Latest news with #BornReady:TheTrueStoryofaBoyNamedPenelope
The Hindu
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
U.S. Supreme Court backs parents opting children out of LGBTQ-themed books
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday (June 27, 2025) ruled 6-3 to let parents opt their children out of LGBTQ-themed lessons at public schools, a move critics warn threatens the future of secular education by opening the door to broad religious objections. The Justices reviewed an appeal brought by Christian and Muslim parents against a Maryland public school district that, in 2022, added books tackling prejudice and exploring gender identity to its elementary curriculum. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has made fighting 'woke ideology' a hallmark of his second term, hailed the outcome as a 'great ruling for parents'. 'They lost control of the schools and they lost control of their child, and this is a tremendous victory for parents,' he said at a White House press conference. The Court found that the Montgomery County parents were likely to prevail in their claim that blocking them from opting out 'unconstitutionally burdens' their religious freedom. 'For many people of faith, there are few religious acts more important than the religious education of their children,' wrote Justice Samuel Alito for the majority. He said the books in question 'are designed to present certain values and beliefs as things to be celebrated and certain contrary values and beliefs as things to be rejected.' Justice Alito cited specific texts, including 'Uncle Bobby's Wedding', which celebrates gay marriage, and 'Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope', about a transgender boy. The right-wing Heritage Foundation, which authored the blueprint for Mr. Trump's second term, also praised the ruling as 'a resounding victory for parents across America, affirming their fundamental right to guide their children's moral and religious upbringing'. In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor — joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — defended public schools as places where 'children of all faiths and backgrounds' gain exposure to a pluralistic society. 'That experience is critical to our Nation's civic vitality,' she wrote. 'Yet it will become a mere memory if children must be insulated from exposure to ideas and concepts that may conflict with their parents' religious beliefs.' She warned of a slippery slope: 'Books expressing implicit support for patriotism, women's rights, interfaith marriage, consumption of meat, immodest dress, and countless other topics may conflict with sincerely held religious beliefs and thus trigger stringent judicial review under the majority's test.' The ruling could even reopen settled legal ground on how schools teach evolution and other scientific topics, said Daniel Mach, a legal expert with the American Civil Liberties Union. 'The issue had come up many times in lower courts, including where parents claimed a religious right to opt out of biology lessons on evolution,' he told AFP. 'In each of those cases, the courts rejected the claim, but now with today's decision, the door has been bashed open to invite all manner of objections.' Mach warned that schools may now choose to self-censor rather than navigate a patchwork of opt-outs in anticipation of lawsuits.
Hindustan Times
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
US Supreme Court allows parents to opt children out of LGBTQ-themed lessons
The US Supreme Court on Friday ruled 6-3 to let parents opt their children out of LGBTQ-themed lessons at public schools, a move critics warn threatens the future of secular education by opening the door to broad religious objections. Justice Samuel Alito wrote for majority that "for many people of faith, there are few religious acts more important than the religious education of their children".(AFP) The justices reviewed an appeal brought by Christian and Muslim parents against a Maryland public school district that, in 2022, added books tackling prejudice and exploring gender identity to its elementary curriculum. President Donald Trump, who has made fighting "woke ideology" a hallmark of his second term, hailed the outcome as a "great ruling for parents." "They lost control of the schools and they lost control of their child, and this is a tremendous victory for parents," he said at a White House press conference. The court found that the Montgomery County parents were likely to prevail in their claim that blocking them from opting out "unconstitutionally burdens" their religious freedom. "For many people of faith, there are few religious acts more important than the religious education of their children," wrote Justice Samuel Alito for the majority. He said the books in question "are designed to present certain values and beliefs as things to be celebrated, and certain contrary values and beliefs as things to be rejected." Alito cited specific texts including "Uncle Bobby's Wedding," which celebrates gay marriage, and "Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope," about a transgender boy. The right-wing Heritage Foundation, which authored the blueprint for Trump's second term, also praised the ruling as "a resounding victory for parents across America, affirming their fundamental right to guide their children's moral and religious upbringing." Evolution next? In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor -- joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson -- defended public schools as places where "children of all faiths and backgrounds" gain exposure to a pluralistic society. "That experience is critical to our Nation's civic vitality," she wrote. "Yet it will become a mere memory if children must be insulated from exposure to ideas and concepts that may conflict with their parents' religious beliefs." She warned of a slippery slope: "Books expressing implicit support for patriotism, women's rights, interfaith marriage, consumption of meat, immodest dress, and countless other topics may conflict with sincerely held religious beliefs and thus trigger stringent judicial review under the majority's test." The ruling could even reopen settled legal ground on how schools teach evolution and other scientific topics, said Daniel Mach, a legal expert with the American Civil Liberties Union. "The issue had come up many times in lower courts, including where parents claimed a religious right to opt out of biology lessons on evolution," he told AFP. "In each of those cases, the courts rejected the claim, but now with today's decision, the door has been bashed open to invite all manner of objections." Mach warned that schools may now choose to self-censor rather than navigate a patchwork of opt-outs in anticipation of lawsuits.
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Mahmoud v Taylor: Supreme Court rules Maryland students can opt out of LGBTQ-themed classes, Trump admin says 'big win'
Supreme court ruled in favor of religion and said Maryland students can't be forced to read books with gay, transgender characters. The Supreme Court ruled Friday that Maryland parents can pull their children from lessons that cover LGBTQ-themed topics. The Trump administration called it a major win as the administration favored for religious liberty, parental rights against forced LGBTQ lessons. "The Court rightfully held that schools can't shut parents out or disregard their religious obligations to their children. A great day for parents and education champions!" education secretary Linda McMahon said. What is the Mahmoud v Taylor case? In 2022, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland introduced supplemental LGBTQ-themed books for kindergarten through 5th grade, first offering parents the option to opt out. In March 2023, MCPS ended the opt-out, citing administrative burden and concerns over stigmatizing LGBTQ students. One book, Uncle Bobby's Wedding, features a gay character who is getting married, while another, Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope, is about a transgender child. A coalition of Muslim, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox Christian parents filed suit, claiming the no-opt-out policy burdened their religious rights. The Montgomery Board of Education and Montgomery County Public Schools released a joint statement on today's US Supreme Court decision: "Today's decision is not the outcome we hoped for or worked toward. It marks a significant challenge for public education nationwide. In Montgomery County Public Schools, we will determine next steps and navigate this moment with integrity and purpose—guided, as always, by our shared values of learning, relationships, respect, excellence, and equity." Several conservative justices, including Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, expressed sympathy in April 2025 towards the parents and ultimately leaned towards requiring schools to give parents an opt-out. However, no decision was made then, and the high court decided to push an official ruling to June.
New York Post
22-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Why mom joined Supreme Court lawsuit over LGBTQ+ books in elementary school: ‘Emphasis on children's romantic emotions'
Controversy erupted in Maryland's largest public school district when it introduced more than 20 inclusivity books, some with LGBTQ+ themes, into its elementary schools. Most states, including Maryland, have laws in place that allow parents to choose whether their children attend sex education. However, Montgomery County school district has introduced the 'inclusivity' books in subjects such as Language Arts class, and school leaders said they would not offer the same opt out choices. Hundreds of parents from multiple faith backgrounds have joined the case which has gone all the way to the Supreme Court. Advertisement Grace Morrison is part of the case through the Kids First organization. She explains why her family joined the lawsuit: 5 Grace Morrison pulled her daughter out of school and started homeschooling her when the 'opt-out' option became no more. Courtesy of Grace Morrison My husband and I have seven children. Our youngest daughter, who is now 12, we adopted from Ukraine as an infant. She has Down syndrome so she has special needs. Advertisement We started her in the Montgomery County school system and she continued there until she was 10 years old. We started homeschooling her in 2023 after our local school board introduced a new set of 'inclusivity' books for pre-K through fifth-grade students. Instead of teaching universal lessons about kindness and respect, these books push polarizing views on gender and sexuality while placing an unusual emphasis on children's romantic emotions. I was told one book that would be presented in her classroom was called Pride Puppy where children going to a pride parade get an alphabetical list of things to look for, like the 'intersex flag,' a 'drag queen,' 'leather,' and a controversial LGBTQ activist. They were way too advanced and sensitive for children as young as three. 5 Hundreds of parents are fighting the district's decision to not offer the ability to 'opt-out'. Becket Advertisement Another book they presented [Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope] was about a little boy who decided he was trans and wanted to become a girl and how his whole family supported him and made him a pink wig. It was telling young readers that the decision to transition doesn't need to 'make sense.' To be presenting those ideas to children, especially those with special needs, I can't imagine what confusion that causes. But the school sent out a notice saying we would no longer have the option to opt out. I was concerned for two reasons: we are in the Catholic faith and opposed to that; and it was not appropriate to her age or her needs. Until this point we had a great relationship with the teachers, it was very respectful and we worked very well together. I found out from a teacher these materials would be presented in a Language Arts class. It was not just a simple class – it involved teaching. 5 Jeff and Svitlana Roman are also part of the lawsuit and wanted their son to opt out of certain teachings in the 'inclusivity' books due to their Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox beliefs. Becket Advertisement 5 parents claim they should not be placed in a position where their only alternative to instruction which offends their religious values is to take their children out of public school. Becket Maryland, like forty-seven other states, mandates parental notification for Family Life and Human Sexuality classes and allows parents to opt their children out of these lessons. But because these books are tucked into a Language Arts program, somehow they believe it doesn't require the parents being notified. I reached out to the principal and was told they adhere to Montgomery County's policy and if I was not comfortable, this was not a place for my child and to find another school…so we removed our daughter. I got involved as a board member for Kids First – the organization challenging the school board's policies in federal court. It's a diverse group of parents and teachers from all faith backgrounds including Catholic, Muslim and Jewish. Today, we take our fight — the case 'Mahmoud v. Taylor' — to the Supreme Court, asking for the restoration of our fundamental right to guide our child's education in alignment with our faith. 5 Another of the parents in the case, Billy Moges, pictured doing homework with her daughters. Moges is the director of Kids First, which argues parents should have more of a choice in what their kids are learning at school. Becket Every child deserves to experience the innocence of childhood, with their parents playing a central role in guiding them through such complex and sensitive subjects introduced in the classroom. Our daughter brings great joy to our family. But this sudden change in our family life and routine was unexpected and has cost us a lot. We've had to adapt both financially and in our day-to-day living. I would hope that someday I could return my daughter to public school so she would have the benefits of being with a lot of other children and the services provided through schools. Advertisement It was very confusing to her in the beginning because other children in the neighborhood still get on the school bus that she's no longer getting on. But I think she's adapting fine. There are ways to teach love and respect and tolerance but not to remove parents from the equation because the school thinks they can do it better. This is a majority issue — not a transphobic, homophobic or discriminatory issue — and this is about parents being parents and deciding what is best for the children.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court appears inclined to rule for parents seeking opt-outs for LGBTQ-themed instruction
The Supreme Court appeared inclined Tuesday to side with a group of parents objecting to their school district including books with LGBTQ themes in its elementary school curriculum. Across more than two hours of arguments, a majority of the justices sympathized with the Montgomery County, Md., parents' claims that the lack of an opt-out option substantially burdens their First Amendment rights to freely exercise their religion. 'What is the big deal about allowing them to opt out of this?' conservative Justice Samuel Alito asked. Montgomery County, which serves more than 160,000 students in the Maryland suburbs of the nation's capital and is one of the country's most diverse school districts, began introducing LGBTQ-inclusive books in its elementary school language arts curriculum at the start of the 2022-23 school year. The books include titles like 'Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope,' which is centered on the author's transgender son, and 'Love, Violet,' which tells the story of two young girls in a same-sex romance. 'The book has a clear message,' Alito said of one of the books, indicating he had read several of the titles. 'And a lot of people think it is a good message. And maybe it is a good message, but it is a message that a lot of people who hold on to traditional religious beliefs don't agree with,' he added. Initially, the school board allowed parents to opt out their children, but the county rescinded the option beginning the following school year. Justice Brett Kavanaugh repeatedly questioned why the school district was refusing the option and walked through Montgomery County's history of being a 'beacon' of religious liberty. 'I guess I am a bit mystified, as a lifelong resident of the county, how it came to this,' Kavanaugh said. As the county removed the opt-out option, an organization and three sets of Muslim, Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox parents sued, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which regularly brings religion cases before the high court. 'The First Amendment demands more,' Eric Baxter, senior counsel at Becket, told the justices of the county's policy. The parents argue the county's decision violates the Supreme Court's holding in a 1972 case, Wisconsin v. Yoder, in which it ruled Wisconsin couldn't require Amish children to attend public school beyond the eighth grade, because parents have the constitutional right to guide the religious future and education of their children. But lower courts declined to put the county's policy on hold as the case proceeded, saying the plaintiffs didn't show their religious exercise was substantially burdened. The parents appealed to the Supreme Court after a divided panel on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected their bid. Though a majority of the court's conservatives seemed ready to rule with the parents, the justices explored several different legal avenues for how to get there. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, two of President Trump's appointees to the court, repeatedly questioned if they should consider whether the county's policy demonstrates hostility against certain practices that amounts to religious discrimination. Meanwhile, the court's three liberal justices raised concerns about where to draw the line, peppering hypotheticals about a gay teacher who has a photo of their same-sex spouse on their desk or a teacher who calls a transgender student by their preferred pronouns. 'It'll be like opt-outs for everyone,' Justice Elena Kagan said. Outside the courthouse, dozens of protesters gathered at side-by-side competing rallies. The group supporting the county read some of the books used by the school district, carrying signs with messages such as 'Our Love is Louder.' The competing group included demonstrators who held signs displaying slogans like 'Let Kids be Kids' and 'Let Parents Parent.' The case is the first of two this session in which the justices will delve into religion and schools. Next week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the bid in Oklahoma to create the nation's first religious public charter school. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
