Mahmoud v. Taylor

 

Update: January 18th, 2026

I’ve heard from a number of teachers and librarians, and so have my fellow authors and illustrators, that the lack of clarity and direction from this case is frustrating. Districts are handling this differently, and personally, I think that’s somewhat by design. I’ve heard from some of you seeking guidance. Here’s what I can share.

  1. The NEA released best practices guide following Mahmoud v Taylor here: https://www.nea.org/resource-library/best-practices-supporting-inclusive-education-following-mahmoud-v-taylor

  2. I wrote this before the decision came down, but I still think it’s relevant: https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-every-child-deserves-to-see-themselves-represented-on-their-classroom-bookshelves-and-during-discussions/

  3. Kelly Jensen at Book Riot (a must follow if you care at all about book bans, censorship and the freedom to read) has resources here: https://bookriot.com/mahmoud-v-taylor-resources/ and wrote about the decision here: https://bookriot.com/supreme-court-opinion-in-mahmoud-v-taylor/


If you see other resources that should be included in this list, please feel free to reach out.

Update: June 27th, 2025

Following the Supreme Court decision on Mahmoud v Taylor, please refer to these following statements.

Joint Author-Illustrator Statement at PEN America

Personal Statement of Katherine Locke, author of What Are Your Words? A Book About Pronouns

On January 17, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States announced that it would hear the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor and decide whether the Montgomery County, public school district in Maryland has the right to include nine LGBTQ picture books without parents being able to opt their children out. One of those books is my picture book, WHAT ARE YOUR WORDS? A Book About Pronouns.

 

What Are Your Words? cover

What Are Your Words? A Book About Pronouns

by Katherine Locke and illustrated by Anne Passchier

ALA Top Ten Rainbow Book 2022

Follow Ari through their neighborhood as they try to find their words in this sweet, accessible introduction to gender-inclusive pronouns that is perfect for readers of all ages. 

★ “An affirming, conversational picture book that models the ease with which our language can adapt to gender diversity and pronoun use. A recommended first purchase for all libraries.” —School Library Journal, starred review

More information and Buy Links

Book Resume from Unite Against Book Bans
 
 

How can you help?

First, thank you for caring. It means a lot to all of the authors and illustrators, and I’m sure to the parents, teachers, librarians, students and school administration of the Montgomery County School District.

There are a couple of concrete steps you can take.

  1. Share the statement that the authors and illustrators made on February 18th. You can find that here at PEN America. We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from PEN America, We Need Diverse Books, GLAAD and other organizations and individuals during this time.

  2. Support these nine books. If you can purchase them, please do, whether it’s for your family, gifts, or Little Free Libraries, or for your kid’s schools. If you can’t, please reach out to your local libraries. Ask them to purchase them if they’re not in the catalog, and if they are, take them out and read them. Books in circulation get to stay on library shelves, and then that means more people who need to read them do read them.

  3. Get involved at your local level. These challenges come up at the local level first—and they rarely make it this far. There are hundreds upon hundreds of books that get challenged at the local level across the United States. We cannot rely on the federal government or many state governments to protect the freedom to read, so we must do it ourselves. Whether that’s getting involved in your state level organization (such as Let Utah Read or Florida Freedom to Read) or a national organization like Authors Against Book Bans and EveryLibrary, we need your support. We need you to attend school board meetings and write emails and talk to your neighbors and support your librarians and your teachers. We need you to fight for kids who might not be your kids but need these books nonetheless. We need your voices.

  4. Create an ‘echo event’ on April 20th-April 22nd in conjunction with the case being heard at the Supreme Court. Author Charlotte Sullivan Wild, author of Love, Violet, created an incredible ‘echo event’ toolkit that helps YOU take action in your local community in support of inclusive curriculums. That includes a great activity kit you can print and use for your kids, students, or library patrons!

  5. If you’re local to DC, there will be a rally outside the court on 4/22. You can find more information here.

Thank you for all you do.