Student challenges district’s decision
A 17-year-old senior at South Grand Prairie High School has sued Grand Prairie ISD after school officials canceled a planned production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” following a dispute over her casting as the musical’s male lead.
The lawsuit, filed by the student’s parents against Grand Prairie ISD and Superintendent Gabriel A. Trujillo, alleges that district officials violated Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education. The complaint says the student, Ana Mota, was removed from the role of Seymour because she is female, and that the production was later abandoned altogether.
Mota won the part after open auditions in late September. According to the lawsuit and a statement she posted on Instagram, she had previously performed male roles at least twice. She said the audition process lasted four days and that she received the same opportunity as other students seeking roles.
“Ana Mota is not transgender and was not engaged in any personal gender transition,” the lawsuit reads.
About a week after she was selected, Mota said she was informed that she could not continue as Seymour because of a decision by district leadership and its legal team involving Texas Senate Bill 12. The lawsuit says theater faculty were told roughly a week after rehearsals started that Mota could not play the character because of her sex.
Senate Bill 12 at the center of dispute
The 2025 law restricts certain drag performances on public property. The lawsuit argues that cross-gender casting in school theater is a longstanding practice and does not violate the statute. It further alleges that using the law to prevent Mota from playing Seymour amounted to unlawful discrimination under Title IX.
District officials have described the decision differently. In a statement, Grand Prairie ISD said the cancellation took into account sensitive material in the musical, including an abusive relationship and romantic storylines. Those themes, along with the district’s interpretation of the law, were cited as factors in the decision, according to the source report.
After Mota was removed from the role, administrators offered her the option of sharing the part of Audrey, a female character. She declined that arrangement. The district then canceled the production and announced that students would perform “Frozen” instead.
What the lawsuit says
| Issue | Details |
|---|---|
| Student | Ana Mota, a 17-year-old South Grand Prairie High School senior |
| Original role | Seymour, the male lead in “Little Shop of Horrors” |
| Defendants | Grand Prairie ISD and Superintendent Gabriel A. Trujillo |
| Legal claims | Alleged Title IX sex discrimination and disputed use of Senate Bill 12 |
| District replacement | “Frozen” |
The case places a local school production inside a broader conflict over how Texas’ restrictions on drag performances apply to student activities. It also tests the boundary between a district’s authority to select educational programming and its obligation to provide students equal opportunities without sex-based discrimination.
- Mota earned the Seymour role through open auditions.
- District officials later barred her from playing the character and canceled the production after she declined a shared role as Audrey.
- The lawsuit says the district’s action violated Title IX; district officials point to the musical’s themes and Senate Bill 12.
The available filing does not resolve the competing interpretations. The lawsuit’s allegations have not been established in court, and the district’s position remains that the production was canceled after considering the musical’s content and the law. For students and families in Grand Prairie ISD, the dispute now places questions about casting, school expression and legal compliance before the courts.
