Brigitte Bandit

Brigitte Bandit is an American drag queen and activist based in Austin, Texas.

Early life Bandit grew up in northwest Austin. She was also interested in music from a young age, with the first two artists she saw in concert being Cher and Dolly Parton; she later played flute in her school's marching band.

Drag career Bandit, a flamboyant dresser, had long been interested in drag, but thought, as a person assigned female at birth, she would not be allowed to perform. and has been called the "Dolly of Austin". She has performed in shows at Oilcan Harry's During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bandit participated in Extragrams, a drag queen telegram service.

Activism Bandit has spoken against anti-drag bills in Texas since 2022, including Senate Bill 12 and Senate Bill 1601. and because she pointed out the "absurdity" of the bill because, as someone who was assigned female at birth and who performs a feminine character, Bandit would not be bound by the proposed laws.

In June 2024, Bandit spoke at the 2024 Texas Democratic Convention. Clips of her speech, which focused on youth access to gender-affirming healthcare, were shared by Libs of TikTok, drawing online ire from many right-wing commentators, who claimed she was a man "promoting sex-change surgery for minors," although she did not mention surgery in her speech. Later that month, she traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby for the Equality Act, a proposed law which would include gender identity and sexual orientation in federal nondiscrimination policies.

Beginning in January 2025, Bandit hosted LegiSLAYtion & Liberation, a weekly event in Austin focused on summarizing weekly political news in an educational and comedic style.

Personal life Bandit is nonbinary and uses both she/her and they/them pronouns.