Brigitte Bandit, an Austin-based drag performer and LGBTQ+ activist, said she didn’t originally plan to get involved in activism but began speaking out as drag and LGBTQ+ people came under attack.

Bandit, who serves in the Austin Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer quality of life commission, spoke Wednesday at a University Democrats meeting. Which was “meaningful” after the UT System banned drag shows and performances from campus in March, Bandit said.

Legislation is pushing LGBTQ+ people out of public spaces, Bandit said, in reference to a recently passed Senate Bill 8, which restricts restroom use in government buildings, public schools and universities based on the sex assigned at birth of an individual.

“They’re using queer people, and especially trans people, as a scapegoat for real issues that actually affect people,” Bandit said. 

Bandit also spoke about blending her art with education through an event she started called “LegiSLAYtion & Liberation,” where she discusses the Texas Legislature at Oilcan Harry’s, a LGBTQ+ bar on 4th Street, according to KUT.

“I can take this information and make it engaging and fun and in a way that still educates other people and gets people motivated and involved so that we’re not all just sitting here feeling isolated and alone,” Bandit said. 

Bandit said people who disagree with drag may still share some values with those who agree, so to engage both sides, she said it is important to exercise empathy and understanding. 

“If you can get down to those values and understand that we just have different information that’s given to us about how we can map these (issues), you can poke holes through (their logic),” Bandit said.