After several hours of resistance by Democrats, Alabama Senators passed legislation setting forth a clear definition of gender into state law using the terms man, woman, boy, girl, father, mother, male, female — and no others.
SB79 would require that public spaces designate multi-occupancy restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters for exclusive use by either females or males and ensure their privacy from the opposite sex.
The bill’s sponsor, State Sen. April Weaver Weaver (R-Briarfield) said the legislation is straightforward, common-sense, and intended to ensure the protection of women’s spaces.
“This is the simplest and easiest-to-understand bill that you will consider this entire session,” Weaver said.
However, Democrats filibustered.
State Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) compared the legislation to Jim Crowe laws and argued the bill would “permit our justice system to discriminate against transgender people simply because they are transgender.”
“If you’ve lived the life that I have, where you face discrimination just simply because, in my case, it’s the color of my skin, then you understand,” Smitherman said. “I’m not saying that you people don’t understand, but you fully understand the statement I just made. Just simply because the people are transgender, then they are discriminated against.”
The bill passed 29-5.
Alabama House lawmakers passed State Rep. Susan DuBose’s (R-Hoover) companion legislation last session and are on track to do the same this year.
Governor Kay Ivey affirmed an idea she declared in her State of the State address earlier this week. “In Alabama, we believe and know there are only two genders,” Ivey said. “Male and Female.”
The ‘What is a Woman’ bill has passed the Senate and is on its way to the House. Thank you to Senator Weaver for her work.
In Alabama, we believe and know there are only two genders: Male and Female. We are simply codifying the facts here! #alpolitics
— Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) February 6, 2025
“I commend Sen. April Weaver for injecting a strong dose of common sense into what has become an increasingly absurd social debate about who is considered a man and who is considered a woman,” Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth said after the bill’s passage.
“Since the moment when Adam met Eve, the indisputable biological truth has remained that men are born men, women are born women, and we do not get to make that choice because the Lord above has already made it for us. If this bill is enacted, state agencies, schools, and other entities across Alabama will have clear statutory definitions they can use on forms and applications that ask individuals to list their sex.
Ainsworth added that while liberal elites look down on Alabama values, “at least we know the fundamental differences between men and women and understand that one can never become the other no matter how hard they try.”
The Alabama Republican Party also shared their enthusiasm for the gains made to their longstanding goal to enshrine a common-sense definition of gender into state law.
“The Alabama GOP is proud to see the What is a Woman Act pass the Alabama Senate, marking an important step in ensuring clarity and truth in our state laws,” ALGOP Chairman John Wahl said. Thank you Sen. April Weaver and Rep. Susan DuBose for your leadership and dedication to this issue. As one of the Party’s top legislative priorities for the 2025 session, we remain committed to supporting common sense legislation that protects Alabama values.”
Today is the third day of the 2025 legislative session.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
