Speaking of the First Amendment: The Washington Post Weighs in on Mahmoud

The Supreme Court’s recent oral argument on Mahmoud v. Taylor became a brutal examination of Montgomery County schools’ position that parents should not be allowed to opt-out their children from controversial materials on gender and sexuality.
 
The Washington Post took a bold position in this case, and perhaps not the one you might think it would:
 
“Certainly, the district’s motives were good. It was trying to make sure that Montgomery County schools welcome all the children in its diverse student body, including gay and trans children. But religious diversity is also important – so much so that it is enshrined in the First Amendment.
 
“The district appears to have been trying to solve one diversity problem by ignoring another one. This is not a good strategy in a pluralistic society that often must allow groups with conflicting views to disagree. Gender and sexuality are the focus of some of the most complicated, sensitive and divisive debates in society. And these conflicts cannot be resolved by forcibly favoring one side’s message.
 
“‘Forcibly’ is not too strong a word to use in this situation. Recall that schooling is mandatory, and not all parents have the means to finance private school, or to manage home schooling, or to move to a different district. Montgomery County effectively required many religious parents to send their children to a school where the curriculum would directly contradict the values of their parents, often at an age when they are too young to critically engage with such ideas.”

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