- Coming up on "Austin InSight," the debate over redrawing congressional district maps in Texas and local drag performer Brigitte Bandit discusses the new bathroom bill.

"Austin InSight" starts right now.

- [Announcer] Support for "Austin InSight" comes from Sally & James Gavin, and also from Suerte, Este, and Bar Toti restaurants, bringing Austin together around culinary excellence to celebrate creativity, conservation, and culture in central Texas.

(uplifting music) (uplifting music continues) - Hello and thanks for joining us.

I'm Laura Laughead.

State lawmakers continue to point their attention to the 127,000 people in Texas who are transgender.

In the current special session of the legislature, lawmakers are moving forward with the law that bans transgender people from using the bathrooms in government facilities that align with their gender identity.

Activists say it's one of more than 200 bills filed this year that target the LGBTQ+ community.

This week in a nine to three vote, the House State Affairs Committee passed Senate Bill 8, also known as the bathroom bill.

The bill says governmental entities, "shall take every reasonable step to ensure that public bathrooms are designated for and used only by individuals of the same biological sex."

The bill also restricts what family violence shelters and jails or prisons that transgender people could be placed into.

The bill authors argue this policy is needed to protect the privacy and safety of women, while critics say the bill is discriminatory and threatens the safety of the transgender community and others.

- I'm just asking if you're aware that because of legislation like this, that non-transgender women, in addition to transgender women, have been put at higher risk put under scrutiny, and it's actually inviting more abuse from the people with whom we are the least safe, which is cis men, non-transgender men.

Are you aware of all of these incidents as you were writing this policy?

- I think what this bill does is it protects.

- I asked if you're aware.

- I'm aware of some of those, yes.

But if we don't do this, you know what's gonna happen?

Women are gonna continue to be accused of being the oppressor for saying, "I just want a safe space.

I just wanna make sure that when I go to the restroom or I'm in the locker room, or I'm the shower," or in their prison unit, or in even a family violence shelter, that they're not being threatened, that they're not fearful of a man entering that space with no consequences.

- [Laura] A house committee heard testimony last week.

- This is a common sense policy.

When I use a gym locker room, changing facility or restroom, I wanna be confident that the space is for women only.

And by ensuring these places stay sex separated, you will be safeguarding the women and girls of Texas from both physical and emotional harm.

- We are not monsters, we're spouses, we are neighbors, we're fellow citizens.

We are normal, and dare I say, boring human beings.

It doesn't take much to understand this.

Please don't turn what ought to be a terribly mundane task into a source of pain and anxiety.

- Well-known Austin drag queen and activist Brigitte Bandit testified against this bill in a Senate hearing.

- I'm a lifelong born and raised proud Texan.

Would you look at me with my full face of makeup, long hair, dress, and heels, and consider which bathroom you would expect me to use?

If for whatever reason you guessed the men's, you'd be wrong.

Under this bill, you'd expect me to be in the women's restroom by your own definition of women.

And if you thought otherwise, well, you can't clearly tell a person's gender just by looking at them.

Can you?

I in fact, am a born female drag queen that has used the women's restroom all of my life.

This bill targets people that don't appeal to your expectations of how you think women and men should look.

Just this week, a female teenager has come forward with a story of having to show her breasts to a server at a restaurant who claimed she was in the wrong restroom simply based on how she looked.

Is this really what you think keeps women and girls safe?

- Bandit joins us now to speak more about this bill and her work and the political landscape.

Brigitte, thank you so much for being with us.

- Yes, thanks for having me.

- So, Brigitte, first let's talk about this particular bathroom bill.

What's been the reaction so far to the house passing the bathroom bill this week?

- It's really disappointing that this is what they're spending their time on, especially during this special session, given the devastating floods and things that would actually benefit Texans, that they're focusing more on attacking our community for political points is just disgusting and disappointing.

- We've seen various bathroom bill proposals over the years.

This one is focused on government facilities, not all public facilities.

Why do you think that is?

And is there anything that stands out to you or concerns you, especially about this version?

- They're focusing on government buildings because if they were to do public buildings, then they could be challenged in the courts and that's more likely to be thrown out.

So they're focusing on government buildings.

- And overall, why do you think there were so many bills directed at the trans community this session?

What's the goal of this?

- It's to distract from real issues that are affecting Americans and that they are failing us in so many other ways.

So they're targeting a small community that a lot of people aren't familiar with, you know?

Trans people make up 1% of the population.

And even though these people probably exist among trans people, they may not know that that is a trans person that they have interacted with, right?

So it's easy for them to spread misinformation and distract from real issues by targeting a marginalized community.

It used to be the gay community, right?

And then we saw more acceptance for gay people.

We saw the passing of the gay marriage and stuff like that.

But now they're targeting trans people specifically because they are such a small community of people.

- And to note that Transgender Education Network of Texas said more than 200 bills filed this session targeted the LGBTQ+ community with the vast majority of them being targeted towards the trans community.

It seems that Texas has become a sort of testing ground for policies restricting the trans community.

What's your sense of the direction we're heading in?

- Yeah, Texas definitely is the testing ground for this legislation that we're now seeing on a federal level, especially with the Trump administration.

And it's really scary.

It's really scary for a lot of us just trying to exist and have the same rights as everybody else.

And it's really alarming.

We need to be aware of what's happening and understand that these attacks are eventually gonna affect more than just the trans community.

- You've been vocal in testifying against this bill, SB 8, and previous similar bills and bills targeting the drag performer community for years.

You even went viral in 2023 for your testimony at the Texas Capitol.

What inspired you to start doing this?

- My care for the community.

And once I saw these attacks happening and I understood the way that they misunderstand drag and our community, I felt the need to step up and speak out in defense of my people.

I love my other drag performers.

I love my trans friends.

I love my queer friends.

There's so much power in the queer community and queer culture, and it deserves to be protected.

- What do you think is the greatest misunderstanding that people have about the kind of work you do and also Austin's drag community?

- I think that if somebody were to go to a drag show, they'd have a lot of fun without all those ideas already fed to them, right?

If they knew nothing about drag, a normal person who may not be aware of what drag is, per se, has a lot of fun, okay?

I performed all around Austin, especially during the COVID lockdowns in front of people's front lawns as like a social distanced performance.

And the whole street would come out and celebrate and see the performance for what it was.

But now that they're using this kind of rhetoric and this legislation to villainize our community, it's really scary, right?

So I really hope that people can recognize drag for what it is, and don't let anybody scare you from who we are.

Come to a drag story time before you judge what it is.

That's what I like to say.

I'm like, come on, see it for yourself.

And the drag community in Austin especially, we are right here at the Capitol area where we can go and make our voices heard.

And it really does bring us together and understand.

We understand the power of community and to show up and fight back.

- What gives you, if anything, hope for the future?

- What gives me hope is the community that I have.

It's my friends.

It's the people who come to the shows.

It's still being able to find joy in some of the most hopeless times through drag and through queerness and queer art and expression.

It's so powerful and that's really what gives me hope and continues to make me want to fight (laughs).

- And lastly, what's your advice to transgender Texans and others who may be feeling really concerned right now?

- I would say that your feelings are valid.

It is a scary time to be here in Texas as openly, visibly queer people, even closeted queer people.

It's scary.

But just know that there's people who are out here fighting for you and who love you, and that there is a future.

We will win eventually, right?

But it's gonna take some time to get there.

- Well, Brigitte Bandit, thank you so much for being with us, answering our questions and sharing your insights with us.

- Yes, thank you so much for having me.

- 18 ayes, 11 nays, House Bill 4 is finally passed.

(gavel thuds) - After long debate and a drama-filled journey, including a walkout by Democrats, the Texas legislature has approved congressional redistricting.

They voted early Saturday morning for new maps that add five strongly Republican leaning districts.

It's legal, but still unusual to redraw maps in the middle of the decade versus following the new census every 10 years.

For insight on redistricting, we are joined by Dr. Sean Theriault, University distinguished teaching professor at the University of Texas.

He teaches classes on party polarization and congressional elections.

Thank you so much for being with us.

- My pleasure.

- So first let's talk about population shifts.

Population shifts, they're always underway.

So why is redistricting typically done every 10 years?

- Yeah, that's right.

So we have to go back to the Constitution.

So the Constitution says every 10 years there has to be a census.

And so when there's a census, then states will go through what's called reapportionment.

So that means that Texas, because it's gaining population at a higher rate than the rest of the states gains seats in the House of Representatives, and then other states like New York or Pennsylvania or Michigan or Illinois, lose seats.

And so once those seats are given to the states, then the states are responsible for redistricting the lines so that all the districts within that state have the same number of people living in them.

- Hmm, and the crux of the debate in the legislature centered around two positions this time, Republicans say the new districts promote partisan political goals.

While Democrats say the plan constitutes illegal racial discrimination.

Are these two positions mutually exclusive?

Could it be both?

- Yeah, it could be both.

And what's really interesting here is, right, the reason the Republicans give that line is because Democrats aren't a protected class, which means they don't get extra guarantees in the Constitution or in the laws of the United States.

Right, it's a political party.

And the reason the Democrats are using the argument that they're using is because Hispanics and African Americans are a protected class, which means there has to be a higher level of scrutiny for government activity with regard to them.

And so if it's a race argument, then the courts can say, you're violating the laws and these maps need to be struck down.

But if you're merely making a map that's bad for Democrats, like that's fine according to the courts, right?

They're not gonna get into that, those kinds of debates.

- Hmm, and drawing district lines, it's an arcane process, but it matters greatly when it comes to actual political power.

And it looks like Texas has touched off a national redistricting battle as we see action and threats from places like California, New York, Missouri, and other states.

And a lot of antics now on social media.

How do you think this plays out?

- Yeah, so this plays out, right?

Like I think it's another one of these things that we used to not do, right?

We used to not go through mid decade redistricting.

And then a couple of decades ago when there would be a partisan switch in the state, then there might be re-redistricting, right?

We experienced that in Texas in the early 2000s.

But what we're seeing now, it's unique this time because it was the Republicans that drew these lines two years ago and put this map into place.

And so it's their plan.

But then, right, we have a midterm election that's coming up and the Republicans would like to bank a couple more seats outta Texas.

And so they're gonna change the maps that they drew just a couple of years ago.

And so that's new.

And so, right?

So then California says, "Well, if you're gonna do that, Texas, then we're gonna do this."

And then Missouri says, "Well, California, if you're gonna do that, then we're gonna do that."

And then you have this cascading effect.

And it just means another one of those norms that we used to abide by in American politics is now left on the wayside because parties wanna achieve some type of advantage for their party.

- It's certainly been an interesting political cycle this time.

Even other countries I've seen on social media are commenting, what is going on in the United States?

States are at war.

Do you see any risk for Texas Republicans in this, any chance they have sliced their majority too thinly in some districts?

- Maybe, right?

So the Republicans largely drew their plan based on the voters in the 2024 election.

Of course, we know in Texas it was really good for Donald Trump and the Republicans.

And so, right?

They gave themself a little bit of a cushion, right?

A lot of these new districts are plus-8 Republican, plus-10 Republican, and you'd think that that would be enough.

But midterm elections are notoriously bad for the President's party.

And so on average, they'll lose about 24 seats in a midterm election.

And so if Donald Trump's approval rating, which is now in the low forties right now, if that slips down the high thirties, then you might start seeing some of those plus-six, plus-eight districts being in play.

And then of course, it comes down to who the parties nominate to be their candidate in those elections.

And so if the Democrats put forward a really good candidate, the Republicans don't put forward such good candidate, and it's a plus-eight Republican district, and Donald Trump's approval is going down, then those districts are gonna be in play.

- Well, I know this can be kind of confusing at times, so thank you so much for breaking this down.

This is gonna be something I think the whole nation will be watching the fallout of.

Dr. Sean Theriault, thank you so much for sharing your insights with us.

- Oh my pleasure.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - The new congressional maps collapse one of two seats in Congress representing the Austin area.

District 35 currently held by Greg Casar virtually disappears from its current configuration to become a district with a new Republican majority voting population.

This while district 37 held by long serving Democrat Lloyd Doggett expands further into Austin, adding to the district's democratic leaning voting population.

Joining us now is Congressman Greg Casar.

Thank you so much for being here.

What a rollercoaster it's been the past few weeks.

- Yeah, we are trying to get used to the crazy.

- I can't even imagine.

And do you think these new district lines will withstand legal scrutiny?

- Look, I believe that this kind of radical redistricting is totally illegal.

And in fact, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was signed into law by LBJ, and then he handed the pen to Martin Luther King, that law was signed to block maps like this one.

And so I think these maps are illegal, but I'm also clear-eyed about the fact that the Supreme Court has been stacked with far right-wing justices who too often determine outcomes that are good for Trump, not outcomes that are good for rule of law.

- And Congressman Doggett has announced that he will not run should these new maps take effect ceding the one Austin area seat in Congress to you or other potential opponents.

What's your reaction to that?

And do you expect to run unopposed in this race?

- I'm grateful to Congressman Doggett.

I'm grateful to all the time I've had to serve with him.

And I learned from him all of the time.

I've chosen to run here in Austin because it's my home city, the only place I've lived my entire adult life.

I love this city and it's been the honor of a lifetime to serve it on the city council and now in Congress.

So I'll be running for reelection here if this map holds, even though I've said of course, that I don't think the map should.

But if it does, then clear-eyed, I'll run here and then it's up to anybody in the community.

Anybody can run for election here.

And so it's my job to go and earn people's votes.

- Texas has touched off a redistricting nationwide and other states are joining in.

Why are the midterm elections next year so important in that?

- Look, Donald Trump is the most corrupt president in American history in my view.

He is selling seats at the White House to come and talk to him for a million dollars, not a million dollars to his campaign, a million dollars to him and his family personally through their cryptocurrency schemes.

He's accepted a $400 million jet from a foreign government.

He doesn't wanna get held accountable for that.

And so instead of getting held accountable in the upcoming elections, he's trying to rig those elections by changing the rules before the election is ever held.

And so that's why I think it's so important for people to go out and vote in unprecedented numbers so that no matter how they try to gerrymander us, they don't silence the voices of the American voter.

- And that being said, Austin and the new district you are running in remain a blue oasis in a very red, conservative dominated state.

What keeps you hopeful, if anything, about the future for Democrats in Texas?

- I have been all over the country, and especially I've been touring Republican controlled districts and I've been going and visiting those places with people like AOC and Senator Bernie Sanders and seeing enormous turnout.

Just the other day, I went to Tucson, Arizona, very far away from where you and I are standing, very far from my home district, to a rally that was supposed to be inside a high school gym with a capacity of 2,000 people.

We thought we would be really excited if 2,000 people showed up.

25,000 people showed up.

We had to take over the entire football field.

It was the biggest rally in Arizona history, and that's in a Republican controlled area.

I went and did the same thing in Amarillo, Texas, where we jam packed an enormous auditorium, myself and Senator Sanders.

And so I think there's real energy out there both in blue areas like Austin or in traditionally red areas because I think right now the billionaires are screwing everybody else over.

And it's time for us to say, if it's the billionaires against everyone else, it's up to Democrats to go talk to everyone else.

Everybody that's not a billionaire.

- Congressman Casar, thank you so much for being with us and answering our questions.

- Thank you very much.

It's great to be here.

(upbeat music) - More women are entering skilled trades, but the numbers are low.

Just 4% of women in trade jobs actually work with tools.

In the Rundberg community, a unique and safe space is helping women get the hands-on experience they need.

More now from our Decibel team as they continue reporting on Rundberg.

(tool grinding) - When you walk into ASMBLY, you might hear grinding sounds from the metal shop.

(tool purring) The lathe that's got a pretty crazy, very loud sound as well.

And then, you know, in the 3D printing, you hear like the gantry moving around really rapidly.

(tool whishing) Sometimes you want headphones (laughs).

(intriguing music) This is also a great time if people wanna just come up and look at stuff.

My name's Valerie Wilmot.

I'm the executive director, volunteer executive director here at ASMBLY Makerspace.

(tool whirling) If no one has heard of the concept of a makerspace, the easiest way for us to kind of like get it to click for people is a gym membership for tools.

(makers chatting) People can come in and use and experiment and play on.

(intriguing music) - [Member] Oh, whoa, you're getting towards the end of the rainbow.

- We try to have as many free events as possible, but we're also intentional about the programming that we do and the people that we partner with to bring in opportunities and workshops that are specifically geared towards some of those groups that are oftentimes not in those spaces.

(makers chatting) (intriguing music) (tools whirling) Originally, this actually started out as ATX Hackerspace.

The culture was a little different.

It was described, I think accurately as like an eighties computer club vibe.

It was dark, it wasn't very clean.

It wasn't exactly the most welcoming place.

One of my early experiences was having someone walk up to me, not asking anything about my project or what I was doing, but just telling me that I was sanding wrong (laughs).

(makers chatting) (intriguing music) I grew up around tools, and it gave me this level of confidence and empowerment that translated into other areas of my life.

Part of what drives me to do the work that I do here, I wanna be a part of making that more accessible for people.

(makers chatting) (intriguing music) As we transitioned to being ASMBLY Makerspace and changing the way the physical space felt, we also with that, tried to shift the culture to being more inquisitive and welcoming, where they can kind of innovate for themselves.

(intriguing music) - I have my test right here.

This would be yellow.

So this would mean this is a vowel and this is the letter or the word family.

My name is Rebekah.

I am a teacher of the deaf.

Right now, I'm printing some vowels.

Everything is color coordinated 'cause it's deaf ed, so it's visual.

So we're trying to figure out how to take what the hearing kids are doing and make it accessible to deaf kids.

There's a lack of resources, so we make a lot of stuff.

I couldn't afford the equipment that we have here at home and I wouldn't be able to make stuff like this if I didn't have this kind of resource.

- Colors, that's fine.

(tool whizzing) - When I first joined, it was like, I hardly ever saw another woman in the shop.

And there are still days like that here, but it's gotten a lot better.

(intriguing music) Part of getting there has been making sure that it feels like a safe space for everybody.

That's one of the things that's the biggest value of this space is just the people in it and the different perspectives.

The way that a woodworker looks at a problem versus how a ceramics person looks at a problem is just like totally different.

- It's good.

- I got it, I got it.

(group laughing) - Thank you.

I'm really happy.

I really like it, thanks.

- So when people come through these doors, everything else outside of that kind of stays, and we say like, "We're just here to make cool stuff."

(uplifting music) - Before we go, some good news for live music and the downtown scene in Austin.

Beloved LGBTQ+ bar, Cheer Up Charlies, a fixture in the Red River scene, has avoided closure thanks to a successful and quick fundraising campaign.

The club announced last week that it was $58,000 behind in rent payments, but donations poured in enabling them to stay open.

The club has had perilous moments before and survived then and now with community support, and we are so glad to see it.

That's our show.

Thanks so much for watching, and remember, you can always watch "Austin InSight" anytime in the PBS app.

We'll see you next time.

(uplifting music) (uplifting music continues) (uplifting music continues) - [Announcer] Support for "Austin InSight" comes from Sally & James Gavin, and also from Suerte, Este, and Bar Toti restaurants, bringing Austin together around culinary excellence to celebrate creativity, conservation, and culture in central Texas.

(bright music)