The government’s actions in this article aren’t a bug it’s a feature. Furthermore, it’s not cowardice on the part of the government, it’s malice. Literally everyone I grew up with that was white had/has a racist family. Needless to say, when I was old enough to pick better friends, I did.
My point is that the racism and homophobia in Alabama is systemic, because the racism and homophobia is generational. These politicians use that to their advantage to get votes. Because just like Hitler, every shitty politician needs a boogeyman to blame for all the country’s problems real or otherwise. Plus it has the added benefit of drawing attention away from the real problems like housing costs, and medical costs, and that’s a whole other discussion.