Alabama Public Library Service to vote on controversial gender ideology amendment this month

November 3, 2026 - MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) will vote later this month on a proposed amendment to the APLS Administrative Code addressing gender ideology in publicly funded libraries. Proponents of the amendment claim that it seeks to protect children from materials that promote or normalize gender ideology in youth sections and to ensure that Alabama's public libraries remain safe, family-centered environments. Opponents claim that the amendment would amount to censorship and that it unfairly targets LGBTQ+ youth.

The proposed amendment reads:

"Under this section, any material that promotes, encourages, or positively depicts transgender procedures, gender ideology, or the concept of more than two biological genders shall be considered inappropriate for children and youth."

The public comment period ended last month with a public hearing in front of the APLS board. Thousands of Alabama families, faith leaders, and advocacy groups have rallied behind the proposed changes to the APLS code. Many conservative groups including Clean Up Alabama, Eagle Forum, Moms for Liberty, ALCAP Director Greg Davis, Rightside Radio host/ U.S. Attorney nominee Phil Williams, the Fairhope Faith Collective, as well as Republican groups, and churches across the state have advocated for and written comments in support of the rule change. , culminated in the hand-delivery of nearly 5,500 public comment letters-just before the submission deadline.

"We must protect our children from the harmful effects of transgender ideology," said Eagle Forum Executive Director Becky Gerritson. "This amendment is a step in the right direction to ensure that Alabama libraries remain safe, educational spaces that respect parental authority."

John Wahl is the Chair of the APLS Board as well as the Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party. Wahl is strongly in support of the amendment.

"The response from the people of Alabama has been overwhelming," said APLS Chairman Wahl. "The goal of this amendment is to ensure our libraries remain safe, family-friendly spaces for families across the state of Alabama. The APLS Board is committed to keeping our libraries focused on education and encouraging reading, while respecting parental rights and protecting children from sexual content. Sexuality is a deeply personal issue, and parents should never have to worry about their children stumbling across explicit content in our library's youth sections. It's time to put parents back in control of what their children are exposed to."

The amendment is being bitterly opposed by leftwing librarians, teachers, and LGBTQ activists. Former APLS Chair and District 1 representative Ron Snider accused current chair John Wahl of politicizing the board and orchestrating support through the Alabama Republican Party. He called the amendment "censorship" and said local libraries should set their own policies. Angie Hayden, the cofounder of Read Freely Alabama, called the amendment "gross government overreach" and "blatantly discriminatory."

Of the 8,478 total comments submitted to APLS. 6,781 supported the proposed code changes while only 1,697 opposed them. 65% of all letters submitted not only backed the changes but also called for stronger provisions

The APLS board is scheduled to vote on the proposed code changes at its next public meeting on Thursday, November 20th at 1:00 p.m.

Passage of the amendment would formally adopt it into state library policy.

Proponents argue that passage of this policy aligns the APLS Administrative Code with President Trump's Executive Order on Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.

"This is about defending truth and the innocence of children," Wahl continued. "Across the nation, gender ideology has been used to confuse young people and replace science with radical activism. Alabama is taking a stand for biological reality, for parents, and for children's right to grow up free from social agendas in their libraries."

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