LGBTQ rights in Alabama

LGBTQ rights in Alabama
LGBTQ rights in Alabama
	Alabama (US)
Legal status	Legal since 2003; codified in 2019
Gender identity	Sex change recognized
Military	Sexual orientation allowed since 2011; (Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010), while gender identity status is ambiguous since 2019; (Directive-type Memorandum-19-004);
Discrimination protections	Sexual orientation covered in employment anti-discrimination laws statewide since 2020; (Bostock v. Clayton County, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Altitude Express, Inc. v. Zarda) and gender identity covered in employment anti-discrimination laws statewide since 2011; (Glenn v. Brumby);
Family rights
Recognition of relationships	Same-sex marriage since 2015; (Searcy v. Strange, Strawser v. Strange );
Adoption	Legal since 2016; (V.L. v. E.L.);

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals in the U.S. state of Alabama have federal protections, but still face legal challenges and discrimination on the state level that are not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. LGBTQ rights in Alabama—a Republican Party stronghold located in both the Deep South and greater Bible Belt—are severely limited in comparison to other states. As one of the most socially conservative states in the U.S., Alabama is one of the only two states along with neighboring Mississippi where recent opinion polls show that opposition to same-sex marriage outnumbers support. Same-sex sexual activity in Alabama was legalized in accordance with the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas decision. The state's sodomy ban was subsequently repealed in 2019; making it the first and only state on the gulf coast to codify same-sex sexual activity into state law.