Texas Student Sues School District Under Title IX After Losing Role in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

A Texas high school senior who was removed from the role of Seymour in her school’s production of Little Shop of Horrors is suing her school district in federal court. She alleges the district discriminated against her because she is female.

The suit, Jimenez-Mota v. Grand Prairie Independent School District, was filed Monday, October 26, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. It was brought on behalf of 17-year-old Ana Mota by her parents, Nancy Jimenez-Mota and Rafael Mota. The defendants are Grand Prairie ISD and Superintendent Gabriel A. Trujillo, in his official capacity, according to court records. The case was first reported in detail by theatre journalist Howard Sherman on his Substack, Downstage Center.

The suit is brought under Title IX, the federal law barring sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding. Grand Prairie ISD has declined to comment on the litigation, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth and KERA News.

What the Filings Allege

The family’s motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction lays out the following account. Mota auditioned the week of September 28 and was selected for Seymour on October 1 by the school’s theater director, Jordan Thomas. Thomas judged her “the best fit for the role.” About a week into rehearsals, district administrators directed Thomas to remove her and give the part to a male student, according to the motion. Those administrators included the school’s principal, the district’s executive fine arts director and an area chief.

An exhibit attached to the filing is a transcript of an October 6 voicemail from Thomas to Mota’s mother. In it, he says district administrators had raised concerns about Senate Bill 12 and that “we have to remove her from that role.” He adds that Mota would instead be the second performer in a double-cast role of Audrey. Mota declined, saying in the filing that she had not auditioned for Audrey and did not want to displace a classmate. The district then canceled the production, which had been scheduled for December 10 through 12.

The motion calls the removal “textbook sex discrimination under Title IX.” It argues that none of the four main provisions of SB 12, the 2025 Texas education law the district has cited, requires student actors “to match the biological sex of the fictional character they portray.” The filing says Mota is not transgender and intended to play Seymour as a male character exactly as written. It argues that portraying a scripted role is not “social transitioning” under the statute, nor programming about gender identity. It also points to a provision in the law that protects students’ expressive conduct.

The filing further notes that the show’s licensor, Music Theatre International, permits cross-gender casting as long as the character’s sex remains as written. It argues that even if the district’s reading of SB 12 were correct, Title IX would control under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

The motion also quotes remarks by Board President Emily Liles at the district’s October 15 board meeting. According to the filing, Liles said the board had been advised the production would not comply with SB 12 and that the board supports “the decision made by our Superintendent.” The family argues this makes the decision an institutional one for which the district is responsible.

The family is asking the court to bar the district from keeping Mota out of the role because she is female, and to restore the production with her as Seymour. If the December dates are no longer workable, they ask the court to set replacement performances before the second week of January 2027. Per Downstage Center, the complaint seeks damages in an amount to be proved at trial, plus attorney’s fees and costs.

What Happens Next

On October 27, U.S. District Judge Kasdin M. Mitchell ordered the district to respond to the motion by November 4, and allowed the family to reply by November 5. If the court sets a hearing, it will be held November 6 in Dallas, according to the order. The same day, the family’s attorney, Jonathan Winocour, filed a motion seeking a two-hour deposition of Thomas before the reply deadline. The filing says counsel for the district opposes that request.

In a statement provided to Downstage Center, Nancy Jimenez-Mota said the family felt it was time to stand up for constitutional freedoms. She argued that vaguely written laws breed fear and limit expression, and that speaking up was necessary even though staying silent would be easier.

How We Got Here

When it canceled the show, Grand Prairie ISD cited the romance between the musical’s leads and its themes of an abusive relationship. The district said the decision was made “in light of the District’s ongoing effort to ensure its programs remain consistent with Senate Bill 12 and all applicable law.” The reference caused confusion, because two Texas laws carry the SB 12 name. Mota initially pointed to the 2023 law restricting certain drag performances, which a federal court has ruled unconstitutional. A district spokesperson later told Erin in the Morning the district was relying on the 2025 law. That law restricts DEI programs and instruction or programming about sexual orientation and gender identity. A federal judge has blocked enforcement of several of its provisions in the Houston, Katy and Plano districts, but NBC 5 notes that ruling does not cover Grand Prairie.

Mota has told FOX 4 she has played three male roles in previous school productions. She also told NBC 5 that cross-gender casting dates back centuries and is often a practical necessity in high school theatre, where girls tend to outnumber boys at auditions. At the October 15 board meeting, the district announced that South Grand Prairie High School would stage Disney’s Frozen instead. Mota has said she plans to audition.

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