TEXAS — A federal judge on Wednesday extended a temporary restraining order to block Texas' drag show ban, known as Senate Bill 12. The decision comes after the ACLU filed the lawsuit asking for the restraining order back in August.

The court is extending the restraining order for another 14 days. After that it will deliberate on a permanent injunction. If the temporary restraining order had not been granted, the ban would have gone into effect on Sept. 1.

The ACLU's lawsuit was filed on behalf of several Pride organizations in Texas including The Woodlands Pride and Abilene Pride Alliance, as well as Extragrams LLC, 360 Queen Entertainment LLC and drag performer Brigitte Bandit.

Members of these groups testified at the Capitol on "how S.B. 12 threatens their livelihoods, censors their freedom of expression, and vilifies an artform that has roots going back millennia," according to the ACLU.

“Today’s decision is another much-needed reprieve that prevents S.B. 12 from irreparably harming the rights and freedoms of all Texans, especially LGBTQIA+ Texans and the plaintiffs in this case. Drag is a form of artistic expression protected under the First Amendment with roots dating back millennia," Brian Klosterboer, an attorney at the ACLU of Texas, said.

Senate Bill 12 was first introduced in the Texas Legislature in March of 2023. The version of the bill that was approved seeks to criminalize performers that put on drag shows where children are present; it would also criminalize the venues that host these shows.