Supreme Court Case involving Pride Puppy:
On January 17, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States announced that it would hear the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor and rule on whether the Montgomery County public school district in Maryland has the right to use LGBTQ+ picture books in classrooms without notifying parents and giving them the option of opting their children out. The case involves nine LGBTQ picture books, including Pride Puppy. GLAAD has prepared a fact sheet about the case.
As the authors and illustrators of these books, we have spoken up about the case: “Every child deserves the freedom to read. The freedom to read leads to the freedom to learn. Children need to know that there are other people like them in the world, that they aren’t alone, that their hopes and fears are shared by others. And they need the freedom to read about different people with different views, from diverse ethnic backgrounds and abilities. The freedom to read means that children are free to have their own thoughts and beliefs and to make their own choices. It helps prepare them to be good citizens, to navigate and succeed in a complex and diverse world.” You can read our full statement about the case here.
How to get involved
Attend the SCOTUS Rally for Inclusive Education on April 22
People are also invited to host local echo events between April 22 and the SCOTUS decision due in June. These events are a chance to celebrate LGBTQ+ books, advocate for inclusive schools, and build community for further activism. There are an Echo Event Tool Kit, an SCOTUS Books Activity Package, and a Call to Action Guide to help you plan!
Learn more about the case
Here are a few recent statements about the case:
PEN America has made a statement about the case, rejecting efforts to erase diverse families from classrooms, and has filed an amicus brief arguing that giving parents the right to ‘opt-out’ their children would infringe on free speech for others.
ACLU has issued a press release urging the Supreme Court to reject the mandatory opt-out of LGBTQ+ books; the National Education Association says that inclusive education is fundamental to public education; and Americans United argues that the case is an attempt to impose a Christian Nationalist agenda and undermine public education.
From the Authors and Illustrators
Julie McLaughlin addresses the campaign of misinformation about Pride Puppy”
‘All kids deserve to see families like their own in the books they read’: Robin Stevenson writes books she wishes she had read growing up
Charlotte Sullivan Wild addresses the misrepresentation of Love, Violet
Sarah and Ian Hoffman, in Time Magazine: Our Books Help Teach LGBTQ Themes in Schools. Should SCOTUS Allow Parents to Opt Out?
Sarah S. Brannen, The Boston Globe: “I wrote a children’s book 20 years ago. It’s now the center of a Supreme Court Case.”
‘Uncle Bobby’s Wedding is a gentle little story about a family’: Sarah S. Brannen’s 20-year fight for LGBTQ+ children’s books
Charlotte Sullivan Wild, author of Love, Violet: SCOTUS Takes Case Naming LOVE, VIOLET & 8 Other Books
‘All children should feel safe to use the bathroom’: Sarah and Ian Hoffman on writing to create a culture of kindness
Other Media
From Vox: The Supreme Court threatens to bring “Don’t Say Gay” to every classroom in America
From Mombian: U.S. Supreme Court LGBTQ Book Case Is About More Than Just Books
From Mombian: Supreme Court to Hear Case on Whether Reading LGBTQ+ Books in School Requires a Parental Opt-Out Option
From Adventures in Censorship: Will Scotus Give a Constitutional Right to Ban Books?
From Randy Fair, author of Southern Gay Teacher: Teachers Have the Power to Open Students Eyes
Interviews with Robin about Book Challenges:
Many of my books have been challenged, from picture books like Pride Colors and Pride Puppy, to my non-fiction books like Pride: The Celebration and the Struggle, Queer History A-Z, and My Body My Choice: The Fight for Abortion Rights. Several of my novels have also been challenged, including When You Get the Chance, co-written with Tom Ryan. These challenges have been in Canada and the US, and have affected books in both school and public libraries. The following are some interviews with me about this subject.
From Freedom to Read Canada: Author Robin Stevenson Resists Organized Challenges to Books About Sexual Minorities, by Robert Bittner
From PEN Canada: You can’t read that: Banning kids’ books in Canada and the United States, by Jennifer Lanthier
From Orca Book blog: Standing Together Against Book Bans
Book Challenges: Resources and Organizations
PEN America has statistics on book bans, up to date banned book lists, and many useful resources for fighting back against censorship and supporting the freedom to read.
PEN Canada defends books and writers around the world, and brings a focus on Canadian issues related to book challenges, censorship, and free expression.
UNITE AGAINST BOOK BANS has tips for attending school board meetings, and a form to report book challenges and censorship in your community. They also have book resumes that you may find helpful in defending a specific book against a challenge.
WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS has many resources to help you respond when books are challenged in your community.
Canada’s ANTI HATE NETWORK has a guide on what we can do to fight back at the local level, by preventing hate groups from taking over school boards in our communities.
The Canadian Library Challenges data base lists book challenges- and their outcomes- at Canadian libraries.
The Canadian Center for Free Expression creates profiles of challenged books, as well as linking to many useful and interesting articles.
New Anthology on Fighting Book Bans
BANNED TOGETHER: OUR FIGHT FOR READERS’ RIGHTS is finally here! I am so thrilled to have an essay in this amazing anthology. Published in March 2025, and edited by Ashley Hope Perez, it has already earned five starred reviews! Kirkus calls it “An empowering and critically timely blueprint for action.” Publishers Weekly writes, “[Serving as as a manifesto against book banning delivered by the authors whose livelihood is on the line, this collection movingly reminds readers of the power they have against censorship…. Powerful reading for a crucial moment.” Booklist says this anthology “acts as a call to action and a form of protest, using the power of words to inspire hope and unity.” And School Library Journal writes, “This light in the darkness is an inspiring call to action and an essential addition to all collections.”
