Supreme Court signals support for Maryland parents who object to LGBTQ books in public schools

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Tuesday 
signaled support for the religious rights of parents in Maryland who want 
to remove their children from elementary school classes using storybooks 
with LGBTQ characters.

The court seemed likely to find that the Montgomery County school system, 
in suburban Washington, could not require elementary school children to 
sit through lessons involving the books if parents expressed religious 
objections to the material.

The case is the latest dispute involving religion to come before the 
court. The justices have repeatedly endorsed claims of religious 
discrimination in recent years.

“I’m surprised this is the hill to die on in terms of not respecting 
religious liberty,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh said, citing the county’s 
diverse population and Maryland’s history as a haven for Catholics.

The county school board introduced the storybooks as part of an effort to 
better reflect the district’s diversity.

Parents sued after the school system stopped allowing them to pull their 
kids from lessons that included the books. The parents argue that public 
schools cannot force kids to participate in instruction that violates 
their faith, and they pointed to the opt-out provisions in sex education 
classes.

The schools said allowing children to opt out of the lessons had become 
disruptive. Lower courts backed the schools, prompting the parents’ appeal 
to the Supreme Court.


Five books are at issue in the high court case, touching on the same 
themes found in classic stories that include Snow White, Cinderella and 
Peter Pan, the school system’s lawyers wrote.

In “Prince and Knight,” two men fall in love after they rescue the 
kingdom, and each other. In “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” a niece worries that 
her uncle will not have as much time for her after he gets married. His 
partner is a man.

“Love, Violet” deals with a girl’s anxiety about giving a valentine to 
another girl. “Born Ready” is the story of a transgender boy’s decision to 
share his gender identity with his family and the world. “Intersection 
Allies” describes nine characters of varying backgrounds, including one 
who is gender-fluid.

Billy Moges, a board member of the Kids First parents’ group that sued 
over the books, said the content is sexual, confusing and inappropriate 
for young schoolchildren.

The writers’ group Pen America said in a court filing what the parents 
want is “a constitutionally suspect book ban by another name.” Pen America 
reported more than 10,000 books were banned in the last school year.

A decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor is expected by early summer.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-lgbtq-books-religion-maryland-
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