Alabama Public Library Service chairman John Wahl was swift to praise the Friday U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision, in which it sided with a set of Maryland parents who challenged a local school district for not allowing them to opt their elementary-aged child out of a class on gender identity and other LGBTQ+ issues.
The Court's 6-3 opinion in Mahmoud v. Taylor, authored by Justice Samuel Alito, said that the government would restrict the parents' religious liberty by compelling a student to participate in a class that pushes an ideology opposed to the family's deeply held religious beliefs.
The case came after the local Maryland school system added "LGBTQ-inclusive" storybooks into its elementary English Language Arts curriculum.
"[W]e hold that the Board's introduction of the 'LGBTQ+-inclusive' storybooks — combined with its decision to withhold notice to parents and to forbid opt outs — substantially interferes with the religious development of their children and imposes the kind of burden on religious exercise that the Court has previously ruled is unacceptable," Alito wrote.
Wahl, who is no stranger to the fight against LGBTQ+-promoting material being targeted at children, was quick to praise the
"As Chairman of the Alabama Public Library Service, I have been saying this for years: we must put parents back in control of what their children are exposed to," Wahl said. "Today's Supreme Court ruling is a powerful win for religious freedom and parental rights."
"No child should be forced to sit through lessons that go against their family's beliefs. Parents—not government bureaucrats—should have the final say in what their children have access to in public institutions. I applaud the Court's decision to uphold the Constitution and protect the right of families to opt out of radical social agendas being pushed on our young people," he added.
The ruling required the school to inform parents whenever such instruction was to take place and allow the students to be excused. The Court also allowed the parents' lawsuit to continue while the provisions of the preliminary injunction stayed in place.
"The modern socialist agenda has made it clear that it wants to bypass parental authority and reshape American values through our public institutions," Wahl continued. "Today's ruling is a necessary check on that overreach. This isn't about banning books or silencing voices—it's about restoring the rights of families to guide the moral and religious upbringing of their own children without government interference."
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