Female Texas high schooler cast as male lead in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ files Title IX suit after show canceled
The lawsuit says the district excluded a 17-year-old student from a role she earned and offered no equivalent educational opportunity.
- South Grand Prairie High School senior Ana Mota is suing the Grand Prairie Independent School District after officials canceled the production of 'Little Shop of Horrors' rather than allow her to portray the male lead, Seymour.
- GPISD administrators claimed the decision was necessary to ensure programs remain consistent with Texas Senate Bill 12, a 2025 law restricting DEI initiatives and school instruction regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Mota alleges sex-based discrimination under Title IX, claiming the district excluded her from the role because she is female; the school pivoted to 'Frozen' after she declined reassignment.
- Nancy Jimenez-Mota, the student's mother, filed a Title IX complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, while the lawsuit seeks a restraining order to restore the play and Mota's role.
- The lawsuit argues that federal Title IX protections supersede local interpretations of state law under the Constitution's Supremacy Clause, though GPISD officials have declined to comment on the pending litigation.
9 Articles
9 Articles
High schooler pulled from musical over Texas’ anti-DEI law sues, alleging discrimination
By Jaden Edison, The Texas Tribune October 28, 2026 A North Texas high school senior is suing her school district for not allowing her to portray a male character in a campus theater role that she earned. Ana Mota, 17, alleges that Grand Prairie school administrators discriminated against her on the basis of sex when…
Female Texas high schooler cast as male lead in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ files Title IX suit after show canceled
Texas's Grand Prairie Independent School District faces a Title IX lawsuit after canceling its production of Little Shop of Horrors because a female student was cast in the male lead role.
Mota suing GPISD over banning her from role in 'Little Shop'
South Grand Prairie High School senior Ana Mota, 17, is suing the Grand Prairie Independent School District after district officials cancelled the high school’s planned production of Little Shop of Horrors rather than allow Mota to perform the role of the male lead, Seymour, according to breaking news reports from the Dallas Morning News. The […]
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