Across the United States, people who identify as transgender are under relentless political attack. Legislatures are passing bills that single out a small and already vulnerable community, using fear and misinformation as justification for laws that strip away basic rights and dignity.
The most recent example comes from Iowa, where the governor signed legislation removing protections that previously prohibited discrimination against transgender people. For years, those protections ensured that transgender residents could not be denied housing, employment or services simply because of who they are. Removing those protections sends a dangerous message: that discrimination against transgender people is acceptable.
Unfortunately, Alabama has been no exception to this national trend.
In Alabama, lawmakers passed a law requiring transgender individuals to use bathrooms that correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate rather than the gender they live as every day. Laws like this are not about safety or public policy. They are about targeting a small group of people for political gain.
The reality is that such laws are nearly impossible to enforce. Are government officials going to inspect birth certificates before someone enters a restroom? Of course not. Instead, these laws create an atmosphere of suspicion and hostility that invites harassment and violence. Transgender people are forced to make impossible choices about their safety every day.
Even more troubling is another bill introduced in Alabama that would require teachers to refer to students only by the pronouns associated with their birth sex, even if the student and their parents request otherwise. This bill would place the government directly between parents and their children, overriding family decisions about what is best for their own child.
Imagine a teacher being forced by law to intentionally disrespect a student in front of their classmates, even when the family supports that student. Policies like this do not help students succeed in school. They isolate them, humiliate them, and increase the risk of bullying and mental health struggles.
We should be asking a different question: Why are lawmakers spending so much time targeting transgender people when our state faces real challenges? Alabama struggles with underfunded schools, rural hospital closures, workforce shortages and economic inequality. Yet instead of addressing these issues, some politicians focus on passing legislation aimed at one of the smallest and most misunderstood communities in our state.
Transgender people are our neighbors, coworkers, classmates and family members. They deserve the same basic rights, safety and dignity as anyone else.
History has repeatedly shown that laws rooted in discrimination eventually end up on the wrong side of justice. We have seen it with segregation, with bans on interracial marriage, and with efforts to deny equality to LGBTQ people more broadly. Each time, fear was used to justify discrimination—and each time, our nation eventually recognized the injustice.
We should not have to repeat these lessons again.
It is time for elected officials to stop using transgender people as political targets and start focusing on policies that improve the lives of all Alabamians. Our state is stronger when every person is treated with dignity and respect.
These attacks must stop.
