Stanford University (Getty Images) Stanford University is awarding five times as much money to a campus drag troupe—yeah, that’s a real thing, apparently—as to an undergraduate veterans association after students overwhelmingly approved the grants in a campus-wide vote. “The numbers offer a window into the priorities of Stanford administrators, who determine which groups are eligible for funding based on how well they ‘complement the university’s mission,’ and of the students themselves, who determine how much money eligible groups receive,” our Aaron Sibarium writes. The awards—which were set by Stanford’s student government before 3,000 students voted to pass them by large margins—include a $50,000 grant to the Stanford Drag Troupe, which last year sponsored a performance by two drag queens, “Slut the Rock Johnson” and “ZZ Chic,” as part of a “sex trivia” event titled, “Are You Smarter Than A Sexpert?” That grant dwarfs the $10,000 earmarked for the Stanford Undergraduate Association of Veterans, as well as the $14,471.96 earmarked for Stanford’s sole ballet group, the Cardinal Ballet Company. It also exceeds the $19,559.86 earmarked for the Stanford Jazz Orchestra, the $27,104.00 earmarked for the Stanford Light Opera Company, and the $27,154.00 earmarked for the Stanford Symphony Orchestra. The Muslim Student Union, meanwhile, received $175,000—more than the budget for every Christian student group combined. The Stanford Republican Club received $7,549.25, less than the $10,000 earmarked for Furries at Stanford, a 15-person club that refers to its members as “Stanfurs.” The grant to the Republican club sparked the most opposition from the students who voted, with nearly 25 percent voting against the funds. By contrast, only 16 percent voted against funding the drag group. “The grants form a stark contrast with the image of moderation that Stanford has sought to cultivate since the Trump administration launched its war on higher education early last year,” Sibarium writes. “In a June 2025 press release, the university touted its commitment to ‘constructive dialogue’ through ‘civic salons’ and the ‘ePluribus Stanford’ program. It has also launched a new civics initiative in conjunction with the Zephyr Institute, a center-right humanities organization based in Palo Alto. But the university’s undergraduates could be an obstacle to that centrist pivot. Stanford’s student government has been at the center of several controversies involving free speech and political litmus tests, such as when it denied funding in 2021 for a Stanford College Republicans event with former vice president Mike Pence.” READ MORE: Stanford Students Award Drag Group Five Times As Much Funding As Veterans Association