Lawsuit filed against WT and Texas A&M University System over canceled drag show
After three days of protests in reaction to West Texas A&M University (WT) President Walter Wendler’s letter canceling a planned on-campus drag show, two students filed a lawsuit Friday morning in Amarillo Federal Court against the university and Texas A&M University System officials.
Student leaders Barrett Bright and Lauren Stovall of Spectrum WT, a student organization for LGBTQIA + students and allies, are named as plaintiffs in the case represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Named parties from the university system are WT President Walter Wendler, Chris Thomas, vice president of student affairs, and John Sharp, as well as members of the Texas A&M Board of Regents.
“President Wendler has made it clear to us that he knows what his legal obligations are, but he chose to ignore them, and we are thankful to FIRE for taking up our case to protect our First Amendment rights," Bright said. “Hopefully, this lawsuit will not just help us, the LGBTQ+ students here at WTAMU, protect our rights, but also help protect students’ rights across the U.S.”
FIRE asserts that this action by the WT president is a free speech issue and violates the Constitution and Texas education law.
“College presidents can’t silence students simply because they disagree with their expression. The First Amendment protects student speech, whether it’s gathering on campus to study the Bible, hosting an acid-tongued political speaker, or putting on a charity drag show,” Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney for FIRE, said.
The lawsuit asks that the university allow the charity drag show to go as originally scheduled on campus and prevent university officials from prohibiting the plaintiffs from holding similar events.
More:Groups turn out in support of WT president's letter, actions on drag show
More:WT president's comments on drag show cancellation stir backlash
Also being asked in the lawsuit is a declaratory judgment that Wendler’s pledge to prevent similar events at the university is a violation of the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs are also asking for compensatory, nominal and punitive damages against Wendler in his capacity. This will include attorney fees and any further relief the court may deem just and proper, according to the lawsuit.
Protests have taken place throughout the week and continued on Friday at the WT campus in Canyon. On Thursday, supporters of Wendler held counter protests and announced a second online petition at conservativechange.org. The two ongoing petitions, for and against the on-campus drag show, now each have thousands of signatures. Since Wendler's original letter, no futher comments have been issued by the university or the WT president.
This is not the first time Wendler has faced controversy for his remarks regarding the LGBTQIA+ community, as he came under fire in his previous position as Chancellor at Southern Illinois for citing his religious views in opposition to extending certain medical benefits to the same-sex partners of employees, according to the AGN archives and other news outlets. He was asked to step down at Southern Illinois in 2006, allegedly due to issues with communication and leadership with the university.
Stovall, vice president of Spectrum at WT, spoke at Thursday's protest about Wendler’s decision to cancel the planned drag show.
“This is not an issue just about drag; we are protesting for freedom of speech,” Stovall said. “The First Amendment is what our country is built on: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of petition. Walter Wendler is trying to take that away from us. As the head of a state-funded school, Walter Wendler is a government official."
She also said that those who support Wendler’s decision should understand that this type of action by him goes against the very foundation of the law of the land. “We want a formal apology from Walter Wendler both for his current and past homophobic remarks,” Stovall said. "Do not be mistaken; he has a long history of homophobic remarks here and at his previous university … this is a continuous issue.”
In addition, Stovall said during the protest that Wendler should resign since he cannot be trusted due to his current and past actions.
“WT will never be an accepting place that we can feel safe at, as long as a person like Wendler is in office,” Stovall added.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Lawsuit filed against WT, Texas A&M University System over drag show
