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Indiana AG questions IU’s Kinsey funding ban compliance

OPINION: Attorney General Todd Rokita is looking into IU’s compliance with state law which bans funding of Kinsey Institute

Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute is finally facing legal scrutiny from state leaders.

Attorney General Todd Rokita and Comptroller Elise Nieshalla want to know how the public university in Bloomington is complying with the law. Specifically, legislation signed last year that prohibits taxpayer dollars being spent on the sex research center.

The July 31 letter expressed concerns about “the lack of transparency concerning its funding and the University’s compliance with Indiana Code.”

The center is named for Alfred Kinsey (pictured), a weirdo, who used the journal of a rapist to study the sexual behavior of children. As previously reported by The College Fix, “[o]ther data was collected from adults recalling their childhood or from interviewing ‘parents who had observed their children[and]some from teachers who had observed children interacting or behaving sexually.’”

The quotes come from the Kinsey Institute’s own FAQ section.

The university has proposed several ways to comply with the 2023 law, including creating a nonprofit entity, which it would run, to house the center. That idea was tabled and the board then was to consider a plan “to use accounting methods to ensure compliance with the law.”

“However, two quarterly meetings have passed since this proposal, and no accounting plan has been implemented,” Rokita and Nieshalla wrote. “Upon meeting in June, again, the Board did not even consider the plan.”

“The language and intent of the legislation is clear and unambiguous—state funds may not be used to fund the Kinsey Institute,” the letter stated.

The pair requested further information on compliance with the law.

They wrote:

Given the apparent lack of transparency in which the University is complying with the law, it is incumbent upon us, as Indiana elected officials, entrusted with ensuring compliance with state law and proper fiscal stewardship over state tax dollars, to demand you demonstrate that Hoosiers’ hard-earned tax dollars are not used to fund the Institute.

The letter is a positive step, as The Fix has been raising questions for the past year about the institute’s plans. The Fix previously pointed out that having university attorneys set up a nonprofit violates the clear language of the law.

The Fix has also pointed out that Kinsey Institute employees have university email addresses and are housed in a campus building. Comparable office spaces would cost around $4,000 per month. There is no agreement between the Kinsey Institute and IU to pay rent, according to a public records request filed by The Fix.

The attorney general’s office previously declined to comment for a January 2024 article.

In charity, maybe they were simply doing their due diligence or had a strategic reason not to show their hands.

In any case, it is welcome news that IU is finally facing scrutiny.

MORE: Kinsey Institute won’t explain funding ban plan

IMAGE: Public domain

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About the Author
Associate Editor
Matt has previously worked at Students for Life of America, Students for Life Action and Turning Point USA. While in college, he wrote for The College Fix as well as his college newspaper, The Loyola Phoenix. He previously interned for government watchdog group Open the Books. He holds a B.A. from Loyola University-Chicago and an M.A. from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He lives in northwest Indiana with his family.