MONTGOMERY, Ala. (EETV) – Alabama State Representatives Mack Butler, Ben Harrison and Mark Gidley have pre-filed House Bill 23 for next school year preventing teachers from discussing gender identity in the classroom, displaying LGBTQ insignia or referring to students with pronouns inconsistent with a student’s biological sex, from pre-K through 12th grade.
This comes as a change to the previous Code of Alabama Section 16-40A-5, which prohibited educators from speaking about gender identity “in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Rep. Butler filed this bill again after HB244 was passed in the House on April 17, 2025–though no action was taken regarding it so the bill failed to be signed into law during the 2025 legislative season.
“This is a very important bill to a lot of parents who feel like there is an intentional indoctrination and sexualization of their children,” said Rep. Butler regarding the new bill.
However, organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama have held otherwise on similar bills.
“We oppose this bill [...] [n]o one is harmed by allowing teachers, administrators and counselors to adopt inclusive policies that acknowledge the gender identity of their students,” wrote the ACLU regarding the “Free To Speak Act” (HB246). They further explain that transgender youth thrive “when they are affirmed in their gender identity,” which includes teachers calling them by their preferred pronouns.
The full text of the bill, as well as all other bills proposed to the Alabama legislature, can be found on the website of Governor Kay Ivey.
