Legal experts say the Supreme Court appears sympathetic to a group of religious parents who seek to remove their children from public school lessons that may include reading from LGBTQ-themed books. In 2022, Montgomery County Public Schools expanded its curriculum to include books with LGBTQ characters in order to reflect the diversity of the world today. The school system says its list of books includes “a handful of storybooks featuring lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer characters for use in the language-arts curriculum, alongside the many books already in the curriculum that feature heterosexual characters in traditional gender roles.” One book, “Love, Violet,” tells the story of a young girl who realizes she has a crush on a female classmate. Another, “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” follows a girl who realizes that her favorite uncle’s marriage means she’s gaining another uncle, not losing one. Another, “Pride Puppy,” tells the tale of a puppy that gets lost during a Pride parade. More from GLAAD:
The school board stated in legal filings, “the books are made available for individual reading, classroom read-alouds, and other educational activities designed to foster and enhance literacy skills.”
A district official said the books were to be integrated “into the curriculum in the same way that other books are used, namely, to put them on a shelf for students to find on their own; to recommend a book to a student who would enjoy it; to offer the books as an option for literature circles, book clubs, or paired reading groups; or to use them as a read aloud.”
The case – Mahmoud v. Taylor – was brought by three pairs of parents from different religious backgrounds saying they did not want their young children exposed to discussions involving gender and sexual orientation. The plaintiffs say they aren’t trying to change the curriculum but they want to have the option of saying their children will not participate.
Breaking news: The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared poised to side with a group of religious parents seeking to pull their children from public school lessons with LGBTQ+-themed books — a significant expansion of the long-standing practice of allowing opt-outs for reproductive health classes.
[image or embed] — The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) April 22, 2025 at 10:15 AM
From the Washington Post:
During more than two and a half hours of argument on Tuesday, several justices read aloud from the text of the disputed storybooks, some of which referred to drag queens and same-sex marriage.
Conservative justices repeatedly pressed the lawyer for the Maryland school system on why it could not easily accommodate the religious parents and allow their children to opt out of objectionable curriculum.
“What’s the big deal about allowing them to opt out?” asked Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.
Lower courts have previously held that mere exposure to ideas in a public school setting doesn’t amount to an unconstitutional burden on religious rights. I’m not a legal expert, but just including the concept that LGBTQ people exist in the world doesn’t seem like overreach. The kids are going to realize queer people exist someday, no? GLAAD has a fact sheet about the case here.
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral argument today about LGBTQ-inclusive picture books in public schools and a small group of parents objecting to their presence. Fact sheet on the case here. ⬇️
[image or embed] — GLAAD (@glaad.bsky.social) April 22, 2025 at 7:41 AM
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