(LifeSiteNews) — Taxpayers in Indiana are underwriting legal efforts against laws that recognize biological reality.
Indiana is a deep red state – both U.S. Senators are Republican and former Senator Mike Braun won the governor’s mansion this November by nearly 15 points. The GOP has supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature as well.
Yet, state taxpayers are set to send nearly $3 million to Indiana Legal Services (ILS), a nonprofit group that sued the state unsuccessfully for not offering “nonbinary” driver licenses. Yet, the group received money specifically to help with LGBT “identity documents” as the legal battle continued.
“The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute has granted ILS a total of $3,115,774 over two years, starting October 1,2024, to fund services to victims of crime through five ILS projects,” the ILS announced in mid-September.
One of these projects is the “LGBTQ+ Project” which “operates statewide to address the legal needs of crime victims in the LBGTQ+ community including discrimination and consistent identity documents.”
The Criminal Justice Institute is a government entity. It told LifeSiteNews that it gave just under $3 million to Indiana Legal Services in 2023 and 2024, but ignored other questions about the appropriateness of using tax dollars to fund a group suing the state.
The left-wing legal group “received [Victim of Crime Act] funds in the amount of $2,905,646,” Communications Director Jacob Burbrink told LifeSiteNews via email on Tuesday.
He did not respond to a follow up request to answer the other questions sent by LifeSiteNews, including how much specifically went to the LGBT project and if there is any concern with the ICJI that taxpayers are essentially funding a group that then sues Indiana.
While the group ostensibly does good work helping low-income individuals with bankruptcy, evictions, and custody rights, it also is heavily in support of the LGBT agenda, including offering “legal services to transgender youth.” It also opposes the state’s prohibition on minors receiving transgender drugs and surgeries, which are permanently damaging.
The group’s “LGBTQ+ Project” helps with “LGBTQ+ students’ rights” and “insurance coverage for gender-affirming health care,” which refers to chemical and surgical interventions that support someone in presenting themselves as the opposite sex. The group also assists with “name and gender marker changes.”
Media representative Angie Lyon did not respond to an emailed request for comment on Monday morning. LifeSiteNews asked about the group receiving taxpayer funding and then suing the state and the incongruence between its agenda and the state’s conservative leaning.
However, pro-family group American Principles Project criticized the state as well as Indiana Legal Services in emailed comments to LifeSiteNews.
“For basically as long as governments have been issuing IDs, they have identified people according to their biological sex, and for good reason,” Communications Director Paul Dupont said, commenting on the “nonbinary” driver licenses.
“Biological differences are significant in many areas – for example, in determining medical treatments,” he said. “So it makes sense that the state would want to have this on an ID. By contrast, a person’s so-called ‘gender identity’ has no bearing on reality.”
“So while people are free to identify however they wish, there’s no good reason why the government should recognize it,” he said.
Dupont also said taxpayers regularly subsidize the “left-wing non-profit ecosystem.”
He said:
Unfortunately, Indiana is no exception. However, based on recent election results, it seems likely that most of Indiana’s voters would not agree with their tax dollars going to support a group that is pushing to inject gender ideology into state law. Red states especially should be rooting out this corruption, and it starts with voters holding their elected officials accountable.
“State leaders,” according to Dupont, must be “willing to shake up the bureaucratic status quo and to scrutinize every single dollar of funding.”
The election of Donald Trump and “governors campaigning on reforming the system” is a good sign that quality leaders are emerging.
“Hopefully they succeed,” Dupont said.
The group also received $7.5 million from the Lilly Endowment, named after the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company founders.
Taxpayers also gave $381,000 to the group through the state supreme court and $45,000 through the state veteran affairs’ offices. Marion County taxpayers are also on the hook for $20,000.
In total, taxpayer funding, state and federal, represents about 33% of the group’s funding, according to their recent filing with the Internal Revenue Service.