This week, the Supreme Court ruled in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case that would restrict young people’s access to LGBTQ+ books at schools in Montgomery County, Maryland, and pave the way for far-reaching classroom censorship on the basis of religion. The Court ruled in favor of permitting censorship in that district and requiring parental notification there whenever books about LGBTQ+ issues are used in any way – paving the way for future attacks on LGBTQ+ literature and inclusion.

In response, Debra Hauser, President of the national youth activism and sexual health organization Advocates for Youth, issued the following statement:

“We are outraged at the Supreme Court’s endorsement of book bans and failure to protect young people’s access to books that reflect the diversity of the world around them. Attempts to censor LGBTQ+-inclusive materials under the guise of religious freedom are rooted in hate and blatant discrimination.

The Supreme Court has sent a disturbing message that classroom materials can be challenged and censored by small but powerful groups of extremists. We need to let educators do their jobs and to end this wave of government interference that privileges politics over student wellbeing.”

Advocates for Youth operates Hope in a Box, a LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum-to-classroom program that equips over 20,000 educators with inclusive curriculum guides, books and toolkits.