Maryland elementary school PTA renames father-daughter, mother-son dance after criticism it wasn't inclusive
Mother who complained said name change is 'not enough, but it's a good place to start'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Parents at an elementary school in Prince George's County, Maryland, recently convinced their PTA to change the name of an upcoming dance to be more inclusive.
The PTA at Whitehall Elementary School in Bowie, Maryland, voted to change the name of next month's dance after several parents claimed having a father-daughter dance or mother-son dance is unfair to families with same-sex parents or children who identify as non-binary, according to local CBS affiliate WUSA9.
The new name has yet to be revealed, the outlet reported, and the school's principal did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}George Ceasar, one of the parents who complained, told the local outlet that the gender-specific name of the event is unfair and has caused unnecessary pain to himself, his husband and their son, who attends the school.
The PTA at Whitehall Elementary School in Bowie, Maryland, voted to change the name of next month's dance after several parents complained.
"It's not even me, it's my son," Ceasar said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He gets questions of, if you go to the father-daughter dance, ‘Well, why are you here?’" Ceasar continued. "But, if we go to the mother-son dance, it's, ‘Why are your two dads here?’"
"He shouldn't have to go through that," Ceasar added. "No child should."
A protester holds the trans flag during a demonstration at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, on June 25, 2021. (Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Rachel Martin, another parent who attended the PTA meeting to demand a change, has a child named Xander who was profiled by the local outlet when the child came out as non-binary at age 10.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Reading a written statement during the PTA meeting before they voted, Martin reminded them that words matter.
Shea Cutliff, of RISE Coalition, during a rally against a proposed ban against gender-affirming care for transgender children and teens on July 31, 2022, at Orlando City Hall in Florida. (Annie Martin/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The mother told the outlet that the PTA's move to change the name of the dance is "not enough, but it's a good place to start."
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She urged anyone who does not understand her position to "think with your heart," adding, "You never know who's out there and who needs to hear what words, and words do matter."