Indiana University president condemns defunding of Kinsey Institute by state Legislature

Indiana University President Pamela Whitten has condemned recent legislation passed prohibiting state dollars from going to the Kinsey Institute, the university's longstanding, prominent research entity devoted to the study of human sexuality.

“As a premier research institution with a 200-year legacy of impact within our state and around world, IU is firmly committed to academic freedom. The university is concerned that a provision singling out a specific research institute sets a troubling precedent with implications that could limit the ability of public colleges and universities to pursue research and scholarship that benefits people and improves lives," Whitten wrote in a public statement released early Friday.

Indiana General Assembly 2023: Indiana House strips state dollars from IU's sex-studying Kinsey Institute

Indiana lawmakers argue over Alfred Kinsey's legacy, controversies

The news of this funding loss arrives out of the recent adoption of the state budget, which the Legislature approved early Friday morning.

The Kinsey-specific stipulation was introduced by Rep. Lorissa Sweet, R-Wabash, as an amendment to the proposed budget after she raised concerns about the work of the institute's founder and namesake ― Dr. Alfred Charles Kinsey, an American biology who later broke onto the national circuit for his influential work in sexology. In addition to publishing landmark research on human sexuality, he founded the research institute, then-called the Institute for Sex Research, at Indiana University in 1947.

Given his focus on unconventional topics, especially during the early 1900s, Kinsey has always been a controversial figure, with Sweet's specific objections stemming from the late researcher's methodology.

Kinsey collected survey data on sexual behavior from more than 18,000 participants, including responses from pedophiles. This has led some critics to accuse him of encouraging sexual experimentation on children. There has not been any evidence produced to support this claim and no related criminal charges have ever been brought against Kinsey, who died in 1956.

When Sweet's proposal was brought to the table, Rep. Matt Pierce, a Democrat representing Bloomington, accused her of parroting debunked conspiracy theories, according to earlier coverage by the Indianapolis Star. Pierce added the restriction would amount to an unnecessary headache for IU, describing it as a complicated bookkeeping exercise. But many lawmakers eventually sided with Sweet, with the added stipulation being adopted in a 53-34 vote in April.

IU legal team looking into impact

As Pierce noted, this does boil down to a bookkeeping update for the university. The Kinsey Institute doesn't receive direct funding from the state budget. Instead, a lump sum is given to the university, which can then distribute the state dollars across its various systems and entities. However, this funding does come with some conditions, which now include this new restriction.

While the university's legal team is now in the process of reviewing the potential impact and ensuring state law compliance, Whitten noted IU is "committed to the ongoing crucial research and robust scholarship conducted by IU faculty and the Kinsey Institute.”

In an expanded letter to the university faculty and staff, Whitten said the majority of the Kinsey Institute's funding already stems from research grants and private philanthropic support, but the university will continue to support additional efforts to retain its current level of funding.

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"Together, we will ensure that IU and the Kinsey Institute remain globally recognized for excellence in research and scholarship," Whitten wrote to faculty and staff.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Kinsey Institute no longer to have state dollars after budget adoption