Statement on Mahmoud v Taylor

PRIDE PUPPY is a joyful alphabet book that was inspired by our own experiences at Pride parades and festivals, where families of all kinds come together to celebrate.

Millions of children have a queer parent, and many identify as part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community themselves. We’ve heard from countless parents about how much it means to them and their kids to see people like themselves reflected in a book. All children deserve to see their families—and themselves—represented in the stories they read.

We also believe that all children deserve the chance to learn about the diversity of the world they share.

All our kids attend public schools together. Regardless of their families’ religious faiths, political views, and connections to the queer community, they share classrooms and playgrounds. Teachers have a responsibility to make sure that all their students feel seen and included, and to support them as they learn about each other. Picture books like Pride Puppy are a helpful resource for teachers who are working hard to create welcoming and supportive classrooms that include all kinds of kids from all kinds of families.

It is unreasonable and absurd to expect teachers to hide the existence of an entire group of people.

Schools cannot make queer students and families invisible without harming all students—because while inclusive picture books do not harm children, shame, stigma, and erasure do.

Children don’t need protection from books; they need protection from hate and discrimination.

Segregating books about queer people and treating these books differently from other books is discriminatory and has the potential to do real harm. We believe the Supreme Court is wrong to enable this kind of discrimination against children and families in public schools.

Robin Stevenson and Julie McLaughlin, author and illustrator of Pride Puppy