Maryland Parents Can’t Opt Kids Out of LGBTQ-Related Lessons: Judge

A federal judge rejected a request for an injunction from some Maryland parents opposed to their children being exposed to LGBTQ+ topics at school.

There are specific lessons mandated within the school system’s curriculum that parents want to opt their kids out of. They involve LGBTQ-related issues and books.

A group of Montgomery County Public Schools parents had asked the judge for an injunction that would have immediately permitted them to remove their kids from English classes where LGBTQ-authored books were being used. They claimed that not allowing their kids to skip those topics went against the religious views of a student’s parents.

The parents claimed it was urgently necessary to issue an injunction to protect their kids from the district’s curriculum.

It wasn’t enough for U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman, who denied the injunction.

Thursday’s ruling sets aside the issue, but it is unlikely to calm community tensions as children begin school on Monday.

A parent who said she prioritizes exposing her children to books with information on a wide range of topics told Washington, D.C.’s NBC affiliate WRC that she supported the ruling.

“I think it’s really important that everybody is included, that kids get exposure to people who are not like them,” Mara Greengrass said.

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The school district maintains that its curriculum is inclusive and that it is teaching children lessons in tolerance, the station reports.

The parents suing the school district filed the lawsuit because they believe MCPS infringes on their religious views. They believe not allowing them to opt their kids out of sexual instruction violates their rights.

Those on the right believe that merely discussing the existence of LGBTQ+ people is somehow sexualizing children. In their eyes, it’s against their religious rights to have a school teach their children the reality that human beings are diverse and deserving of equal rights.

They aimed to be able to opt their children out of lessons involving LGBTQ+ books immediately.

At a hearing on August 9, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, Eric Baxter, argued that classroom discussions that promote questions about sexuality or gender identity violate the parents’ religious beliefs.

Officials from the school system state that reading books about and written by various people, including LGBTQ+ individuals, is not a form of sex education.

As the lawsuit goes through the court system for a final ruling, parents who want to opt their kids out of lessons continue to make noise.

On Thursday afternoon, those opposed to LGBTQ-inclusive instruction plan to protest outside the Montgomery County Public Schools building.