MONTGOMERY — Governor Kay Ivey signed the so-called What is a Woman Act into law on Tuesday, codifying definitions of male, female, man, woman and other sex-based terms into Alabama law.
For three years, lawmakers have tried to pass legislation giving succinct definitions of male and female. This year, their efforts flew through the legislative process, reaching Ivey's desk in the second week of the legislative session.
State Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover) was the first to file the bill in 2023, and State Sen. April Weaver (R-Brierfield) quickly signed on to take it to the Senate.
The legislation allows people and institutions to create sex-specific spaces based on the definitions in the bill, which mandates definitions of man and woman to correlate with biological sex. This allows the policy to exist for single-sex spaces while avoiding the muddy legal and cultural waters of gender identity and expression.
Despite Democratic protest claiming otherwise, the bill's sponsors repeatedly pointed out that the legislation protects those with genetic aberrations that affect physiological sex characteristics.
Ultimately, both houses approved the Senate version of the bill, with Weaver and DuBose working as a tag team to get the job done.
The first bill in 2023 was called the "What Is a Woman Act," based on a popular Matt Walsh documentary. The current version does not explicitly call the bill the "What is a Woman Act," but DuBose's initial label has endured.
Democratic lawmakers bemoaned the bill, lamenting the perceived negative effect it would have on transgender individuals. The drama was exceptionally high in the House, with Democratic lawmakers enraged at House leadership's decision to pass the bill during a 10-minute calendar, meaning debate was limited to just 10 minutes.
The bill hit Ivey's desk and received her signature one day after passing the House.
"If the Good Lord made you a boy, you're a boy. And if He made you a girl, you're a girl," Ivey said after signing the bill. "In Alabama, we believe there are two genders: Male and female. There is nothing complicated or controversial about it. Today, I was proud to officially answer the question "What is a Woman?" with my signature on Senate Bill 79. It did not take a biologist to figure it out. Thank you, Senator April Weaver and Representative Susan Dubose for your work on this."
The law will officially go into effect on Oct. 1, 2025. Democrats suggested the bill's constitutionality would be challenged in the courts. However, no advocacy group has announced plans to pursue a legal challenge.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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