6 Maryland parents sue school board for making kids read ‘Pride’ books.

Six Maryland Parents Sue School Board Over “Pride” Books

Six Maryland parents are suing their children’s school board for allegedly forcing their children to read “Pride” themed books without parental knowledge.

Three couples from different religious backgrounds filed a lawsuit against the Montgomery County Board of Education, claiming that the board violated their parental rights. The lawsuit comes after the school board compiled a list of 13 new “LGBTQ-inclusive” books and informed parents that they could no longer opt their children out of the curriculum.

Violation of State Law and School Board Policy

The parents’ lawsuit argues that the board’s new LGBT book list and the lack of opt-out options violates a state law that requires school boards to notify parents beforehand about any curriculum material related to “sexuality” and allow them to “withdraw the child from the course or lesson.” The Maryland law states that parents may “object to instructional material and other materials, … if the objection is based on beliefs regarding morality, religion, philosophy, any fundamental value system deemed important by a parent, or the belief that the materials are harmful.” The lawsuit also claims that the board violated one of its own policies.

Books on the “Pride” List

One of the books on the “Pride” list is titled “Love, Violet” and is meant for children as young as kindergarten. The book is about girls falling in love with other girls. Another book is titled “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope,” also aimed at children as young as kindergarten, and teaches children that a girl may actually be a boy. “Pride Puppy,” aimed at ages three to five, serves as an “introduction to Pride parades for the youngest readers,” according to Publishers Weekly. The lawsuit also claims that the “Pride” books invites children as young as three to look for images of an “intersex flag,” a “drag king,” a “drag queen,” “leather,” “underwear,” and a picture of “LGBTQ activist and sex worker, Marsha P. Johnson.”

Parents’ Right to Opt-Out

The six parents are Muslim, Catholic, and Orthodox Christian and are being represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a conservative law firm focused on religious freedom. The parents’ legal team is asking the court to immediately block the school board’s no parental notice or opt-out option policy. “Children are entitled to guidance from their own parents, who know and love them best, regarding how they’ll be introduced to complex issues concerning gender identity, transgenderism, and human sexuality,” said Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel at the Becket Fund. “Like states nationwide, Maryland has long recognized that parents have the right to opt their children out of school activities that conflict with their religious beliefs or push sham science,” Baxter said.

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