Alabama’s transgender laws combine strict documentation rules, a felony ban on gender-affirming care for minors, school participation and facility restrictions, and no state-level discrimination protections. Federal law still reaches some situations, particularly workplace discrimination, but recent federal policy changes have narrowed protections that transgender Alabamians once relied on.
Changing Your Name
A legal name change in Alabama begins with a petition in the probate court of the county where you live. The court may hold a hearing before issuing a final order. Fees vary by county. Jefferson County charges $125 for an adult name change.1Probate Court of Jefferson County, Alabama. Court Costs Call your local probate court for the exact cost before filing.
Once you have the signed order, you can use it to update your driver’s license, Social Security card, and other records. The Social Security Administration still processes name changes through Form SS-5.
Changing Gender Markers on State Documents
Birth Certificates
To amend the sex on an Alabama birth certificate, you need a certified copy of a court order stating that your sex has been changed by surgical procedure.2Alabama Department of Public Health. Alabama Vital Statistics Laws The order should include your name change if you have one. The amendment fee is $20, which covers one certified copy. Additional copies are $6 each, and expedited service adds $15.3Alabama Department of Public Health. Birth Certificate Corrections/Changes
The requirement is strict. Some states accept a physician’s letter or a self-attestation; Alabama does not. If you were born in a different state, that state’s rules govern its birth certificates.
Driver’s Licenses
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) will change the gender marker on a driver’s license only if you provide one of two documents under Policy Order 63: an amended birth certificate, or a letter on the surgeon’s letterhead from the surgeon who performed sex reassignment surgery.4U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Corbitt v. Taylor Without one of these, ALEA will not update the marker.
Transgender plaintiffs challenged the policy in Corbitt v. Taylor. On September 20, 2024, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the policy constitutional, so it remains in force.4U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Corbitt v. Taylor
Changing Gender Markers on Federal Documents
Social Security
As of early 2025, the Social Security Administration is no longer processing gender marker updates. Following a January 20, 2025 executive order, SSA will not change the sex designation in its records, even with a court order or medical documentation.5The White House. Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government Legal name changes still go through Form SS-5, but the sex field must match what SSA already has on file.
Passports
In January 2025 the State Department returned to pre-1992 practice: new passports reflect sex assigned at birth, and the “X” gender marker option is gone. A Massachusetts federal district court blocked the policy in June 2025, but the Supreme Court stayed that injunction on November 6, 2025, so the policy stays in effect while appeals continue.6Supreme Court of the United States. Trump v. Orr Passports already issued with a gender identity marker remain valid until they expire.
Gender-Affirming Healthcare
The Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act makes it a felony for a medical provider to prescribe puberty blockers or hormone therapy, or to perform surgical procedures, for the purpose of gender transition on anyone under 19, Alabama’s age of majority.7Office of the Attorney General, State of Alabama. Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Victory in Defense of Alabamas Law Prohibiting Sex Change Procedures for Minors A conviction carries up to 10 years in prison. The law does not restrict mental health counseling, and it does not prevent families from traveling out of state for care.
The Eleventh Circuit upheld the ban in Eknes-Tucker v. Governor of Alabama in 2023.8U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Corbitt v. Taylor – Section: Eknes-Tucker Reference Adults face no state-level restrictions on gender-affirming medical care in Alabama.
School Rules
Sports
Transgender girls and women are barred from competing on female sports teams at public K-12 schools and at public colleges and universities. The ban runs across every grade and collegiate level, with no exception for students who have transitioned medically or legally.
Restrooms and Locker Rooms
Senate Bill 129, effective October 1, 2024, requires every multiple-occupancy restroom at public colleges and universities to be designated by biological sex.9Alabama Legislature. SB129 Enrolled Public K-12 students must use multi-occupancy restrooms and locker rooms matching the sex on their original birth certificate. Single-occupancy restrooms are not covered by these rules.
Classroom Instruction
In kindergarten through fifth grade, teachers cannot provide classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in a manner the state deems not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate.10Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code Title 16-40A-5 – Classroom Instruction Regarding Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity to Be Provided in a Manner That Is Age Appropriate or Developmentally Appropriate The State Board of Education sets those standards. This restriction currently applies to grades K through 5, not to all grades. A separate bill, HB 23, would extend the restrictions to every grade and add pronoun and classroom-symbol rules, but it has not been enacted.
Workplace Discrimination
Alabama has no state law prohibiting employment discrimination based on gender identity or expression. Federal law is the main protection. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits sex discrimination by employers with 15 or more employees.11U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 In Bostock v. Clayton County (2020), the Supreme Court held that firing someone for being transgender is sex discrimination under Title VII, because the decision necessarily involves the employee’s sex.12Supreme Court of the United States. Bostock v. Clayton County The EEOC has confirmed its Title VII enforcement covers transgender status.13U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Sex Discrimination
If you experience workplace discrimination in Alabama, you generally have 180 calendar days from the discriminatory act to file a charge with the EEOC. The 300-day extension applies only in states with their own qualifying anti-discrimination agency, and Alabama does not have one. Weekends and holidays count, and each discriminatory event carries its own deadline. Equal Pay Act wage claims run on a longer clock: two years, or three if the discrimination was willful, and you can go directly to court without filing an EEOC charge.14U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Time Limits For Filing A Charge
Housing Discrimination
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits sex discrimination in housing. Before 2025, the Department of Housing and Urban Development read that to include gender identity through its 2016 Equal Access Rule, which required HUD-funded shelters and housing programs to serve people based on their gender identity. That posture changed in 2025 when HUD Secretary Scott Turner ordered the agency to halt all enforcement actions tied to the Equal Access Rule and directed HUD-funded programs to provide services based on biological sex.15U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Secretary Scott Turner Halts Enforcement Actions of HUDs Gender Identity Rule
The Bostock ruling technically covers Title VII employment claims, and courts have not uniformly extended its reasoning to the Fair Housing Act. With HUD no longer enforcing gender identity protections, transgender Alabamians facing housing discrimination have fewer federal options. A handful of Alabama municipalities have local ordinances addressing gender identity, but there is no statewide coverage.