Texas student sues Grand Prairie ISD after 'Little Shop of Horrors' cancelled over her casting

Mixed · 2Ana Mota, a 17-year-old senior at South Grand Prairie High School in Texas, and her parents have filed a federal lawsuit against Grand Prairie Independent School District and Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo. 1 2 Mixed · 2The suit alleges a violation of Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs, after the district cancelled the school's production of 'Little Shop of Horrors' rather than let Mota play the male lead, Seymour. 1 2 Mixed · 2According to the lawsuit, Mota was cast after auditioning, and the Washington Examiner reports that the suit says she does not identify as transgender and has played both male and female roles since middle school. 1 2

Mixed · 2On October 6, Mota or her mother was told that district officials objected to a female student in the male role; the Independent (citing KERA News) says her teacher told her, while the Washington Examiner (citing the lawsuit) says theatre faculty told her mother, and that she was offered a shared role as Audrey, which she refused. 1 2 Left · 1The Independent reports that after Mota and her mother met district officials on October 8, the district decided to cancel the whole production; the school had earlier cut a scripted kiss between Seymour and Audrey. 1 Right · 1In a statement quoted in the lawsuit, the district said a romantic relationship develops between the two main characters, that it considered the musical's themes of an abusive relationship, and that pulling the show reflected its ongoing effort to keep programs consistent with Senate Bill 12 and applicable law. 2

Left · 1Senate Bill 12 is a 2025 Texas law restricting certain diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and LGBTQ-related programming in public schools; the Independent notes the district has not publicly identified a provision that bars a female student from playing Seymour, and the suit argues the law contains no text requiring an actor's sex to match a character's. 1 Right · 1The Washington Examiner adds that the suit also claims retaliation, because the play was cancelled after Mota declined reassignment to a female role, and that it names principal Terrence Starling and theatre teacher Jordan Thomas in describing how the decision was relayed. 2 Mixed · 2The district will stage Disney's 'Frozen' instead, Board President Emily Liles said, according to the lawsuit; the complaint asks a federal judge to restore the musical, reinstate Mota as Seymour and bar the district from excluding her because of her sex. 2 1

Mixed · 2Mota told the school board at a public meeting that she was excluded because she is female, adding: 'Maybe it wasn’t the intent of the district, but it is what happened.' Both outlets said they had contacted the district for comment; neither reported a response. 1 2 Left · 1The Independent places the case alongside earlier North Texas cancellations: Sherman ISD cancelled 'Oklahoma!' in 2023 after a transgender boy won a lead, and Keller ISD pulled 'The Laramie Project' in 2024; both districts later reversed course. 1