The president of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas canceled a drag show and likened drag shows to blackface. He said that drag shows demean and diminish women and have no place on a college campus. The event was a fundraiser for The Trevor Project, a non-profit that “focuses on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth.”

President Walter Wendler sent an email Monday announcing that the college would not host a drag show charity performance titled “A Fool’s Drag Race” on Mar. 31. Wendler went on to explain that drag shows go against human dignity. He wrote that there is no such thing as a harmless drag show. He went on to conflate blackface performances with drag shows.

“Does a drag show preserve a single thread of human dignity? I think not. As a performance of exaggerating aspects of womanhood (sexuality, femininity, gender), drag shows stereotype women in cartoon-like extremes for the amusement of others and discriminate against womanhood. Any event that diminishes an individual or group through representation is wrong,” Wendler wrote.

“As a university president, I would not support ‘blackface’ performances on our campus, even if told the performance is a form of free speech or intended as humor. It is wrong. I do not support any show, performance or artistic expression which denigrates others—in this case, women—for any reason,” he wrote.

Wendler continued, “Forward-thinking women and men have worked together for nearly two centuries to eliminate sexism. 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.”

“Should I let rest misogynistic behavior portraying women as objects?” he asked.

He’s the top voice on campus and those are his thoughts. He’s waded into a hot-button issue here. Drag shows in general are not as controversial as Wendler might think. The drag shows that send people into the streets to protest are the drag storybook hours that attempt to normalize the sexualization of very young children. Most adults are not opposed to drag shows for adult audiences. If it isn’t an adult’s cup of tea, that person doesn’t go. It’s a form of entertainment. But it is for adults. Children don’t understand why the man is playing dress-up and dancing around.

I understand how a college president might not want a drag show, even as a fundraiser, on campus. There are better venues off-campus, I would imagine. He feels strongly about drag shows and doesn’t want to be in a position of looking as though he supports the event. The irony here is that he does support the fundraiser’s cause and encourages people to contribute to it. “Supporting The Trevor Project is a good idea. My recommendation is to skip the show and send the dough. Offering respect, not ridicule, is the order of the day for fair play and is the WT way. And equally important, it is the West Texas way.” He said the college will continue to “provide fair opportunities” to everyone.

“[West Texas] intends to provide fair opportunities to all based on academic performance. Ideas, not ideology, are the coin of our realm. A university campus, charged by the state of Texas to treat each individual fairly, should elevate students based on achievement and capability, performance in a word, without regard to group membership—an implacable and exacting standard based on educational mission and service to all, sanctioned by the legislature, the governor and numerous elected and appointed officials,” he wrote. “[West Texas] endeavors to treat all people equally. Drag shows are derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny, no matter the state intended. Such conduct runs counter to the purpose of [West Texas].”

He’s focused on the misogyny angle. I can understand what he is saying. Men masquerading as women is not very respectful but, to play devil’s advocate, not all drag shows are mockery toward women. Some shows feature talented impersonators. Have you ever seen a talented Liza Minneli impersonator? Or maybe a Cher impersonator? I’m not trying to make the case that drag shows should be on college campuses but college students are of legal age. At least this one was a fundraiser, not just in a club down the street.

Protests are expected to continue through the week by various student groups and a letter to Wendler was sent from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a national civil liberties group. It states that in Texas state law, the public university can’t cancel an artistic performance because it conflicts with an administrator’s personal beliefs.

“By unilaterally canceling the event because he disapproves of the views it might express, WTAMU’s president appears to have violated both his constitutional obligations and state law,” said Alex Morey, FIRE Director of Campus Right Advocacy. “It’s really surprising how open he is about knowingly violating the law, especially because government officials who violate clearly established First Amendment law will not retain qualified immunity and can be held personally liable for monetary damages.”

Protesters call the action sexist and homophobic but that isn’t what the president’s motivation seems to be. It does look like he’s bothered by the misogyny of it. It’s another version of men canceling women. I’m sure legal challenges are being made as I write this. We’ll see how it all turns out.