Alabama governor vows to sign bill that writes definitions of male and female into state law

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Wednesday gave final approval to legislation that would write definitions of male and female into state law that exclude transgender people from being recognized under their gender identity.

The state House of Representatives voted 77-12 for the bill that defines sex based on reproductive organs that are present at birth. The bill now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey who has vowed to sign it. “I look forward to signing it into law to codify common sense!” Ivey said in a statement posted on the social platform X after the bill’s passage.

The Alabama legislation was approved as more Republican-led states look to enact laws defining men and women. Nine states have similar laws, and several others are pushing to enact more laws this year following President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring there are two sexes and rejecting the idea that people can transition to another gender.

“In Alabama, we have common sense. We know what a woman is. We know that God created us man or woman, that our sex is fixed and determined at birth,” said Republican Rep. Susan Dubose, the bill’s sponsor.

Some Republicans backing the bill said it is needed to protect “women-only” spaces and prevent transgender women from entering those spaces. Trans people said the bills are an attempt to deny their existence or to capitalize on prejudice for political gain.

Zephyr Scalzetti, a transgender man, said the bill could have sweeping consequences for transgender people because it would impact how they are viewed under the law. Scalzetti said the bill is “far more reaching” than just bathrooms.

“The goal is not to protect women. The goal is to eradicate trans people. That has been very blatant and public,” Scalzetti said.

Republicans put the bill on a calendar that limits debate time to 10 minutes. That type of limited debate calendar is typically used for noncontroversial bills.

“Don’t you think the individuals that are affected deserve more than 10 minutes,” said Rep. Barbara Drummond, a Democrat from Mobile, adding that they need deliberate debate on something that affects people’s lives.

House Rules Chairman Joe Lovvorn replied that the bill had been debated in the Alabama Statehouse off and on over the last two years.

A’Niya Robinson, the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama’s Director of Policy and Organizing, called the bill part of an “outsized focus on the lives of trans people.”

“SB79 is not consistent with Alabama values, and will unfortunately lead to unnecessary hurt, pain, and suffering, especially among Alabama’s youth. It is impossible to erase who someone is and it is anything but common sense to pretend that they do not exist,” Robinson said.