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The Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts (FWAFA) in Texas has shot down LGBTQ activists’ efforts to allow boys to join the Singing Girls of Texas choir.
FWAFA School Board has also banned girls from participating in the Texas Boys Choir. Following three hours of public comment on June 27, the school board held a closed session vote 4-2 in favor of using biological sex as a marker to separate the choirs.
During the board meeting, several parents and conservative activists raised signs that said, "Leave our children alone," "Boys do not equal girls," and "Biology, not ideology."
Several attendees wore black T-shirts and Pride gear on the opposite side of the room. The group had its own array of signs that said, "Let them sing" and "Choir is for all."
Jonathan Covey Director of Policy at Texas Values Action holds press conference just now in front of Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts before Texas Center for Arts + Academics board meeting. (Texas Values Action )
While addressing the vote in front of a large crowd, Todd Prickett, the artistic director of the Texas Boys Choir, said it would be impossible to speak on behalf of the choir itself because of the divide among families.
"Sadly, the outcome of tonight’s decision will likely result in the departure of families on one side or the other," he said.
LGBTQ activists had previously asked that gender identity be used to determine which choir a child should be placed in.
As part of the vote, the board changed the school’s handbook to define "boy" and "girl" based on the child’s birth certificate. That original certificate must be presented as proof of biological sex to join The Texas Boys Choir and The Singing Girls of Texas.
Changes to the handbooks for the Texas Boys Choir and Singing Girls of Texas were addressed in two different votes. In both instances, the FWAFA board voted favor of changing the language related to both choirs.
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The Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts School Board holds a period of public comment prior to voting on new rules regarding the boys and girls choir. (Texas Values Action )
The motion was supported by Cheryl Prince Bean, Melissa Goodroe, Mary A. Zimmerman and Daniel Bates. Charles Reid and Leslie Scott opposed it.
The rule was looped into a process for annual reviews of the choir handbooks. FWAFA is a public charter school and the home of both choirs. The Texas Center for Arts and Academics governs it.
FWAFA governance did not return a request for comment.
Conservative groups celebrated the decisions. Citizens Defending Freedom Tarrant County Executive Director Kenya Ayoub Alu reacted to the news on Tuesday and called it "another great win for kids and parents" in the county.
Pictured: Texas Center for Arts + Academics parents wait as the board votes on revisions to the Singing Girls of Texas 2023-2024 Handbook. (Texas Values Action)
"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," she said. "A simple solution would be to establish a co-ed choir in addition to the girls’ choir and boys’ choir. To us, 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."
Citizens Defending Freedom noted that the decision was the "second major win" for conservative groups in Tarrant County over the last two weeks.
The Keller Independent School District recently voted to ban boys from girls’ restrooms and prevent students, faculty and staff from using preferred pronouns. The vote was held after Citizens Defending Freedom and other groups had spoken out at the school board meeting.
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The ACLU of Texas said the policies will harm LGBTQ students.
"NEW: @KellerISD passed two discriminatory policies that will harm LGBTQIA+ students, ignoring community opposition and our legal warnings," it wrote in a tweet. "These political attacks against kids are cruel and unlawful — and they create a hostile school climate for all."
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