After the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) hosted Dr. Maigen Sullivan for her talk on Alabama's LGBT history, State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) sponsored a bill to revoke $5 million in funding from the agency over the talk's sexual content.
Speaking to the Alabama Political Reporter about Elliott's bill, Sullivan said, "Restricting marginalized history is textbook fascism."
She also doubled down on her discussion of sex at the ADAH.
"[I]t is about sex. I don't think we should shy away from that," she argued. "Just as much as genealogy, or we're talking about the heir to the throne, children or marriage or anything about sex because that is who we are as people."
Speaking to 1819 News, Elliott responded to Sullivan's statements, emphasizing that the ADAH event was not "appropriate."
"I appreciate that she is admitting that this conversation is about sex. And she says it is about sex. She doesn't want to shy away from it," Elliott stated. "Well, I do not think that my constituents or Alabama taxpayers want somebody such as Ms. Sullivan to be talking about sex, homosexual sex or transgender sex, or sex of any kind at the Department of Archives and History. I just don't think that's appropriate. I don't think Alabama taxpayers think that's appropriate."
In response to his actions being called "textbook fascism," Elliott said "those types of hyperbolic statements are indicative of this woke ideology that is pervasive in the bureaucracies in government."
"I think that those types of hyperbolic statements are indicative of this woke ideology that is pervasive in the bureaucracies in government, and I am happy to push back on that," he outlined. "She agrees with me that the underlying topic is sex, and she thinks we need to talk about it more. I think that we should not talk about it more and that we should, in fact, get away from talking about this hyper-sexualized environment that our children are growing up in today. Let's not do that. And especially when you have to explain to your kids. Because it's on the news, right?"
Elliott continued, "And whether it may or may not be going on at Archives and History, it's on 'Capitol Journal,' it's being discussed on Channel 5, and when that happens, the kids say, 'What's that? What's going on?' And it leads to a discussion that is inherently about sex. My constituents are tired of it, and I'm tired of it. The Department of Archives and History is going to get that message shortly. And I hope that message is received by other state agencies who say, 'This is not something we should be discussing.' It's embarrassing to me that we have to have this conversation. But apparently, we do."
Sullivan also argued that defunding the ADAH was inappropriate because the agency did not directly fund her event. Elliott said that though it may not have been directly funded, it was held "in a state building" and run by "state employees."
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