In November 2020, Washington held the nation’s first-ever state referendum on sex education. By a nearly 60% to 40% plurality, voters in the Evergreen State approved a set of guidelines that include information about contraception, LGBTQ identities and sexual consent. But the guidelines also allow parents to opt out of the subject if they don’t want their kids to study it at school.
That seems like a good compromise to me. Most Americans want their children to receive comprehensive sex education, which shouldn’t be blocked simply because a minority of families rejects it. At the same time, though, these dissenters shouldn’t be forced to undergo instruction that they deem inappropriate or immoral.
So why can’t we forge a similar truce around banned books?
