Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Republican lawmakers voted Wednesday to prohibit Indiana University from using any state money to support Kinsey Institute.
The vote came after a far-right legislator unleashed disputed allegations of child exploitation by its founder, Alfred Kinsey.
The Indiana House voted 53-34 to block state funding toward the that has long faced criticism from conservatives for its ongoing research.
They blame him for contributing to liberalized sexual morals, including more acceptance of homosexuality and pornography.
Republican Rep. Lorissa Sweet claimed that some of Kinsey’s research was child exploitation as she argued for an amendment to the state budget bill against funding for the institute.
“By limiting the funding to Kinsey Institute through Indiana University’s tax dollars, we can be assured that we are not funding ongoing research committed by crimes,” Sweet said.
Democratic Rep. Matt Pierce, whose Bloomington district includes the university campus, responded that Sweet’s claims were “based on old unproven allegations of conspiracies that did not exist,” calling them “warmed-over internet memes that keep coming back.”
Kinsey, who died in 1956, produced groundbreaking sex-behavior studies and was portrayed by Liam Neeson in the 2004 film “Kinsey.
