Today, authors and illustrators of books in the Supreme Court case Mahmoud v. Taylor released a statement in support of inclusive books, and in support of the school district including their books in curriculum.
The case was brought by a group of parents who sued the Montgomery County, Maryland, school district for the right to opt their children out of using certain books in school they argue are “against their religious beliefs.” Among the books, which include LGBTQ characters, are two books published by Little Bee Books in partnership with GLAAD: Uncle Bobby’s Wedding and Prince & Knight.
As Maryland County Public Schools explained, the books are “not mandatory,” and teachers are expected to “incorporate the [Storybooks] into the curriculum in the same way that other books are used, namely, to put them on a shelf for students to find on their own; to recommend a book to a student who would enjoy it; to offer the books as an option for literature circles, book clubs, or paired reading groups; or to use them as a read aloud.”
The letter from the books’ authors and illustrators reads in part: “Our most basic duty as members of society is to respect and care for each other, no matter how similar or different we may be. Children want to see themselves in books; all children need to see many different kinds of people in books.”
“We stand in support of the Montgomery County School District,” the authors and illustrators continued. “We oppose censoring or segregating books, like ours, that feature LGBTQ+ people. All families deserve to be seen and heard. To act otherwise is harmful and sends a devastating message to students: that their lives and families are so offensive and dangerous that they can’t even be discussed in school.”
Right wing extremists have challenged inclusive books for years. PEN America tracked more than 10,000 instances of book bans in 29 states, across 220 school districts from July 2023 to June 2024. In the last school year, PEN America demonstrated that 39% of unique titles banned two or more times contained some form of LGBTQ representation.
“Books can help us see the world, educate us, and give us hope,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President & CEO of GLAAD. “To be reflected in books is to be seen and affirmed. All youth deserve to see themselves and their families represented in books and media. Any attempts to ban and restrict books simply for including LGBTQ characters are direct attacks on two key American values: freedom and family.”
For more information about fighting local book bans, check out GLAAD’s Book Bans Cannot Stand: Organizing to Defeat Book Bans in Your Community