Public money comes with one basic rule: if you take it, you serve the public. Some religious providers are now asking courts for the right to take taxpayer dollars from a publicly funded preschool program while turning away children because of who their parents are. A young child should never be shut out of a government-funded classroom because of their family. Children do not choose their parents. Families pay the taxes that fund these programs, and their kids should not find the door locked. Nondiscrimination rules attached to public funding exist so every child, in every town, gets the same chance to learn. Carve out an exemption for discrimination and a promise of free early education becomes a privilege handed out by whoever runs the building. That is not freedom. It is a taxpayer-funded locked door. Require every program funded with public money to serve all children, including LGBTQ+ children and children with LGBTQ+ parents.
