Alabama lawmakers advance bill to define sex based on reproductive systems, not identity

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Thursday advanced legislation that would define who is considered a man or a woman under state law, saying it must be based on reproductive systems and not gender identity.

Republicans in more than a dozen states have proposed bills this year that would codify definitions of sex. Supporters said it is needed to provide clarity, but opponents said it targets the rights of transgender, nonbinary and intersex people.

The Alabama House of Representatives voted 77-24 for the legislation that declares “there are only two sexes” and writes definitions for male, female, boy, girl, mother and father into state law. The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate.

“In Alabama, we know what a woman is,” Republican state Rep. Susan Dubose, the bill sponsor, said in a statement. “This law will provide clarity for our courts and is an important step in increasing transparency in our state while protecting women’s rights, women’s spaces and preventing sex discrimination,” she said.

Opponents said the legislation is part of ongoing attacks on the rights of transgender people to simply go about their daily lives.

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