Jun 27, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Supreme Court requires opt-out for LGBTQ-themed lessons in schools

Sam Baker

Supporters of LGBTQ+ rights hold rainbow-colored umbrellas as they demonstrate outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Building on April 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. Supreme Court Justices heard arguments for the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor where a coalition of parents from Montgomery County, Maryland, — Supporters of LGBTQ+ rights hold rainbow-colored umbrellas as they demonstrate outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Building on April 22. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Parents can opt their children out of school lessons with LGBTQ+ characters or themes, the Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The big picture: The ruling is a win for conservatives as schools have become a major partisan battleground.

Zoom in: The case originated in Montgomery County, Maryland, where three sets of parents objected to books that depicted same-sex relationships and a Pride parade.

The school initially offered parents a way to opt their children out of those lessons but dropped it after it became too unwieldy to administer.
But parents must be able to have their kids skip lessons to which the parents have a religious objection, the court ruled in a 6-3 decision written by Justice Samuel Alito.

Oral arguments had indicated that this was the most likely outcome.

"Why is the Montgomery County Board of Education in this argument running away from what they clearly want to say?" Alito asked during those arguments in April.

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Supreme Court requires opt-out for LGBTQ-themed lessons in schools

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