Texas transgender student performs in controversial 'Oklahoma!' show after district removed, reinstated age-appropriate guidelines
Sherman High School's production of "Oklahoma!" will debut on Friday, January 19, both in person and virtually, after casting decisions caused community uproars.
TEXOMA (KFDX/KJTL) — Sherman High School's production of "Oklahoma!" will debut on Friday, January 19, both in person and virtually, after casting decisions caused community uproars.
Sherman ISD administrators removed and subsequently reinstated a transgender-identifying actor.
The student was first removed from the production after Sherman ISD school board members voted to require each cast member to play characters whose sexual identities matched the actors' sex assigned at birth.
Sherman ISD officials cited the obscenity of content material as grounds to remove the student, Max Hightower, from the role of peddler Ali Hakim.
After significant community backlash, district officials went back on that decision, unanimously voting to reinstate all actors, namely Hightower, to their original roles.
SISD's President Brad Morgan apologized for the initial decision and its potential impact on students and community members.
“We understand that our decision does not erase the impact this had on our community, but we hope that we will reinforce to everyone, particularly our students, that we do embrace all of our Board goals, to include addressing the diverse needs of our students and empowering them for success in a diverse and complex world. The Board is committed to upholding its ethical duties to include being continuously guided by what is best for all students in our District," according to Morgan.
Hightower's father told KXAN he felt the decision was made solely because of the possibility of further negative press.
“The administration put out an awful press release with the sole intention of scaring off national media, and it worked,” said Hightower, explaining that a national media outlet canceled its plans for an interview with his son,