to specifically in“The Association of Russian-speaking Intersex reported that clude enhanced reporting on so-called conversion ‘therapy’ medical specialists often pressured intersex persons (or their practices, which are forced or involuntary efforts to change parents if they were underage) into having so-called normala person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender exization surgery without providing accurate information about pression, as well as additional reporting on the performance the procedure or what being intersex meant.” of unnecessary surgeries on interse persons. The report notes Afghan culture “insists on compulsory uman rights are universal, Blinken told reporters on heterosexuality, which forced LGBTQI+ individuals to acquionday as he discussed the report. hey aren t defined by esce to life-altering decisions made by family members or any one country, philosophy, or region. hey apply to everysociety.” The report also refers to LGBTQ+ and intersex activone, everywhere.” ists in the Philippines who criticized former President Rodrigo 1 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 24, 2 0 2 3 • NAT I O NA L NE WS
he Biden- arris administration in released a memorandum that committed the U.S. to promoting LGBTQ+ and intersex rights abroad. The State Department released the report hours before .S. mbassador to the . . inda homas- reenfield hosted a meeting at the nited ations that focused on the integration of LGBTQ+ and intersex rights into the U.N. Security Council’s work. awmakers in ganda on uesday approved a bill that would further criminalize LGBTQ+ and intersex people in the country. Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized in dozens of other countries around the world. ctivists in kraine with whom the Washington Blade has spoken since Russia launched its war against the country in February 2022 have said LGBTQ+ and intersex people who lived in Russia-controlled areas feared Russian soldiers would target them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The report’s release also coincides with Republican efforts to curtail LGBTQ+ rights in states across the U.S. The report notes LGBTQ+ and intersex rights advances around the world in 2022. ntigua and Barbuda, Barbados, St. itts and evis and Singapore decriminali ed consensual same-se se ual relations last year. he report notes Chile s marriage e uality law took effect on arch , , but lists violence against B and interse people as one of the significant human rights issues in the country. Swit erland, Slovenia and Cuba also extended marriage rights to same-sex couples in 2022. he report cites the case of Brenda D a , a rans Cuban woman with I who is serving a -year prison sentence because she participated in an anti-government protest in uly . he report also notes several B and interse ournalists including elson lvare airata and ancel oreno left the country because of government harassment and threats. The Cuban government also blocked the websites of Tremenda Nota, the Blade’s media partner on the island, and other independent news outlets. MICHAEL K. LAVERS