Alabama's two Republican U.S. senators, Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, relaunched attacks on transgender Americans this week as elections approach. Their comments come amid a challenging national environment for the GOP.
In a Tuesday speech, U.S. Sen. Tuberville called for the arrests of doctors providing gender-affirming care and to "bring back mental institutions" for transgender individuals, whom he described as "gender confused." Tuberville stated it is "not kind to affirm the delusions of someone who is clearly struggling with mental illness," and added, "We must put a stop to gender confusion before more innocent people lose their lives."
Mallory Jaspers, a spokesperson for the Tuberville campaign, said Thursday that the senator's speech was "inspired by the multiple shootings committed over the past few years by people associated with the transgender community." However, Mark Bryant, the executive director of the Gun Violence Archive, told factcheck.org in September 2025 that out of 5,748 mass shootings recorded between January 2013 and September 2025, fewer than 0.1%, or five shooters, had been confirmed to be transgender.
Tuberville also alleged that Thomas Crooks, who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump in 2024, was "in online transgender furry culture." Wonkette noted earlier this week that The New York Post reported last year Crooks had "two possible accounts" on DeviantArt, described as "notorious for its community of furries," but the article did not confirm if Crooks identified with or participated in the community. A widely shared photo following the assassination attempt falsely identified Crooks as transgender.
The senator doubled down on criticizing "furry culture" in a social media post Thursday morning, claiming an "ALARMING number of these DERANGED people working in our airline industry." The post included a report from last April about pilots making animal noises on an emergency frequency, which Flying Magazine attributed to pranks or boredom and not "furry culture." The incident led to a Federal Aviation Administration investigation.
Tuberville further mentioned the suicide rate among the transgender community, linking it to "mental illnesses." In 2023, the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that 81% of transgender adults have considered suicide, 42% have attempted suicide, and 56% have engaged in non-suicidal self-harm. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the national suicide rate in 2024 was 13.7 per 100,000 people. The Centre for Suicide Prevention states that higher rates of suicide among transgender people can be attributed to factors including discrimination, stigma, lack of access to gender-affirming care, stress related to transitioning, and homelessness.
Separately, U.S. Sen. Katie Britt participated in a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday discussing transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. Britt criticized Democratic members of the committee for not speaking up in defense of female athletes or seeking solutions for fairness and safety. A message seeking comment was left with Britt's office Thursday.
Locally, the Alabama State High School Athletic Association has reported no transgender athletes playing state sports. NCAA president Charlie Baker said in 2024 he knew of "fewer than 10" transgender athletes out of 500,000 playing college sports. The NCAA last year reported over 550,000 student athletes competing in NCAA championship sports during the 2024-25 school year.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) stated during the hearing that Republicans were using the conversation as a distraction. The Alabama Trans Rights Action Coalition (ALTRAC) agreed with Durbin in a statement Thursday, noting the small number of transgender athletes in NCAA schools. ALTRAC's statement also said Tuberville's personal opinions "contradict widely accepted medical best practice" and that "Transgender people exist in Alabama."
ALTRAC cited a study by UCLA's Williams Institute indicating that only 0.5% of adults and 1.4% of youth ages 13-17 identify as transgender, with even fewer being trans women and competitive athletes. The coalition urged both senators to focus on issues impacting Alabamians, such as "rising grocery and gas costs," instead of what it called "culture war" issues.
Alabama has existing laws on gender-affirming care and sports participation. It has been a felony to prescribe puberty blockers or hormones for gender-affirming treatment since April 2022. Additionally, Alabama has banned transgender youth from playing high school and college sports, with laws signed by Gov. Kay Ivey in 2021 for K-12 athletics and in 2023 for public two- and four-year higher education institutions.
The senators' comments come about five weeks before voters go to the polls in Alabama and other states, amid rising gas prices and growing unpopularity for President Donald Trump. Tuberville, who is running for Alabama governor, has not mentioned Trump in two television ads released by his campaign this month, despite previously touting his closeness to the president.