Texas Lawmakers Turn Abortion Bounty Hunter Scheme on Drag Queens
Because of how the bill is written, it could also allow Texans to sue trans or nonbinary people for simply existing in public.
Politics

A Texas bill would allow anyone to sue people who perform in drag where minors are present—or sue someone who hosts such a performance—and collect $5,000 in damages plus attorneys fees, whether or not a minor was brought to the performance by their parent or guardian. The vagueness of the proposed law means it could incentivize Texans to sue transgender and nonbinary people for simply existing in public.
If this bounty hunter scheme sounds familiar to you, it’s because Texas used the same concept to effectively end abortion in the state in September 2021, months before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Since there’s no state officials enforcing the law, there’s no one to sue before the law takes effect, making it practically impossible to get it blocked.