University of Alabama quietly abandons sexual orientation & gender identity nondiscrimination policy

The University of Alabama system quietly erased explicit protections for LGBTQ+ people from its nondiscrimination policy.The change, first reported by The Crimson White, appears to have been made sometime in November 2025, according to archived versions of the Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Program pages for the system and its campuses in Birmingham and Huntsville. The pages previously listed “sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression” as protected categories, language that remains visible in documents hosted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.University officials told the student newspaper that the change was made to comply with federal law, particularly current federal interpretations of Title VII and Title IX.Related: Alabama forces universities to implement trans bathroom ban while outlawing DEIThe Supreme Court last year sided with a straight woman who alleged that she faced workplace discrimination because she was not gay, rejecting a heightened legal standard for members of majority groups bringing Title VII claims. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s Justice Department has investigated schools across the country over policies allowing transgender students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity, reflecting the Trump administration’s narrower view of Title IX and discrimination “on the basis of sex.”University officials maintain that enforcement of the system’s nondiscrimination rules has not changed and described the new language as an “administrative change.”Related: Alabama House passes 'Don't Say Gay,' drag ban, and Ten Commandments bills all at once“The University will continue to promote a welcoming environment that is free from discrimination for all members of our campus community,” University spokesperson Alex House told the student newspaper.Auburn University, Samford University, the University of South Alabama and the University of West Alabama, also state