The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from a group of Maryland parents who oppose the inclusion of LGBTQ-inclusive books in elementary school curricula. The case centers on Montgomery County, Maryland, where the school district introduced a new reading list in 2022 that includes storybooks featuring LGBTQ characters. This initiative was part of the district’s broader efforts to foster inclusion.
A group of six parents, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, sued the Montgomery County school board. They argued that the books, which include stories about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer characters, presented views on gender and sexuality that conflicted with their religious beliefs. The plaintiffs claimed that while the district initially allowed parents to opt out of these lessons, it later changed its policy to one where parents were not notified when such books were read.
Although parents could still opt their children out of sex education lessons, those who objected to the LGBTQ-inclusive books felt they had no choice but to either send their children to private schools or homeschool them. The plaintiffs emphasized that many of the parents involved were from religious communities, including Muslim and Eastern Orthodox families, who expressed concerns about exposing young children to ideas they found incompatible with their faiths.
In their legal filings, parents Tamer Mahmoud and Enas Barakat, who are Muslim, stated that their religious beliefs teach respect for God’s wisdom in creation, which includes a conviction that gender cannot be separated from biological sex. Similarly, Roman Catholic parents Chris and Melissa Persak argued that their religious views emphasize the belief that a person’s biological sex is a gift from God and that they have a religious obligation to teach their children about the differences between males and females, as well as the proper expression of romantic and sexual desires according to biblical principles.
Other petitioners, Jeff and Svitlana Roman, who are Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox, respectively, expressed concerns that their young son should not be exposed to discussions about sex before puberty, in line with Catholic guidelines. One of the groups involved in the case, Kids First, represents hundreds of parents from diverse faith backgrounds who share similar objections to the curriculum. One of these parents, Grace Morrison, has an adopted daughter with Down syndrome and attention deficit disorder, whom she believes is particularly impressionable and should be shielded from content she considers inappropriate.
The books at the heart of the case include titles such as Pride Puppy, a picture book for young children that celebrates Pride Day; Intersection Allies, which introduces concepts like “transgender” and “nonbinary”; Love, Violet, a story about a young girl developing romantic feelings for a female classmate; Born Ready, a true story about a Black transgender boy; and Jacob’s Room to Choose, which tells the story of two transgender children advocating for gender-neutral bathrooms.
The parents raised a Free Exercise claim but were unsuccessful in obtaining a preliminary injunction at both the district and circuit court levels. Their case was then appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear it. The parents argue that the district’s actions amount to inappropriate gender indoctrination, which undermines their ability to raise their children in accordance with their religious values.
Eric Baxter, senior counsel at Becket, expressed concern that the district’s actions imposed controversial gender ideology on young children without parental consent. He argued that parents, rather than the state, should have the authority to decide when and how sensitive topics like gender and sexuality are introduced to their children.
The district has not yet commented on the Supreme Court’s decision to take up the case. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for parental rights and the role of schools in addressing issues related to gender and sexuality.
