Title: Federal appeals court breathes new life into Texas drag ban previously struck down as unconstitutional.Link To: Article 🔗 [Link: advocate.com/news/texas-drag-ban-ruling-reversed/] Author: Christopher Wiggins
Date: 06 November 2025
"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Thursday vacated a lower court ruling that blocked Texas's Senate Bill 12, the state's controversial "sexually oriented performances" law, reopening one of the nation's most closely watched legal battles over drag and LGBTQ+ expression.
"Senate Bill 12, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in 2023, makes it a crime to host or perform a "sexually oriented performance" in public or in the presence of minors. Though it never mentions drag, state leaders framed it as a drag ban."
"The Fifth Circuit majority disagreed, writing that "none of the trial evidence indicates that the performances are 'in some sense erotic,'" and concluded that most plaintiffs failed to prove their events were "arguably proscribed" under the law."
"Judge James L. Dennis dissented in part, warning that the majority "turns a blind eye to the Texas Legislature's avowed purpose: a statewide 'drag ban.'"
"The case will return to Houston for reconsideration under the new test, leaving Texas's drag performers and Pride organizers facing renewed uncertainty."
Best Wishes AlwaysSarah BGlobal Moderator
