Texas Republicans target TCU course ‘Queer Art of Drag’ in fundraising messages
The Republican Party of Texas is targeting a TCU class called “The Queer Art of Drag” in fundraising messages.
The Texas GOP on Thursday sent a text and email to supporters criticizing the course and questioning why it’s being taught at a university with Christian roots.
“Does ‘The Queer Art of Drag’ sound like a Christian course to you? Of course not,” the fundraising email reads. “And if Christian schools are promoting these sexually explicit courses, just imagine what the secular schools are promoting! Will you show your opposition to the teaching of drag in Texas schools by donating today?”
A spokesperson for TCU did not immediately return requests for comment.
Across the country, including in North Texas, drag-related events have received backlash through protests and legislation restricting performances. Texas lawmakers in May sent a bill to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banning “sexually oriented performance” in front of minors. The new law goes into effect Sept. 1.
“Parents send their children off to school to acquire knowledge that will better equip them to enter the workforce — not to learn how to apply makeup and strip tease,” the Texas GOP email reads. “TCU’s decision to offer this course goes against the very essence of its founding principles, and at this point, it should consider a change in name.”
The text message and email present the course as being new to the university, but the class has been offered since at least 2021, according to a May 2021 article from TCU 360.
“Drag is an art form with a rich history of challenging dominant norms and systems of oppression; building queer community; and cultivating experiences of queer joy in a hostile world; but drag has also been deployed in service of violent ideologies and can sometimes participate in harmful normative logics,” the course syllabus states. “Critical drag explores drag performance as an outlet for social critique, pedagogy, and queer worldmaking.
In this class, we will explore critical histories of the queer art of drag; meet with drag performers and experts; and craft our own drag personas to debut at TCU’s Annual Night of Drag on April 21, 2023.”
The course’s instructor Nino Testa, whose drag persona is Maria von Clapp, did not immediately return a request for comment.
TCU is a private university with ties to the Disciples of Christ, but “welcomes students of all faiths — and of none,” according to its website.
Johnathan Gooch, the communication director for LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Texas, said there’s a long history of drag performances in Texas.
“And I think that’s why we need to have these types of classes, because so many people don’t know about its history or don’t realize the deep ties with the LGBTQ community and the way drag shows have created safe spaces for the queer community for a long time,” Gooch said.
He pushed back on the idea that drag is inherently sexual or in opposition of Christian values. There are all sorts of drag performances, he said, including ones that are family friendly.
“I think this idea that drag is inherently vile or sexual in some way is deeply disturbing, especially to see one of the major parties pushing this idea that is so far removed from the actual experience of drag performance,” Gooch said.
Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi said in an interview the state party highlighted the course in the fundraising email because it’s “one of the most absurd examples of what college DEI departments are currently doing.”
“Parents are very interested in how educators, both secondary and college educators, are indoctrinating students to their worldview instead of educating them, and this is one very absurdist example from a university that purports to be a Christian university,” Rinaldi said.
The TCU course is offered through the university’s Department of Women & Gender Studies, but is funded by a grant from its Office of Diversity & Inclusion, according to the class syllabus. Diversity Equity and Inclusion offices are banned at public universities under a new Texas law that goes into effect in January.
“Gender studies departments are often, like Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices, the source of courses such as this, with no academic value,” Rinaldi said.
Gooch said he was surprised that the email focused on TCU since it is a private institution.
“They’re allowed to investigate and teach any topic they deem to have academic merit, and especially in the context of the popularity of drag just skyrocketing with shows like ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ and then the increase on attacks on drag performance across the country, it makes sense that this kind of course would be available at an institute of higher learning,” Gooch said. “It seems like a really worthwhile pursuit.”
The university’s trustees include U.S. Rep. Roger Williams of Willow Park and House Rep. Charlie Geren of Fort Worth, both Republicans. Geren declined to comment.
“While I’m deeply disappointed that our university that is rooted in Christian values made this decision, as a member of the Board of Trustees I will continue to fight for conservative principles, be a voice of values for our community and refuse to be silenced in the name of woke culture,” Williams said in a statement. “I love my school, but I do not agree with everything they do.”
This story was originally published July 6, 2023 at 2:29 PM.
