State Sen. Chris Elliot (R-Baldwin County) wants to send a message that the Alabama Department of History and Archives shouldn’t be pushing what he believes is a “woke” ideology.
In response to the Archives hosting a LGBTQ+ event last month, the senator is going to put forward a bill during the upcoming special session that cuts some of the department’s funding.
Friday, Elliot discussed his proposal on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal.”
“My issues there is underlying that conversation is not the conversations about individual Alabamians and their achievements, but it’s the fact we’re highlighting these folks because of this LGBTQ stuff and that is because of what they do in their bedrooms,” Elliot said, “and I don’t think that’s what ought to define those individuals.
The senator said he doesn’t have an issue highlighting people who happen to be a part of that community, but doesn’t want their sexual preferences to be the main focus.
“If you want to celebrate them because they made some meaningful contribution to society or business or whatever than so be it,” he said. “But do we really need to be talking about folks in the context, and separating them, because of what they do in their bedrooms? And I just don’t think that’s appropriate.”
Elliott also disagrees with those who argue that this is the next big civil rights issue in the state.
“I’ve seen other journalists come out and say ‘well this is the same as being Black,’ and it’s just not,” he said. “This is something that’s predicated on what somebody does in their bedroom and with whom they do it, and I just don’t think that’s something we ought to be discussing within the Alabama Department of Archives and History.”
The lawmaker said he wants his legislation to be a warning to the different bureaucracies in the Yellowhammer State.
“I want to make sure with this legislation that we send a message to the bureaucracy in Alabama that says ‘look, stay out of these type of conversations,” he said. “Don’t be promoting this. Stick with archives and history and let’s stay out of underlying issues that have to do with what somebody does in their bedroom.’”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
