SCOTUS rules parents have a right to prevent their kids from reading books with LGBTQ+ charactershttps://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/06/scotus-rules-parents-have-a-right-to-prevent-their-kids-from-reading-books-with-lgbtq-characters/Alex Bollinger (27 June 2025)
The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in Mahmoud v. Taylor, the case brought by parents who said that their First Amendment rights were violated when schools used books that included LGBTQ+ characters.
"The Court does not accept the Board's characterizations of the LGBTQ+-inclusive instruction as mere 'exposure to objectionable ideas' or as lessons in 'mutual respect,'" Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority. "The storybooks unmistakably convey a particular viewpoint about same-sex marriage and gender."
"Regardless, the question in cases of this kind is whether the educational requirement or curriculum at issue would 'substantially interfere with the religious development' of the child or pose 'a very real threat of undermining' the religious beliefs and practices the parent wishes to instill in the child."
"Casting aside longstanding precedent, the Court invents a constitutional right to avoid exposure to 'subtle' themes 'contrary to the religious principles' that parents wish to instill in their children," Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissenting opinion. "Exposing students to the 'message' that LGBTQ people exist, and that their loved ones may celebrate their marriages and life events, the majority says, is enough to trigger the most demanding form of judicial scrutiny."
The case involved several sets of Christian and Muslim parents who objected to their kids reading books that mentioned LGBTQ+ people. The district had an opt-out policy that they later rescinded because, the district claimed, the opt-outs were becoming "unworkable." ==========================================================================================
Based on my personal interpretation, this appears to indicate that agnostic and atheist parents have a right for their children not to be exposed to religious themes or characters. Do they understand the door they have opened? Say goodbye to Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah, and every other religious observation in schools.
Love always -- Jessica Rose
