The case is known as Mahmoud v. Taylor.
An interreligious group of parents is fighting back against the Montgomery County Maryland Board of Education, saying the Board forced pre-K and elementary-aged children to read controversial books that promote a one-sided transgender ideology, encourage gender transitioning, and focus excessively on romance -- with no parental notification or opportunity to opt out.
The board announced the new “inclusivity” books in the fall of 2022.
Rather than focusing on basic civility and kindness, these books champion pride parades, gender transitioning, and pronoun preferences for children. For example, one book tasks three- and four-year-olds to search for images from a word list that includes “intersex flag,” “(drag) queen,” “underwear,” “leather,” and the name of a celebrated LGBTQ activist and sex worker, according to Becket Fund.
The parents are Christian, Jewish, and-or Muslim, but attorney William Haun of Becket says they are united in seeking to guarantee their children an age-appropriate education that is consistent with their faith.
"At the core of this case is the right of parents to direct their children's religious upbringing and especially ensuring that that right isn't surrendered simply because you send your children to public school like 80% of American families do with school-aged children," Haun says.
The parents want to be notified when the books will be read to their children. The parents also want the opportunity to opt out.
By denying these longstanding arrangements, Becket says on its website that the Board is "violating the parents' inalienable and constitutionally protected right to control the religious upbringing of their children" in Montgomery County, which is one of the most diverse counties in America.
"We are confident that the Supreme Court will uphold that First Amendment rights for all Americans," says Haun.
