The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is scheduled to hear arguments on Tuesday, April 22 in Mahmoud v. Taylor — a case brought forth in 2023 by Montgomery County parents. The case seeks the right to opt their children out of reading LGBTQ+ books included in the school curriculum.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) approved the addition of LGBTQ+-themed books to its English curriculum in October 2022. Initially the school system offered parents the ability to opt-out. However, the Board of Education eliminated this option in March 2023. It cited concerns about classroom disruption and potential stigmatization, according to Oyez.
Shortly after the policy change, several parents of various religious backgrounds sued the Board. They argued the lack of opt-out violated both their religious freedom and their parenting rights. The parents emphasized while they want to be able to choose whether their child is exposed to the content, they do not seek to ban the books or have them removed from the curriculum.
MCPS argued in its response that simply having access and being exposed to LGBTQ+ content does not violate religious freedom. “Teachers are not permitted to use the storybooks to enforce a particular viewpoint,” MCPS said in its opposition filing.
Books cited in the case include “Pride Puppy!” and “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope.” The book’s authors released a joint statement in February affirming their support for MCPS.
“We oppose censoring or segregating books, like ours, that feature LGBTQ+ people,” the statement said. “All families deserve to be seen and heard. To act otherwise is harmful and sends a devastating message to students: that their lives and families are so offensive and dangerous that they can’t even be discussed in school.”
SCOTUS finishes hearing all oral arguments by the end of April each term, according to the term calendar. Decisions are usually made over the summer.
Additional information about the case can be read on the SCOTUS website.
