An Alabama state senator said he plans to introduce a bill to take funding away from the Alabama Department of Archives and History because the department hosted a one-hour presentation on LGBTQ history last month.

Sen. Chris Elliott, a Republican from Josephine in Baldwin County, said he would file the bill for the special session that starts July 17, according to the Alabama Political Reporter.

On June 15, Archives and History hosted “Invisible No More: Alabama’s LGBTQ History,” as part of its Food For Thought series, held at the Archives building.

Maigen Sullivan, co-founder and director of research and development for the Invisible Histories Project, spoke at the luncheon. The Invisible Histories Project is a nonprofit research organization that works to preserve and teach LGBTQ history in the South.

Elliott is one of several Republican lawmakers who opposed the presentation, including House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, and Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville. They said it was not appropriate for a state agency and promoted a liberal political agenda.

Alabama Department of Archives and History Director Steve Murray said the presentation was not political.

“As its name suggests, the Food for Thought program is intended to connect specialists in a wide array of topics with members of the general public who are interested in learning about Alabama’s history,” Murray said in a statement to AL.com last month. “Not every program will be of interest to every Alabamian, but we strive to ensure that Alabamians will find somewhere in our offerings some historical content that is meaningful to them. Our aim is neither indoctrination nor politicization.

The Department of Archives and History will receive $7.7 million from the education budget and $2 million from the General Fund under the budgets passed by the Legislature for next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1.

The Food for Thought series is sponsored by Friends of the Archives and funded by a grant from the Alabama Humanities Alliance, Murray said.

Sullivan, who has a doctorate in educational studies of diverse populations from UAB, has said her presentation was not political.

“I really just went over things that are quite black and white,” she said. “It’s just a record of history, and so I find it mind-boggling that anyone would interpret facts as a political agenda.”

Gov. Kay Ivey called the special session because federal courts ordered Alabama to redraw its congressional district map for the 2024 election. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 8 that Alabama’s current map likely violates the Voting Rights Act because it dilutes the influence of Black voters.

Because the governor called the special session specifically for redistricting, legislation on other topics, including Elliott’s bill, would take a two-thirds vote to pass.