While the Democratic Party of Texas may appear divided on issues like taxpayer funding of Israel’s war effort and illegal immigration via the southern border, officials and activists appear to be in concert when it comes to defending drag and advocating for transgender issues.
At the party’s convention in El Paso this past week, delegates welcomed and applauded drag performer and LGBTQ activist Brigitte Bandit, who defended things like drag queen story hour and administering transgender hormones to children.
“I am a product of the Texas public school system, I have worked with children for over a decade, and I am now a full-time drag queen in Austin, Texas,” Bandit said.
“Sometimes I read books to children in drag. And while some may argue that reading a book to children in a full-length, long-sleeved hot pink gown and cotton candy-colored wig is inappropriate, the truth is that children are safer at a drag storytime than at their own schools,” Bandit added, likely referencing the tragic Uvalde school shooting in May 2023.
Children being allowed to attend drag performances in Texas has prompted protests in different parts of the state, with some claiming such exposure could be detrimental.
“I’m concerned about how this impacts children’s view of biology and reality, but also these men — and in this case a woman — who dress up in these outlandish costumes that present to children this very pornographied view of women where it is these insanely large prosthetic breasts and clownlike makeup with huge hair,” Michelle Evans, a Republican activist from Williamson County, previously told The Dallas Express. “How insidious can this be? If we normalize this for children, we are normalizing that misogynistic view of women.”
State legislators passed a law prohibiting children from attending “sexually oriented performances.” The measure is currently being litigated over potential First Amendment issues.
On the topic of transgender medical interventions and minors, Bandit criticized a bill Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law last year that prohibits children from receiving sex alteration surgeries or transgender hormones. The law is being challenged in court.
“Hormone blockers … are medically necessary for more than just trans youth. Gender-affirming care is life-saving. We have a duty to protect our most marginalized communities. Trans kids deserve to grow into healthy adults,” Bandit said.
Earlier in the week, a coalition within the American College of Pediatricians issued a statement countering the medical guidance of numerous professional medical associations that promote “social affirmation, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for children and adolescents who experience distress over their biological sex.”
“Instead, these organizations should recommend comprehensive evaluations and therapies aimed at identifying and addressing underlying psychological co-morbidities and neurodiversity that often predispose to and accompany gender dysphoria,” Doctors Protecting Children said in its declaration.
Bandit ended their address by stating:
“Free Palestine, long live Texas drag, protect trans kids, and happy Pride Month everybody!”
