A Grand Prairie high school senior is suing her school district in federal court. Ana Mota, 17, alleges that school administrators discriminated against her because of her sex. She says they told theater faculty, a week into rehearsals for "Little Shop of Horrors," that she could not play Seymour, the male lead.
District officials publicly attributed the decision to Senate Bill 12. The Texas law restricts some diversity, equity and inclusion practices, instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, and LGBTQ+ student clubs in public schools. Republicans passed the law last year.
The production was canceled after Mota declined a reassignment to another role. That role would have been shared with another student, and she had not auditioned for it. The lawsuit asks a judge to bar the district from discriminating against her and to restore the production, which had been scheduled for Dec. 10.