I believe that the answer is NO, they are not forbidden and my reasoning follows. Thank you Eliezer for enlightening me !

The Rambam states: “All tameh people, even niddot, even a gentile, are permitted to hold a Torah scroll and read from it, for the words of Torah are not susceptible to tumah.”(Hilchot Sefer Torah 10:8) Not only may people in the status of tumah recite the words of Torah, but they may also physically touch and hold the sefer Torah provided their hands are clean. Both the Tur (Yoreh De'ah 282) and the Shulchan Arukh (282:9) accept the Rambam as halachah.

The Talmud, in Megillah 23a states that “even a woman may read from the Torah if there are no men that know how to read, but the Rabbis said that a woman should not do so because of Kovod HaTzibbur - the honor of the congregation. The halacha also reflects that view.

I believe that the answer is NO, they are not forbidden and my reasoning follows. Thank you Eliezer for enlightening me !

The Rambam states: “All tameh people, even niddot, even a gentile, are permitted to hold a Torah scroll and read from it, for the words of Torah are not susceptible to tumah.”(Hilchot Sefer Torah 10:8) Not only may people in the status of tumah recite the words of Torah, but they may also physically touch and hold the sefer Torah provided their hands are clean. Both the Tur (Yoreh De'ah 282) and the Shulchan Arukh (282:9) accept the Rambam as halachah.

The Talmud, in Megillah 23a states that even a woman may read from the Torah, "but the Rabbis said that a woman should not do so because of Kovod HaTzibbur - the honor of the congregation." The halacha also reflects that view.