"Actors and actresses could only play a role that was the same gender they were assigned at birth," Hightower told KXII, detailing his conversation with the principal. The new gender casting policy means that despite being a transgender male, Max Hightower can no longer play the male lead in "Oklahoma!" His excitement was replaced with devastation upon learning about the policy change.
"But they allowed Max to dress up as a male," his father said, highlighting the inconsistency of allowing him to dress as male but not to act in a male role. He added, "All kinds of actors have played all kinds of parts. I mean, I grew up watching Mrs. Doubtfire," indicating a broader acceptance of gender fluidity in performance.
The Sherman Independent School District stated, "there is no blanket policy on how students should be assigned to their roles." They noted that for this particular production, the sex of the role as identified in the script would dictate casting, but clarified that future productions might not follow the same criteria, illustrating that the situation was under review.
The district also mentioned that it received feedback about mature themes in the production, stating, "It was brought to the District's attention that the current production contained mature adult themes, profane language, and sexual content." This has prompted a review not only of casting but also of the content and production elements.
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