‘Confronted With This Indecency’: Smithsonian Director Grilled Over Sexually Explicit Exhibits at American History Museum

A leader at the Smithsonian Institution faced scrutiny over sexually explicit exhibits promoting gay and transgender issues at the National Museum of American History.

For the second day in a row, Anthea Hartig, director of the history museum, was grilled on Capitol Hill after the release of a White House Domestic Policy Council report that claimed the museum promoted a woke version of history. The report was titled “Saving America’s Story: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage.”

During Wednesday’s hearing of the House Administration Committee, Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., pressed Hartig over an exhibit about a young girl who wanted a male body part and another exhibit displaying a sexualized garment.

Hartig answered that the temporary exhibits are no longer up and that an adult must accompany a minor entering the museum.

“Families bring their children to the Smithsonian, expecting a lesson on American history. Instead, they’re confronted with this indecency,” Miller said.

One of the exhibits, “Girlhood (It’s Complicated),” included the diary of a teen girl that referred to trans ideology. Hartig was asked about this during a House Oversight subcommittee hearing Tuesday, where she said it was subject to parents’ discretion.

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However, Miller noted in an online video that, when the “Girlhood (It’s Complicated)” exhibit first opened, Hartig said, “We look forward to welcoming girls and boys to this exhibition.”

She attempted to show the video at the hearing, but the committee had technical difficulties.

“There’s explicit video to prove that you welcomed children to an exhibit that features sexually explicit material,” Miller said. “Does it make sense to you that sexual material would be on display in the National Museum of American History in the first place?”

Hartig replied, “We encourage parents and caregivers to engage with content and topics they feel appropriate for their children, and all children under 18 who come to the museum need to be accompanied by an adult.”

Miller pressed her for a direct response before moving on to ask, “What is a crotch harness? You chose to make a display of it?” After some crosstalk between the two, Miller said, “You chose to display the fetish attire of a very small subset of Americans with weird sexual proclivities, and you welcome children to these exhibits.”

Miller said that the American History Museum’s educational materials asserted there are more than two genders and implied that biological males should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.

“Yesterday, you could not answer the question, ‘Can a man become a woman?’ You’ve been able to sleep on it. Can you tell us, can a man become a woman?” Miller asked Hartig.

Hartig did not respond to the question and referenced a previous question about the crotch harness, which was part of an exhibit on LGBTQ+ history.

“That small exhibit that closed in 2021, where that two-piece garment was presented, was entitled ‘Illegal to be You: Gay Liberation Since Stonewall,’” Hartig said. “Of all the people who came by that, no one complained.”

Also, during the hearing, Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation, said the head of the entire Smithsonian Institution promoted training in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Gonzalez discussed the “Museum As a Site for Social Action Toolkit,” also called the “MASS Action Toolkit,” a reference document that he noted was written by current and former Smithsonian employees.

The 232-page manual says “facets of a culture based on white supremacy” include “perfectionism, sense of urgency, defensiveness, quantity over quality, worship of the written word, paternalism, either/or thinking, power hoarding, fear of open conflict, individualism, progress is bigger/more, objectivity, and the right to comfort.”

“This is revolting. In fact, the Smithsonian itself publicly agreed it was. It apologized in 2020 after the National Museum of African American History and Culture exhibited a chart with this nonsense, outraging the public,” Gonzalez said, adding that the Smithsonian continued using the toolkit for staff training.

He then mentioned Lonnie Bunch, secretary of the Smithsonian, calling for DEI training for Smithsonian staff.

Bunch “praised the MASS Action Toolkit as offering ‘good resources to start this work,’” Gonzalez said. “Lonnie Bunch himself agrees with this racist nonsense.”

Gonzalez added that Congress has a role in appointing some members of the Smithsonian’s board and can take action.

“Does anyone in this committee believe that perfection is a white characteristic? The man who runs the museum apparently does,” Gonzalez said. “This insanity has gone on long enough. Once again, I call on Congress to do its duty and take back the Smithsonian from rogue leadership who uses it as their own plaything for dangerous ideological games.”

When asked on Tuesday about the toolkit, Hartig said, “We didn’t develop it,” and added that “we’re not promoting any ideology.”

“It is used as a reference, I believe probably in 2019, 2020,” she said of the toolkit.

The Smithsonian Institution did not respond to inquiries by email or phone for this story on Wednesday by publication time.