Update: at 7:00 p.m.

According to the City of Amarillo, the park reservation process typically begins when an event organizer inquires availability of a park. If the space is available on the date requested the organizer may have to meet other requirements. That include fees, security assessments and additional permits.

City officials shared the following statement, “The City cannot refuse to lease a public facility to a person or group based on the content of the event as long as the content does not violate any law or local ordinance.”

Spectrum WT Vice President shared that they are grateful “A Fools Drag Race” will go on.

“I’m extremely glad that we’re able to have the drag show, “said Laur Stovall, Sprectrum WT Vice President. “Although I am very sad that we weren’t able to have it on our own campus where we originally planned, I’m extremely grateful to the community coming together and as being able to have the option to move it off but the fact remains, if we had our way, we would have it on campus and we wish we could.”

After creating a fundraiser to pay for a new venue, Stovall said within 48 hours they raised the $5,000 needed to reserve the venue. Additional money raised will now go directly to the Trevor Project.

“I’m really just hoping that this sets the way forward for a more accepting and more loving community,” said Stovall. “The amount of people that have come together, I feel like a lot of people at WT including myself have been hiding for most of our time here and for the first time, we’re allowed to be out and loud and fighting for our First Amendment rights. I think it’s a beautiful thing and I think a lot of good can come out of what is just an awful a terrible circumstance. That I think all of us can agree we wish it never happened.”

Original Story

AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — With the phrase “The Show Will Go On!,” adorning its newest flyer, Spectrum WT recently released information on the updated details on its “A Fool’s Drag Race” event, originally scheduled to be hosted on the Canyon campus of West Texas A&M University.

According to a flyer obtained by MyHighPlains.com, the event will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sam Houston Park, located near the intersection of Line Avenue and Western Street in Amarillo. The event will be free and will continue as a fundraiser for The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization that centers around suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth.

This comes after WT President Walter Wendler issued a letter to students, faculty and staff earlier this month, commenting on his decision not to allow the event to be hosted on campus. After this letter was published, many individuals protested on the Canyon campus, with some stating their support for Wendler’s position, and others questioning Wendler’s viewpoint and campaigning for the reinstatement of the event on campus.

According to previous reports by MyHighPlains.com, Spectrum WT filed a lawsuit in Amarillo Federal Court on March 24 against WT and the Texas A&M University System. The goal of this ongoing lawsuit is to prevent WT and the Texas A&M University System officials from prohibiting similar events in the future and for U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk to issue a declaratory judgment, stating that Wendler’s decision violated the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

According to documents filed Wednesday in Amarillo Federal Court, Spectrum WT started a fundraiser to raise money to host the event at an alternate venue. While previously asking the court for a “temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction” in the lawsuit, the student organization withdrew its request for a temporary restraining order because of the acquisition of the off-campus venue through the fundraiser.

However, the request for a preliminary injunction remains, officials from the organization stressed. If approved by Kacsmaryk, this preliminary injunction would prevent WT and the TAMU System from prohibiting future similar events on campus.