Christian parents in the US are arguing they should have the right to restrict their children from LGBTQ-themed storybooks in public schools.
The case of Mahmoud vs. Taylor features Muslim, Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox parents, who allege they have been religiously discriminated against, due to the books being taught to their children contradicting their religious beliefs.
The Montgomery County Board of Education had previously told parents they could opt their children out of 20 new inclusivity books that were planned for teaching kindergartners through to eighth graders. However, in 2023, the option to opt out was overridden. Parents will now have no prior information about what is in the books.
The books discuss pride parades, choosing preferred pronouns, and gender transitions.
The Manhattan Institute says one book tasks three and four-year-olds with searching for images from a word list, such as “intersex flag,” “[drag] queen,” “underwear,” “leather,” and the name of an LGBTQ activist and sex worker.
The case is being represented by Becket Religious Liberty for All.
Legal allies the Alliance Defending Freedom have filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, which will hear the case this summer. Senior Legal Counsel Vincent Wagner told Premier Christian News he thinks parents should have the freedom to choose.
“What's at play here is old US Supreme Court cases, which have said that it's not appropriate for schools to be in the business of trying to standardize children's beliefs,” said Wagner.
“Children that young being instructed in these things by a teacher, it's really going to influence their beliefs… You can't have a public program that's structured in a way that excludes religious people from participating in the public program.”
