The recent debate regarding a transgender worker at Huntsville's U.S. Space and Rocket Center Space Camp has reinvigorated calls for the Alabama Legislature to address the issue of male and female spaces.
On Monday, Alabama lawmakers and thousands of others responded to reports from Huntsville-based Clay Yarbrough, who learned that Molly Bowman, a biological male who identifies as a female, would be working in the overnight camp he planned to send his daughter.
Yarbrough included several screenshots from Bowman's social media, which was filled with hyper-sexual commentary.
The responses varied, with many showing disgust for the Space Camp and others supporting Bowman, saying he did nothing wrong.
Meanwhile, the Alabama House of Representatives is poised to consider a bill by State Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover) that would codify definitions of man, woman, boy, girl, father, mother, male, female, and sex in Alabama law and allow local public entities to establish separate single-sex spaces or environments in certain circumstances. The bill allows for alternative gender identity while still allowing certain female-only spaces.
The bill passed out of the House Judiciary Committee late last month and could come to the floor as soon as leadership allows.
DuBose told 1819 News that the Space Camp situation highlights the need for her legislation.
"When I saw that, It made me realize immediately that we need to define male, female and sex into Alabama code because, in a situation like this, the Space Camp needs to have consistent information to go by," DuBose said.
She continued, "This bill defines biological sex, and it defines male and female. In the case of Space Camp, they could have said on their application that when we're dealing with female youth dorms, we need to hire individuals that, according to the Alabama code, meet our standards of male or female. If you just say male and female, that doesn't really tell you a whole lot in today's world. But, if you say male and female according to Alabama code, we would have that defined. Parents need to feel confident that their girls and boys will be comfortable and secure with counselors that they can count on and not have to worry."
The bill's defined terms include:
Male: When used in reference to a natural person, an individual who has, had, will have, or would have, but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident, the reproductive system that at some point produces sperm.
Man: An adult human of the male sex.
Boy: A human male who has not yet reached adulthood.
Father: The male parent of a child or children.
Female: When used in reference to a natural person, an individual who has, had, will have, or would have, but for a developmental anomaly, genetic anomaly, or accident, the reproductive system that at some point produces ova.
Woman: An adult human of the female sex.
Girl: A human female who has not yet reached adulthood.
Mother: The female parent of a child or children.
DuBose said the bill was devised in partnership with "the best legal minds" and non-partisan women's groups, such as the Women's Liberation Front and the Independent Women's Forum.
"These were groups that worked together to come up with a definition that could protect women's spaces and women's sports, which we already passed that bill in Alabama," DuBose continued. "So this is totally a bipartisan effort."
"As soon as it passed out of the judiciary committee, I ran into some principals or school superintendents. They ran into me at the elevator and said, 'Thank you for working on this bill; thank you for passing it.' Because they have to attempt to enforce the bathroom law in our K-12 schools, which says that you use the restroom or locker room according to your biological sex. Well, this bill helps them because it defines male and female, and it helps them enforce that law," she concluded.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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