Senator Tommy Tuberville Calls Transgender Identity a Mental Illness

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville delivered a speech on the Senate floor on September 23, 2026, characterizing transgender people as deranged and suffering from a mental illness. He argued that the term transgender should be replaced with gender-confused and called for the return of mental institutions to society.

During the address, Tuberville conflated transgender identity with the furry community, claiming that individuals with a fetish for dressing as animals are employed as air traffic controllers and commercial pilots. He later posted social media evidence to support these claims, including a video of pilots making animal sounds over the radio at DCA and references to an aviation-themed meet-up at a convention in Minneapolis.

Tuberville further alleged that parents who support transgender children commit child abuse and that doctors treating these patients commit medical malpractice. The Alabama Trans Rights Coalition condemned the speech, with organizer Tris Wilson stating that Tuberville is focusing on culture war issues rather than the needs of Alabamians.