Religious parents urge Supreme Court to restore opt-outs for Pride Storybooks

A diverse group of religious parents asked the Supreme Court Tuesday to restore their ability to opt their children out of storybooks that push one-sided ideology on gender and sexuality. In Mahmoud v. Taylor, the Montgomery County Board of Education took away parental notice and opt-outs for storybooks that celebrate gender transitioning, pride parades, and pronoun preferences with kids as young as three and four. Older students can opt out when similar topics are introduced during health class. Becket represents a diverse coalition of religious parents, including Muslims, Christians, and Jews, who challenged the opt-out ban in 2023 (Watch this short video to learn more.)

Becket’s 2024 Religious Freedom Index, released this January, confirms that Americans side with parents in Mahmoud. A majority of Americans (77%) agree that parents should be able to opt their children out of controversial public school curriculum content if it violates their religious beliefs or if they think it is not age-appropriate. And only 3% of Americans said that it was appropriate for schools to instruct children on concepts such as human sexuality and gender identity in Pre-K or Kindergarten. Check out those findings in our education one-pager.

Becket’s Index also reflected the significant finding making headlines across other polling: that the level of religiosity in America, after decades of decline, may be leveling out and even increasing among younger demographics. Click here for the entire Index to learn about these findings and more.