Texas School Board mandates birth certificate for auditions in Boys and Girls Choirs.

A Texas School District Takes a Stand on Choir Auditions

In a recent move, a Texas school district has made headlines by implementing a new rule for students auditioning for the Texas Boys Choir or the Singing Girls of Texas. Now, students must provide a birth certificate to ensure they are trying out for the group that aligns with their biological sex.

The Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts School Board in Tarrant County voted 4-2 in favor of updating handbook guidelines to separate the choirs by biological sex. This decision, which followed three hours of public comment, has sparked controversy among parents, alums, and students. Supporters of the new rule, including members of conservative nonprofit organizations, attended the meeting to show their support.

Kenya Ayoub Alu, the executive director of Citizens Defending Freedom – Tarrant County, expressed her thoughts on the matter, stating, “We’re simply standing up for common sense. Boys should not be allowed to sing in the girls’ choir, and girls should not be allowed to sing in the boys’ choir. It is absurd that we even have to have this debate, but as long as the liberal activists keep pushing their agenda, we will keep fighting back.”

However, the artistic directors of both choirs have opposed this decision, arguing that it harms students. Kerra Simmons, artistic director of Singing Girls of Texas, emphasized the importance of empowering young women and non-binary and transgender individuals. Todd Prickett, the artistic director of the Texas Boys Choir, criticized the imposition of gender roles and called the decision discriminatory.

This development comes in the wake of another controversial decision made by the Keller Independent School District, also in Tarrant County. The district recently voted 5-0 to establish a policy that restricts transgender students’ access to bathrooms and requires the use of pronouns consistent with their biological sex.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas has strongly condemned both decisions, labeling them as “cruel and unlawful.” The ACLU argues that misgendering or deadnaming transgender students not only violates the law but also causes significant trauma.

NEW: @KellerISD passed two discriminatory policies that will harm LGBTQIA+ students, ignoring community opposition and our legal warnings.

These political attacks against kids are cruel and unlawful — and they create a hostile school climate for all.https://t.co/SEcPoKF2jL

— ACLU of Texas (@ACLUTx) June 29, 2023

Tarrant County, with its population of over two million residents, finds itself at the center of this ongoing debate.

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