By Brian Lyman | Editor
“(Charlotte) is in a state that also has a lot of problems, but is not quite as actively hostile to LGBTQ things as Alabama particularly is.” - Maigen Sullivan, co-founder, Invisible Histories
Maigen Sullivan speaks at the Department of Archives and History on Thursday, June 15, 2023. (Jemma Stephenson/Alabama Reflector)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By Andrea Tinker
Invisible Histories was founded in Birmingham to archive and research southern LGBTQ+ history. It flew under the radar until 2023, when a presentation delivered at the Alabama Department of Archives and History sparked attacks by the state’s conservative media and Republicans in the Legislature. Invisible Histories moved to North Carolina earlier this year, citing funding and space issues and Alabama’s hostile environment.
Megan Hahn teaches class attendees how to use an online health portal at the Swanton Senior Center in Swanton, Ohio. (Northwestern Ohio Community Action Commission)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By Sarah Jane Tribble, KFF
U.S. District Judge John Bates in July ruled that President Donald Trump can’t unilaterally kill a $2.75 billion fund meant improve Internet access, but he also agreed with the administration that race and ethnicity could not be used as a basis to award the grants from the fund. The split decision means nonprofits that have received the funding, including one in west Alabama, will have to reapply.
Gov. Kay Ivey speaks at the Alabama Republican Party's Summer Dinner on July 31, 2026, at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery, Alabama. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
COMMENTARY
By Brian Lyman
Though it wasn’t billed as such, Gov. Kay Ivey’s office last week released what amounted to a farewell video for Alabama’s chief executive, who has been in office nearly a decade. In my column this week, I write that the odd timing underscored something unusual: The ostensibly-popular governor isn’t discussed by Republican candidates in their campaigns. That’s a reflection of GOP priorities, and raises questions about how popular Ivey really is.
ICYMI
Alabama Public Television board postpones meeting for controversial survey funding | Anna Barrett, Alabama Reflector
Abortion could return to Supreme Court, this time with a focus on women's health | Kelcie Moseley-Morris, Stateline
Trump’s court workarounds push limits but are within legal bounds, experts say | Ashley Murray, DC Bureau
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