U.S. Supreme Court Lets Parents Pull Children from LGBT+ Lessons to Protect Religious Freedom
The U.S. Supreme Court, with its conservative majority, has ruled that parents can remove their children from school lessons covering LGBT+ topics in order to protect their religious freedom. The decision, praised by Donald Trump and criticized by progressive judges and advocacy groups, marks a shift in how schools approach sensitive subjects.
Trump Hails a “Tremendous Victory”
On Friday, June 27, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a group of parents who argued that exposing their children to books about LGBT+ topics violated their religious rights. In a 6–3 decision, the Court ruled that forcing children to engage with such materials is an “unconstitutional infringement” on the parents’ freedom of religion and significantly interferes with their children’s religious upbringing.
President Donald Trump welcomed the decision, calling it a “tremendous victory for parents” who he said had “lost control of schools and their children.” Speaking at a press conference at the White House, Trump said the ruling reaffirmed families’ fundamental rights over what their children are taught in school.
Conservative Justices Say Values Are Being Forced
The case involved public school parents in Maryland who opposed the introduction of children’s books in 2022 aimed at reducing bias around homosexuality and gender identity in early education. At first, schools planned to notify parents so they could opt their children out of these lessons—but this option was later removed. Some Christian and Muslim families took the matter to court, citing the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom.
Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito argued that these books “impose a set of values and beliefs that conflict with the parents’ religious convictions.” He claimed that the materials put psychological pressure on children to adopt specific views, especially since they target “young, impressionable children.” He pointed to books that portray same-sex marriage as examples of this pressure.
Risk of Isolation? Progressives See a Step Backward
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing in dissent, defended the role of public schools in helping children understand social diversity. She warned that keeping children from these lessons could isolate them and deprive them of an “essential experience for civic life.” She called the ruling “a decision that may undermine students’ preparation to live in a pluralistic society.”
Daniel Mach, a legal expert at the ACLU, warned that the ruling could “interfere with decisions about school curricula” and reignite debates over controversial topics like the teaching of evolution. On the other hand, the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation welcomed the decision as a “resounding victory” for American parents and a reaffirmation of their “fundamental right to guide their children’s moral and religious education.”