Drag Bans and the First Amendment

Join OUTLaw and the Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center for a conversation on the Texas drag ban that was struck down on First Amendment grounds, other similar bans, and the broader implications for the queer community and free speech generally.

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About the panelists:

Brigitte Bandit is an Austin-based activist and drag performer. In August 2023, the ACLU of Texas and Baker Botts LLP filed suit on behalf of Bandit and other plaintiffs to challenge the constitutionality of the Texas drag ban (S.B. 12). In September, a federal judge in the Southern District of Texas ruled the ban was unconstitutional and issued a permanent injunction blocking the legislation from becoming law.

Chloe Kempf (Texas Law ’21) is an attorney and Gallogly Family Foundation Fellow at the ACLU of Texas. Her work seeks to defend and expand the rights of LGBTQIA+ Texans. As a member of ACLU of Texas’s free speech team, she also engages in litigation and advocacy to end censorship and secure inclusive education in Texas schools and to protect the freedom of expression for all Texans. Chloe received her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.

Caroline Corbin is Professor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law, where she teaches courses on Constitutional Law, Feminism and the First Amendment, and Advanced Topics in Reproductive Rights. Her scholarship focuses on the First Amendment’s speech and religion clauses, particularly their intersection with equality issues.