A4TE Condemns Supreme Court’s Ruling Limiting Inclusive Curricula in America’s Classroom

[Washington, D.C.] - Today, Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) strongly condemns the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which departs from decades of the Court’s precedent and gives the plaintiff parents in Montgomery County, Maryland maintaining anti-LGBTQI+ beliefs a right to insulate their children from LGBTQI+-inclusive storybooks or instruction. 
 
“Today’s decision isn’t just about schoolbooks - it’s about whose stories get silenced,” said Gabriel Arkles, Co-Interim Legal Director of A4TE. “It signals that certain religious beliefs now hold power over basic truths and identities – and that LGBTQI+ and other marginalized students are somehow too controversial to include in everyday learning.” 

The decision requires strict scrutiny for any curricular choice without notice and an opt out for religious reasons, which makes it easier for a religious parent to insist their children only be taught things consistent with the parent’s religious views. In her dissent, Justice Sotomayor observes, “The damage to America’s public education system will be profound."  
 
“Particularly concerning is the decision’s treatment of a storybook where a transgender boy shares his gender, which the majority characterized by misgendering the character and accusing the text of “slyly” supporting acceptance and healthcare for trans young people. This language stigmatizes trans youth. LGBTQI+ students, parents, and teachers are an important part of every community, and they’re not going anywhere,” said Kelly Parry-Johnson, senior staff attorney at A4TE.  
 
“Our children deserve to grow up seeing their families, their identities, and their communities reflected in the world around them,” said Darien Alexander Williams, Queer Muslims of Boston (QMOB) “This decision reinforces the idea that LGBTQI+ lives are up for debate – and that’s not just wrong, it’s dangerous.” 

A4TE’s friend-of-the-court brief, filed on behalf of eight LGBTQI+ Muslim-led and allied organizations, emphasized Muslim communities are not a monolith, that many LGBTBQI+ people are Muslims of deep faith, and that many interpret their faith as fully inclusive of LGBTQI+ people. The brief rejected the false binary between religious belief and LGBTQI+ inclusion, pointing to Islamic teachings and histories that honor complexity, justice, and human dignity. 

“This ruling may embolden those seeking to isolate LGBTQI+ children,” said Aruna Rao, Executive Director of Desi Rainbow. “But we know our communities are resilient. Our faith calls on us to approach differences with humility and a firm commitment to justice – not exclusion. We will keep showing up for queer and trans youth – in the courts, in classrooms, and beyond.” 
 
A4TE’s brief highlighted Muslim beliefs about gender and sexuality are deeply diverse, despite persistent misrepresentations in both legal arguments and public narratives. Many Muslim communities - including those led by LGBTQI+ Muslims – understand Islam as a tradition that honors human diversity, emphasizes justice, and embraces queerness not as a contradiction, but as part of creation’s sacred complexity. The brief called on the Court to recognize that religious liberty is not a license to erase the lives of others, but a shared right that must embrace diversity and align with equality and dignity for all. 

 The case is Mahmoud v. Taylor. 

Gabriel Arkles, Kelly Parry-Johnson, and Anya Marino of A4TE represented the amici, which include Atlanta Unity Mosque, Al-Wāsi’ Collective, Desi Rainbow Parents & Allies, Hidaya LGBTQ US, Tarab NYC, Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Queer Crescent, and Queer Muslims of Boston. Jack Einstein, Maddie Schwartz, and Shawn Avidan also assisted on the brief. 

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