The Show Must Go On: Iowa High School Cancels LGBTQ-Based Musical, Then Changes Mind
Iowa High School administrators demanded their spring musical get cancelled after they say parents and students complained about the content. Cast members say the content the school was trying to censor is the LGBTQ main characters.
Now the school is changing its stance and reinstating the production.
“There [is] a line in the musical that is, ‘it’s a terrible ending to a promising beginning,’ and that’s what we really felt,” Ankeny High School senior Elijah Wiklund said.
Late last week, Ankeny High School abruptly cancelled their spring musical, “It Shoulda Been You,” featuring four gay main characters. The decision was made despite scripts already bought and practices already in progress. The school says the cancellation was due to a few parents and students complaining about the productions’ content.
“We felt the school kind of failed us. It’s their job to protect us and make sure their students feel accepted in their school,” Wiklund said. “By shutting it down it really sent a message to a lot of the LGBTQ students that they aren’t accepted and they aren’t good enough to have people like them on stage.”
As of Monday, the school reversed its decision.