In a small Texan town, a high school musical production of “Oklahoma!” took an unexpected turn when a transgender student, Max Hightower, was denied the lead role. The school had recently implemented a new gender-based casting policy, causing controversy and disappointment among students, parents, and the community.
Max, a senior at Sherman High School, identifies as male but was assigned female at birth. He had never faced discrimination based on his gender identity before this incident. Losing the lead role was devastating for him. Max’s father, Phillip Hightower, expressed his frustration, stating, “I’m just a dad that wants to fight for his kid.” Determined to stand up for his son’s rights, he is now leading efforts to appeal the school district’s decision.
The Sherman Independent School District attempted to explain its position, claiming that they do not have a specific policy on how students are assigned roles. However, they clarified that for this particular production, they would use the sex of the role as identified in the script when casting. They also mentioned reevaluating the production due to concerns about its content, which seemed to contradict their initial reason for denying Max the lead role.
Despite the setback, Max and his family have received overwhelming support from their community. Sharing Max’s story online led to an outpouring of love and encouragement, providing them with much-needed strength. Max’s father emphasized that he would never stop advocating for his son and admired Max’s resilience throughout the ordeal.
Max’s siblings, including his older brother in the US Navy and his older sister, have also expressed their disappointment in the school district’s decision. Max’s sister highlighted that the policy took away the parts of female students who had been cast as “cowboys” in the musical, further highlighting its impact on students.
In response to the controversy, the district decided to postpone the production of “Oklahoma!” and, in the meantime, work on creating an “appropriate” version of the musical. This incident serves as a reminder of the ongoing debate surrounding transgender rights, casting policies, and the challenges in balancing artistic expression with community values.
