Drag icon Brigitte Bandit slams Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene

Non-binary drag queen Brigitte Bandit has mocked Marjorie Taylor Greene after the Trump-loving politician called her a man.

Greene, who has previously railed against trans healthcare, described Bandit as a man after the drag queen appeared on CNN, adding that drag is “provocative” and that women need “protection” from trans people. 

Bandit, who uses both she/her and they/them pronouns, hit back saying she was “born female” and that Greene’s statement “proved gender is socially constructed”. 

Appearing on CNN on Tuesday (25 June) to discuss meeting Democrats and Republicans about legislative attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, Bandit added that the rising hostility faced by drag artists and the transgender community was “very scary”. 

Greene took aim at the drag artist on Twitter/X, claiming “what’s scary is men pretending to be women reading gender cult-lying books to our children”, and trans people are “taking over our bathrooms, sports and private spaces”.

Bandit then clarified the situation: “Hi Marjorie, I’m Brigitte and I’m the queen in the clip. I’m born female and not a man. You are just proving that gender is socially constructed and have no idea what you’re talking about and why you should have no say in our lives.”

She then told Entertainment Weekly that Greene’s comment was part of a much larger issue.

“While MTG and other Republicans continue to vilify drag performers with lies and blatant misinformation like this tweet, real issues affecting American women and children go ignored,” she said. “I have never been accused of being a threat until I put on a wig and a little extra makeup.

“We must stop targeting drag performers and start targeting the real issues if we really want to protect women and children. Queer people must stop being used as scapegoats for the issues they allow to persist and even amplify with their rhetoric.”

Greene’s comments come at a time when drag artists are being targeted like never before, with bans on drag have been proposed in Texas, Florida and Montana. So far, the legislation has been blocked by judges.

Last year, Bandit was part of a legal case opposing anti-drag legislation in her home state of Texas.

“When I started drag, I would have never imagined this is where my career would take me, fighting for the right… just to f**king wear some makeup and a wig, fighting especially for the protection of trans people,” they told PinkNews in 2023.

“You see a lot of increased violence against trans people and it’s scary. It’s scary just being visibly queer right now.”