In 2004, Allen introduced legislation to pull books with LGBTQ characters, themes and authors from school libraries, and it was this bill that set the tone for his political career.

When asked what should be done with the books, Allen said he didn’t think they should be burned, necessarily.

“I guess we dig a big hole and dump them in and bury them,” he said at the time.

Friends had to quietly explain that Allen’s bill would ban, along with works such as “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “The Color Purple,” a little best-seller called “The Holy Bible.”