Indiana Lawmakers Vote to Defund Kinsey Sex Institute

Indiana’s Republican lawmakers voted Wednesday to prohibit Indiana University from funding its sexual research body with state money, the Associated Press reports.

The Indiana House voted 53 to 34 to defund the Kinsey Institute, named after Alfred Kinsey, a famous American sexologist and biologist. A pioneer in the area of human sexuality research, he was long criticized by Conservatives for liberalizing morals.

Republican lawmaker Lorissa Sweet, who argued that Kinsey’s research was child exploitation, introduced the proposal through an amendment to House Bill 1001, the state’s budget bill.

Kinsey joined the institute in 1920, where he wrote some of his most important works that would change history: "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" and "Sexual Behavior in the Human Female." His research findings were controversial, revealing the actual sexual conduct of American people, including premarital sex, masturbation, and homosexuality being more common than thought at the time.

There is no line item in the state budget for the Kinsey Institute, but Indiana University receives state funding, according to IndyStar. The final version of the state budget will be voted upon in late April. If approved, the bill would bar funding for research and maintaining the facilities of the Kinsey Institute.