This year’s Draggieland is coming up and whether you’re new to the show or a veteran, here’s everything you need to know about the much anticipated event and the struggles it’s faced along the way.
Draggieland is an annual student-run drag show hosted by TAMU’s Queer Empowerment Council. It features six drag queens or kings that will compete in a pageant for the ultimate prize: the Draggieland crown (and up to $1000!). Previous stars have included Texas drag stars Alyssa Edwards and Mo Heart, and the show has received glowing praise from journals such as the Houston Chronicle and Inside Higher Ed. This year’s theme was revealed as Alice in Wonderland after a series of riddles posted to Draggieland’s social media accounts featured hints of “heart[s] so bright and red” and “a touch of blue, a tale untold”. The event will be held on March 28th, 7:30 pm at Rudder Theatre for it’s fifth year despite pushback.
Despite the pandemic, Draggieland’s first performance in 2020 was a success and earned the sponsorship of MSC Town Hall, which allowed the event to receive university funding and use official branding for events. However, when renewing the paperwork for the 2022 show, the organization’s officers were informed they were no longer associated with university branding and would need to receive funding independently. Joe Ramirez, VP of Student Affairs, addressed the sudden change in a student senate discussion, stating “I didn’t disallow anything. I’ve seen the words forbid, disallow, ban. I didn’t disallow anything. We looked at Draggieland. It had been successful for the previous two years from a financial perspective, and as a result, I made a decision to say, ‘OK, we’ve been successful, let’s let a student organization host it.” But the show must go on. Despite the setback, Draggieland was able to spread the word on social media with #shinethroughtamu and raise enough independent funding to keep their slot for 2022. Unfortunately, a year later, a new controversy would cause even more problems. West Texas A&M’ s President Walter Wendler denounced drag, chalking it up to “derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny.” As a result, LGBTQ+ students sued the university for violation of free speech, but were overruled in September 2023 by a district court judge.
Just a couple months ago in January, Senate Bill 17 went into effect. The bill banned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices in public universities across Texas. As a result, the Texas A&M Pride Center was rebranded as the Student Life Center by A&M’s Queer Empowerment Council (QEC) who also runs other LGBTQ+ and ally events on campus like the Coming Out Monologues and the Pride Mentors program. The QEC was formed in 2022 in response to pushback against Draggieland and continues to support it today, spearheading Draggieland’s fundraising and organization. Despite SB 17, Draggieland perseveres and will live to see it’s fifth year, continuing to provide an atmosphere of love, pride, and acceptance to campus.
For more information on Draggieland, including where to buy tickets, check out Draggieland’s LinkTree.