Today is a tremendous victory for religious liberty, parental rights, and plain old common sense: the Supreme Court has ruled decisively in favor of Maryland parents resisting the radical sexual indoctrination of their children. With a 6-3 decision, the justices struck a blow for families of faith, affirming that parents have a constitutional right to remove their children from lessons featuring LGBTQ-themed storybooks that directly clash with their religious beliefs.
The case originated when Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) approved controversial LGBTQ-themed curriculum books back in 2022 and then, astonishingly, reversed an earlier decision to allow religious parents to opt their children out. MCPS administrators cited vague excuses about absenteeism and administrative burden—thin justifications for trampling parental authority and religious conscience.
Justice Samuel Alito, writing for a firm conservative majority, put it bluntly and accurately: “A government burdens the religious exercise of parents when it requires them to submit their children to instruction that poses ‘a very real threat of undermining’ the religious beliefs and practices that the parents wish to instill. And a government cannot condition the benefit of free public education on parents’ acceptance of such instruction.”
Justice Alito hit the nail squarely on the head. Forcing children as young as three and four years old to encounter books like “Pride Puppy,” which encourages toddlers to identify items typically found at gay pride parades—including drag kings and lip rings—goes far beyond basic education. Similarly troubling are books such as “Intersection Allies,” targeted at elementary school children, introducing them to transgender and non-binary concepts and prompting questions like “What pronouns fit you?” Another disturbing example is “Born Ready,” in which a confused child is told by his mother that “not everything needs to make sense,” dismissing genuine childhood confusion with ideological hand-waving.
“A government burdens the religious exercise of parents when it requires them to submit their children to instruction that poses ‘a very real threat of undermining’ the religious beliefs and practices that the parents wish to instill,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority.
The Supreme Court’s ruling is a critical check against the increasingly common leftist idea that the state knows better than parents when it comes to moral and religious instruction. Schools have no business undermining the values parents work tirelessly to instill at home—especially when such indoctrination masquerades as education. This is not about tolerance or diversity; it is about a calculated effort to normalize and celebrate one particular set of progressive beliefs, while silencing dissent and marginalizing religious voices.
Predictably, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent reveals just how disconnected the left has become from everyday American families. Sotomayor frets melodramatically that the decision will unleash “chaos for this nation’s public schools,” claiming that providing parents with advance notice and opt-out options imposes “impossible administrative burdens.” Yet, as Justice Brett Kavanaugh rightly noted during oral arguments, other Maryland counties already provide opt-outs for numerous sensitive topics without descending into chaos.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon applauded the Supreme Court’s decision, rightly calling it “a major win for religious liberty and parental rights.” McMahon stated clearly, “The Court rightfully held that schools can’t shut parents out or disregard their religious obligations to their children.”
Today’s ruling is more than just a legal victory—it is a reaffirmation of bedrock American principles: religious freedom, parental authority, and the rights of families to raise their children according to their own deeply held beliefs. We must remain vigilant as the case returns to lower courts for further consideration. But make no mistake, this decision sends a powerful message to school boards and activist bureaucrats nationwide.
In America, parents—not government officials—are the primary educators and moral guides of their children. Allowing parents to opt out of controversial lessons should not be controversial at all; it should be common sense. Thanks to this Supreme Court ruling, common sense—and parental rights—have triumphed once again.
