University of Alabama System Erased Explicit LGBTQ+ Protections at 3 Schools
All three University of Alabama System schools have removed LGBTQ+ inclusive language from their non-discrimination policies. The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa), the University of Alabama Birmingham, and the University of Alabama Huntsville each revised their equal opportunity policies to delete references to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. UA’s own policy website shows the change was made in late November 2025, first reported by the student newspaper The Crimson White.
UAB went further than the others. An archived version of UAB’s equal opportunity policy site from last April shows that a policy overview box was removed entirely, along with language covering race, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression. The current site retains categories related to race and other protected classes but strips out all LGBTQ+-specific language.
University administrators say the change does not reduce protections. Alex House, associate director of communications for UA, stated in an email that discrimination based on “sex” legally encompasses sexual orientation and gender status under applicable law. UAB’s director of public relations, Alicia Rohan, said “the reference to ‘all faculty and staff’ sufficiently covers equal opportunity.”
That explanation does not satisfy LGBTQ+ advocates. Patricia Todd, a former state representative who chairs Alabama Equality, said the removal of explicit language sends a message regardless of legal technicalities.
“The LGBTQ community of Alabama just wants to live their life and not be subject to hate speech or marginalization by universities and the government. It’s very disappointing to see the University of Alabama System do that.”
Patricia Todd, Chair, Alabama Equality, August 4, 2026
Removing explicit language matters in practice. When a policy does not name a group, staff and students who face discrimination may not know they can file complaints. It also signals to outside bad actors that the university is not actively monitoring for LGBTQ+-specific bias. Legal coverage under “sex” depends on how courts interpret that term, and federal courts have shifted on that interpretation in recent years.
This move fits a broader pattern of institutional rollback in conservative states. Since 2025, multiple red-state public universities have quietly revised or removed DEI-related and LGBTQ+-inclusive language from official policies, often citing state legislation or federal executive pressure rather than court orders.
What You Can Do Now
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Contact the UA System Board of Trustees directly. The Board oversees all three campuses. Call the system office at (205) 348-5867 and ask trustees to restore explicit language for sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to non-discrimination policies at UA, UAB, and UAH.
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File a public comment or complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. If you are a student or employee who experienced discrimination at a UA System school, you can file a complaint at studentaid.gov/feedback-center. Title IX protections based on gender identity remain contested, but filing creates a paper record.
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Contact Alabama’s legislative LGBTQ+ caucus allies. Reach state legislators who have opposed anti-LGBTQ+ measures via the Alabama Legislature’s contact directory at alison.legislature.state.al.us. Ask them to introduce legislation requiring public universities to maintain explicit LGBTQ+ non-discrimination language.
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Support The Crimson White, the UA student newspaper that broke this story. Independent student journalism surfaces institutional rollback before it becomes policy. Subscribe or donate at thecrimsonwhite.com to keep that coverage funded.
Sources
Alabama Reflector: University of Alabama System Schools Remove LGBTQ+ Language From Non-Discrimination Policies The Crimson White: UA Non-Discrimination Policy Revision First Reported by Student Paper University of Alabama: Equal Opportunity Policy Website ACLU: LGBTQ+ Rights and the Definition of Sex Discrimination Under Federal Law KFF: State Policies on LGBTQ+ Protections in Higher Education