Berliner Tageblatt - US Supreme Court backs parents opting children out of LGBTQ-themed books

The justices were reviewing an appeal brought by Christian and Muslim parents against a Maryland public school district that, in 2022, introduced books aimed at combating prejudice and discussing gender identity into kindergarten and elementary school curricula.

The court found that the parents were likely to succeed in their claim that denying them the ability to withdraw their children from such instruction "unconstitutionally burdens" their right to exercise their religion.

"For many people of faith, there are few religious acts more important than the religious education of their children," wrote Justice Samuel Alito in the majority opinion.

He added that 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," citing the normalization and celebration of same-sex marriage as one such example.

In the dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor -- joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson -- argued that public schools "offer to children of all faiths and backgrounds an education and an opportunity to practice living in our multicultural society."

"That experience is critical to our Nation’s civic vitality. 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.

President Donald Trump has taken aim at diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across the federal government, with particular focus on transgender issues.

His Justice Department backed the parents in the case, calling the school district's policy "textbook interference with the free exercise of religion."

J.Bergmann--BTB