Statement from Katherine Locke, author of What Are Your Words? A Book About Pronouns, following the Supreme Court ruling on Mahmoud V Taylor

June 27th, 2025

This morning, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the parents in the case Mahmoud v Taylor, allowing parents whose religious beliefs do not include the positive portrayals of LGBTQ+ children and families to opt their children out of reading LGBTQ+ picture books in classrooms. We, the authors and illustrators of the books in the case, released a joint statement through PEN America which you can read here.

The implications of this case are enormous, ranging from the enormous and undue burden on schools and teachers, to ostracizing, isolating, and demeaning LGBTQ+ children and children from LGBTQ+ families. 

I read the majority opinion (written by Justice Alito) and the dissent (written by Justice Sotomayor) this morning, heartbroken, furious, and disappointed. 

Make no mistake: this is the decision I expected. But that does not make it less disappointing. 

It’s disappointing that six of the Supreme Court justices, undoubtedly smart, well-read, and astute people, failed in basic reading comprehension when it comes to picture books, aimed at readers ages 4-8. 

I am disappointed that the highest court in the land found that positive depictions of same-sex marriage “undermined” the rights of certain religious people. Same-sex marriage is a legal right across the United States, whether or not people find it offensive. No other legal right portrayed in picture books is found to ‘violate religious rights’. Same-sex marriage, and thus LGBTQ+ identity, has been singled out by the Court for attack and undermining. 

I am disappointed that the highest court in the land failed to find a middle ground, a way of balancing the importance of religious rights--which as a religious person, I understand and support--and the vital, life-saving importance of diverse and inclusive bookshelves, as well as the sovereignty of public education and school curricula. 

I am disappointed that the highest court in the land left the door open not just for opt-outs for religious reasons to LGBTQ+ books but potentially for other concerns including, but not limited to, books depicting women working outside of the home, divorced parents, interracial couples, and interfaith couples. And it’s disappointing that the majority of the court failed to see what Justice Sotomayor noted in her dissent: that the language used in the majority opinion could be weaponized against LGBTQ+ teachers in the workplace. 

I am disappointed that the highest court in the land heard this case which was, according to the plaintiffs, a case about parental rights, without considering at all the rights of the children. 

I am disappointed that the highest court in the land failed to hear both the facts of the case--none of these books depict any sexual acts, sexual references, or sexual education--and the science behind why the Montgomery County School District chose to include them in their curriculum. 

I am disappointed that the highest court in the land failed to comprehend that in this ruling, they prioritized certain religious rights over others, a slippery slope that could see minority religious rights violated in the future. 

I am disappointed that the highest court in the land failed to see a future where public education serves the greater good, instead of the bigoted views of a loud minority. 

I know that parents of all faith backgrounds and of all walks of life struggle to find truth in today’s media landscape. I know we are all inundated with news from every direction, and few today have the bandwidth to read beyond the headlines. It’s easy to hit repost, or reshare, on an article claiming that a picture book depicting bondage is in a school or being sold in a major box store, instead of picking up the book and realizing that’s simply not the case. I know that the demands on parents are high, and the capacity is low, and that parents want what is best for their children. I know and believe that parents, including the parents of the Mahmoud v Taylor case, are acting in what they believe is their child’s best interest. 

I also believe that children, of all faith backgrounds and of all walks of life, deserve better. 

Children deserve safe schools.

Children deserve diverse, inclusive shelves where they can see themselves depicted on the page, whole, loved, safe, and successful. That includes children of all races and ethnicities, children who are in LGBTQ+ families or who are LGBTQ+ themselves, all genders, all abilities and disabilities, and all faiths. 

Children deserve to learn about a world that is complex and beautiful, and wholly theirs, in age-appropriate ways, without ‘age-appropriate’ being a phrase weaponized against them and their learning capabilities. 

Children deserve our trust in their ability to learn information that is sometimes in conflict with other information, and they deserve our protection from those who would want to deny them their right to exist in this world as their whole selves. 

Mahmoud v Taylor was a case about more than just parental rights to control what their children read in a classroom. Mahmoud v Taylor was a blow to public education, to public educational sovereignty, and to the safety and security of marginalized children attending public schools. 

But it was a blow to our efforts to protect, educate, and uplift children from all walks of life and all backgrounds. 

We are failing our children if we do not provide them with inclusive educational materials, because we know that inclusive educational materials lead to better outcomes. 

We are failing our children if we do not provide them safe educational spaces, where they can be their whole selves, because we know that children who feel safe and validated have better educational and social outcomes. 

We are failing our children if we limit their educational opportunities because of their parents’ belief systems because school is a place where minds are opened, not closed.

Mr. Rogers famously said, “My mum used to say, when the news is scary, look for the helpers.” 

The fight for inclusive schools and inclusive teaching materials, including books, is not over. It’s only just begun. And we need everyone in this fight. We are the helpers. Our children need us now.