During the District 2 congressional debate hosted by AL.com, Republican candidate Caroleene Dobson pressed Democrat Shomari Figures for his stance on Title IX reforms.

Following questioning about reproductive healthcare, Dobson said Figures could not be trusted to support women’s rights because he could not say that a “man is a man and a woman is a woman.”

However, Figures responded by saying exactly that.

Dobson then said she assumes Figures is against Title IX reforms proposed by the Biden-Harris administration and was glad to hear that he thinks, “girls’ sports are for girls only and girls’ locker rooms are for girls only.”

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Dobson was referencing Title IX amendments that would prohibit discrimination against transgender athletes and allow them to access bathrooms and locker rooms matching their gender identity.

Figures said the idea of “boys playing girls sports in the state of Alabama” is fearmongering.

“They cannot show me a single example of this happening,” Figures said. “This is just yet another example of Republicans looking to galvanize fear against smaller groups of people.”

Dobson rebutted by saying that the proposed Title IX changes were unfair and unsafe.

“We don’t need more Washington representing Alabama,” Dobson said.

“(Biden’s) administration has proposed changes to Title IX that would allow boys to play in girls’ sports, boys in girls’ locker rooms. I’ve got a daughter; you’ve got two daughters. That’s unfair and it’s unsafe.”

Dobson’s emphasis on Title IX, specifically the issue of trans-athletes, fits into a national strategy by Republicans to press Democrats on the topic.

According to the New York Times, Republicans have spent over $65 million in ads recently throughout the country in key races.

Republicans contend that pressing Democrats on their support for trans-athletes specifically will help them win over suburban women voters.

However, in the 2022 midterms, Republicans tried a similar strategy of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric that did not prove fruitful.

AL.com contacted Figures’ campaign and asked if he supported trans-athletes competing in sports that align with their gender identity. His campaign has not responded.

The Alabama Transgender Rights Action Coalition (ALTRAC) provided a statement in reaction to both candidates’ comments during the debate.

ALTRAC found no issue with Figures’ comments but did condemn Dobson for what she said.

“Whenever people of that ideology bring up sports, and as Dobson put it, the “danger” that trans children supposedly pose to other children, it needs to be noted that this talking point is designed to malign trans youth to their peers and to the public by attempting to paint them as an oppressive threat, when really they’re just kids,” ALTRAC said.

“They want to play sports to make friends and have fun just like anyone else. Trans kids play sports too, and they should be allowed to do so without being humiliated by having their gender misrepresented or invalidated by the Alabama government, as currently is state law — this does no good for them or for any other children.”

In response to ALTRAC’s statement Dobson delivered similar remarks emphasizing fairness in women’s sports.

“Female athletes from grade school to college to professional ranks devote countless hours, efforts, and sweat to developing their skills and talents, but all of that sacrifice will be wasted if biological males are allowed to compete in female sports arenas.

“While I believe in loving and supporting all young people, allowing a male to simply declare himself a female and enter a competition is the ultimate violation of women’s rights and – as we saw in women’s boxing during the 2024 Olympics – can result in physical harm to female athletes.

“Under this radical group’s plan, Bruce Jenner, who won gold in the 1976 Olympic men’s decathlon and now lives as Caitlyn Jenner, could have competed against women in school. Even Jenner publicly opposes proposed changes to Title IX because they are patently unfair and violate the spirit of competition.”

Dobson’s reference to Imane Khelif during the 2024 Olympics is false as Khelif was not born a male, is not intersex, and does not identify as being transgender.

According to research, attempting to prevent trans-youth from participating in sports is harmful for numerous reasons and ignores the reality that trans-people have been participating in sports for years without claims of having an unfair advantage.