At the University of Central Oklahoma, a student-run production of Boy My Greatness by Zoe Senese-Grossberg has been stopped in its tracks. The play was chosen last year after being pitched by juniors Maggie Lawson and Liberty Welch to their student theatre organization. They had spent months preparing, rehearsing, and organizing, only to find out yesterday that it could not be performed on campus.
No administrator issued an order, and the university did not formally ban the show. The decision apparently came from the student organization itself, which grew concerned that gender-blind casting might violate Oklahoma’s new Senate Bill 796. That fear was enough to end the production before it opened. What was supposed to be an exciting student showcase became another example of how laws written in vague and sweeping terms can change the culture of a campus, not always by force, but by hesitation.
Maggie and Liberty posted about the situation on their social media…