Five Alabama universities keep ‘gender studies’ as lawmaker calls to scrap it

An Alabama state representative is questioning the academic discipline of “gender studies,” calling it comprised of “fringe, liberal, extremist beliefs and nonsense.”

Five of Alabama’s 14 public four-year universities continue to support “gender studies” departments.

State Rep. Susan DuBose criticized the entire premise of “gender studies,” labeling it indoctrination and a waste of tax payer money.

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“The textbook in a ‘Gender Studies’ class should consist of one sentence that reads, ‘Men are born men, women are born women, and one can never become the other,’” DuBose said in comments to 1819 News. 

“Offering classes like gender studies is simply an attempt by woke college professors to indoctrinate college students and the next generation of leaders with their fringe, liberal, extremist beliefs and nonsense,” DuBose added. “I consider it a waste and abuse of taxpayer funds and tuition dollars.”

Her criticism of “gender studies” follows a Nov. 24 report by 1819 News documenting the field’s activities and courses at various public universities in Alabama.

The University of Alabama maintains a Department of Gender and Race Studies, with course offerings such as “Studies in Gender, Sexuality, and Citizenship,” “Gender and Black Masculinity,” “Gender & Society,” and “Race and Queer Desire.”

The University of Alabama at Birmingham funds a Women’s and Gender Studies Program, which “provides a cross-cultural, feminist understanding of gender and sexuality from the home to the global arena.”

Other Alabama public universities that maintain “gender studies” programs include the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Auburn University, and the University of South Alabama.

While many universities teach “gender studies,” some have eliminated gender-based departments over the past year.

The state of Florida announced in January that it is investigating whether public funds should support “gender studies.” The University of Iowa closed its Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies program in December 2024.

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Texas Christian University announced in October that it will close its Women and Gender Studies and Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies departments at the end of the academic year and merge them into the English department, citing low enrollment. 

Sonoma State University in California started a similar process to end its Women and Gender Studies department in June.

Meanwhile, other universities continue to teach courses like “Queering Game Studies,” “Black Feminist Theory,” “Sex, Power, Performance,” and “Feminist Cannabis Studies.” 

President Trump signed an executive order in January directing federal agencies to roll back “gender ideology” policies and end federal funding for programs that promote it — a move that could ultimately affect colleges and universities that refuse to comply.

Campus Reform contacted the Alabama universities named in this article for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.