LGBTQ+ Austinites SLAY The Legislative Session

By Danielle Yampuler

Feel the thump, thump, thump of the music as it climbs up your feet and through your spine. The crowd of bodies presses in on you, but it doesn’t feel claustrophobic. The warmth feels like the comforting presence of home. To your right, a person with colorful clothes and even more colorful hair dances wildly as they hold their drink in the air. To your left, two men who have never met before chat closely, as if they are trying to breathe each other in. The community of a gay club is self-explanatory — come here, get drunk, and meet people who are simultaneously exactly like you and worlds away from your experience. However, since their inception, gay clubs have not just been places to party, but also dens for community organization and education. Austin drag queen and activist Brigitte Bandit has been keeping that culture alive at one of Austin’s oldest gay bars, Oilcan Harry’s.

On Jan. 28, 2025, Bandit hosted a weekly event labeled LegiSLAYtion & Liberation (L&L) for the first time. The event is dedicated to keeping LGBTQ+ Austinites focused on the political actions occurring at the federal and state levels that are relevant to them. This includes everything from transphobic executive orders to xenophobic federal actions. L&L will occur every Tuesday from 7-9 p.m. at the historic Oilcan Harry’s gay club, hopefully until it is no longer needed.

“People need to stay informed on the policies that are happening. With the Trump administration, we're seeing a huge amount of executive orders meant to overwhelm us and make us feel kind of powerless,” said Bandit. “I think it's really important right now that we are able to go through the information, stay informed, and know how to react and respond — not just let him [President Donald J. Trump] get away with all of these things.”

The event usually starts with a legislative bingo. Attendees listen to and interact with Bandit as she presents a lecture on the actions of the federal, state, and local governments. Each attendee has a bingo board made up of important points Bandit will discuss. “FUCK GREG ABBOTT,” reads the middle square of the board, functioning as a free space. “Nancy Mace,” reads another, referencing the staunchly anti-transgender congresswoman who often makes a fool of herself in viral social media clips. Attendees can mark those points off to win prizes. The actions Bandit specifically references are usually laws, executive orders, and other legal actions based on transphobia, homophobia, and xenophobia.

“A lot of our rights are coming under fire right now because of the administration that's currently in office. But also, just in the past decade, trans rights have been slowly stripped away in a lot of places,” said Hya Zakite, a queer and non-binary Austin drag queen who attends L&L. “Coming out to an event like this, I really wanted to do something to feel like I was making an impact.”



Zakite references anti-transgender actions in legislative spaces. It is well known by now that the Trump administration and its supporters poured tens of millions of dollars into campaign ads, and that around 41% were transphobic in nature. Additionally, Trump has signed multiple anti-transgender executive orders since his second inauguration, including one that banned transgender women from girls’ and women’s sports. Conservative state governments have followed suit, especially in Texas, which has been pushing anti-transgender policies such as drag bans and limits on gender-affirming care since before Trump’s re-election. The Texas Legislature continues with these efforts, among other proposed bills that specifically attack transgender people’s existence and safety during the ongoing 89th legislative session.

On the educational level, multiple Texas public universities have banned DEI initiatives to comply with Senate Bill 17. They have also attempted to ban drag and other queer activities in response to directives from both the Trump Administration and Governor Greg Abbott, which mandate that federal and state agencies “reject woke gender ideologies." These efforts are a terrifying violation of the First Amendment — one that may be upheld by the conservative government Bandit is helping fight. Now more than ever, it is important for LGBTQ+ Texans of all ages to have safe spaces for queer education and performance. L&L is open to anyone older than 18 and is a wonderful event for all who wish to find community and resources.

“Honestly, last time I came here, I left crying. It's really easy to feel alone right now,” said Hails, a queer attendee. “There's not a lot of queer people, majority of the population-wise, but I felt really safe and like I had a home here.”

L&L is perfectly designed to simultaneously inform people and keep their attention. It’s a drag show topped off with a debrief on current events. Bandit is one of the most well-known drag queens in Austin, and the crowd’s familiarity with her is evident. She is able to play around with the crowd and make them feel comfortable enough to laugh, while simultaneously disseminating important information regarding the Texas Legislature and the US Government. Additionally, the care that Bandit has for the topics she discusses is apparent. As an asexual and non-binary drag queen, Bandit addresses queer issues with a nuance unique to someone within the community.  Many attendees described the event as feeling like they were with family, and much of that is likely attributed to Bandit’s caring, easy-going nature, even in the face of terrifying news.

After bingo, Bandit often performs a fun drag number to get the energy up. Then, the audience hears from a guest speaker or two before having some form of discussion. Finally, if they’re lucky, Bandit or a guest speaker will perform another drag act. All throughout, the audience is encouraged to get to know their community: each other. The audience laughs with one another and is given time to speak to each other. Any audience member is allowed to come take the mic if they feel that they have expertise over a subject being discussed, and they often do.

“I think the Austin queer community, there's something about Southern hospitality,” said Zakite. “The people here are just really connected to one another, and there's a really strong sense of family here that I haven't experienced in a lot of other places.”



That sense of familial connection was reaffirmed by most people at the event. However, so was a sense of loneliness. Many people expressed how easy it is to feel alone and wish to isolate yourself when it feels like so much of the world is against you and your existence as an LGBTQ+ person. However, one of the best ways to combat that loneliness is to attend community events such as L&L.

L&L is also meaningful to attendees because it teaches people how to take action. Bandit regularly encourages attendees to learn how to testify and to show up to legislative events. Zakite encourages people to show up to local events, support trans art, and call their senators. Each attendee had a vision for the world they felt community events such as L&L could aid in creating.

“A liberated world would look like equal access for everybody. Everybody has access to resources. Neighborhoods are all well-funded. Where there's not a need for policing and there's not a need for jails,” said Bandit. “People are able to get the resources that they need so that they don't invest in crime. People have access to education and proper pay.”

L&L provides attendees with avenues for connection and education, both on queer history and queer present. Ultimately, events like L&L are crucial to the Austin queer community because, despite the abject subject matter, they imbue community members with hope for the future.

“We're strong when we stick together, and we're gonna get through it,” said Hails. “We've gone through everything that's come before you.” ■