“Keep your church out of my crotch”
“Abstinence is so gay”
“Hold out”
These were some of the slogans on a screen in the background during Dra’s presentation. Maigen Sullivan of the so-called “Invisible No More: Alabama LGBTQ History” program last month at the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) last month.
(N. Treglia/News of 1819)
(YouTube/Alabama Department of Archives and History)
That event prompted a backlash from many, including lawmakers who are now targeting $5 million in ADAH funding allocated in the supplemental state education budget passed by the Alabama Legislature earlier this year.
State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) has vowed to introduce legislation that would strip the funding during next week’s special redistricting session.
During an appearance on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal” this week, ADAH director Steve Murray downplayed any political aspect of Sullivan’s presentation.
“It was a very traditional talk in the manner of a speaker who has done research on a topic and presented that historical research in a way that is very consistent with our long-standing pattern of really approaching almost every topic under the sun in Alabama history,” said Murray, who was in Europe at the time of the presentation.
“So this was not a big Pride Month celebration,” said “Capitol Journal” host Todd Stacy. “It was literally history and a discussion about that history.”
“It is,” Murray replied. “Looking at the primary sources of history, what’s available about these efforts decades ago by the people of Alabama, they were people who lived here who were starting to create organizations within this community and looking at the lives of some notable d “Alabama who are LGBTQ. and some of their contributions to society.”
“And that’s one of the questions I asked Senator Elliott,” Stacy said. “Isn’t that part of our fabric? Isn’t that part of our history? I understand that there are some political issues, ideological issues there. But this is a legitimate part of the fabric and conversation of Alabama history.”
“It is, and we see it specifically within the scope of our historical work as one of the state’s historical agencies,” Murray said. “An opportunity to look broadly at the history of the state and to make sure that we’re serving all the citizens of Alabama, all of its taxpayers in a way that means, you know, we cover a lot of ground in a given year. This He spent an hour devoted to this particular subject which we believe is a legitimate historical inquiry. It was not about contemporary political issues.”
Despite Murray’s claim, Sullivan made proposals during the June event for his audience to engage with LGBTQ issues.
Watch a clip of IHP co-founder Maigen Sullivan’s recent presentation with the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Preserving this history is urgent and necessary. Thank you to all the people who are sending us love and support right now. We couldn’t do this without all of you. pic.twitter.com/5uVhCzeiPZ
— Invisible Stories Project (@iHPSouth) June 21, 2023
“We’re being wiped out,” he said. “They are intentionally erasing us and we have to fight back.”
“That’s why they’re silencing us, that’s why they’re banning us, and that’s why they’re rewriting our stories right in front of our faces, and we can’t let them do that,” Sullivan also said.
In observations given to Alabama Political ReporterSullivan acknowledged that there was a sexual component to the presentation he made to the Archives.
“However, it’s about sex, I don’t think we should shy away from that,” she said. “As much as genealogy, whether we’re talking about the heir to the throne or children or marriage or anything is about sex, because that’s who we are as people. This event was not for children either. It was a file. I mean, how many kids do you know who go to lunch and learn in an archive?”
Jeff Poor is the editor-in-chief of 1819 News and host of “The Jeff Poor Show,” heard Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon in Mobile’s. FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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