Alabama Today
Steve Marshall joins nine attorneys general to call for state adoption of The Women’s Bill of Rights
By Beth Cann
Today, ten attorneys general announced their support for the Women’s Bill of Rights (WBOR). The group also is urging other state attorneys general nationwide to pledge their support.
In March, the Independent Women’s Voice, the Independent Women’s Law Center (IWLC), and Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF) released the WBOR to codify the common definitions of ‘woman,’ ‘girl,’ and ‘mother.’ According to the WBOR, this would “ensure that our country’s laws recognize there are legitimate reasons to distinguish between the sexes with respect to athletics, prisons or other detention facilities, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, locker rooms, restrooms, and other areas where biology, safety, and/or privacy are implicated.”
Congress has since introduced H. Res. 1136, sponsored by Rep. Debbie Lesko of Arizona and co-sponsored by 28 House members, and S. Res. 644, sponsored by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) and co-sponsored by Sens. Cynthia Lummis (WY) and Ted Cruz (TX).
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, the first attorney general to support WBOR, said, “Feminism, once understood as the way to promote equality for women, is today disintegrating in an identity crisis of its own making. But it is not only legitimate for women to have a space of their own in which to grow and thrive; it is good for society to carve out that safe space for women to engage with one another in athletics, education, fellowship, and sometimes even in healing.”
In April, Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation restricting transgender students from participating in K-12 sports. The bill says a public K-12 school “may never allow a biological male to participate on a female team.” Additionally, a federal appeals court will hear arguments in November over Alabama’s efforts to outlaw the use of gender-affirming medications to treat transgender minors.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry added, “My mother coached women’s basketball in the ‘70s, and she had to fight for everything for those girls — including simple court time. It’s despicable that radical leftists are jeopardizing the equality that my mom and many other women across the country worked so hard to achieve. Changing the biological definition of a person does not create equity; rather, it creates confusion and harm for all.”
“As the first female elected Attorney General of Arkansas, I will do everything in my power to ensure that my daughter and girls across the nation have equal access to athletic, employment, and educational opportunities without being forced to unfairly compete against biological males,” said Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “I helped Arkansas lead this effort with the GIRLS Act, and I am proud to join my colleagues in signing the Women’s Bill of Rights.”
The following attorneys general pledged their support of the WBOR: Lynn Fitch of Mississippi, Ken Paxton of Texas, Steve Marshall of Alabama, Leslie Rutledge of Arkansas, Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Doug Peterson of Nebraska, Sean Reyes of Utah, Austen Knudsen of Montana, Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia, and Alan Wilson of South Carolina.