Committee member says Smithsonian exhibits include ‘explicit’ material, museum official defends parental guidance

A committee member at a House Administration Committee hearing accused the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History of abandoning an unbiased mission and of displaying “explicit” material that exposes families and schoolchildren to inappropriate content.

The committee member said the museum, which the member noted draws about 4,000,000 visitors annually, has “decided to fill its exhibits with … explicit content” and argued that some displays portray the nation’s founding fathers as villains rather than heroic figures. The member also cited a contested exhibit titled “Girlhood Is Complicated” and alleged that items on display included drag performers and suggestive magazine imagery.

The museum’s representative responded that the institution encourages parents and caregivers “to engage with content and topics they feel appropriate for their children,” and said the museum’s visitor policies require children to be accompanied by an adult. The representative also said the small exhibit that included the two-piece garment at issue was part of an exhibit described as “Illegal to Be You,” which explored gay liberation since Stonewall and closed in 2021.

The exchange included a procedural dispute over playing a video clip the committee member sought to introduce; an objection was raised and then withdrawn after a brief suspension to address technical difficulties, and the video was inserted into the record.

The hearing record provided in the transcript shows allegations and rebuttal but does not include any formal motions or committee votes related to the content discussed. The committee member ended the exchange by reiterating that visitors come to learn about American exceptionalism and yielded time.