A transgender student in Texas who was cast as the lead in his high school’s musical suddenly lost out on the part when the district decided to implement a new policy that “only males can play males.”

Sherman High School senior Max Hightower was elated when he was cast as one of the lead roles in “Oklahoma!” only to have the role abruptly taken away from him days later when the school’s principal called his dad to inform him of a new policy.

“He said we’re instituting a new policy where only males can play males, and only females can play females,” Max’s father, Phillip Hightower, told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.

Hightower said his 17-year-old son, who was born female but identifies as male, had never been treated differently by the district because of his identity until now.

“I was devastated,” he added.

The sudden change cost other students the roles they had been promised, too, Hightower said.

A group of parents plan to appeal the decision to the school board.

“I’m not an activist. I’m not a highly political person. I have both liberal and conservative beliefs. I’m just a dad that wants to fight for his kid,” Hightower said.

The Sherman Independent School District said in a statement that they have no policy on how students are assigned to roles, but “as it relates to this particular production, the sex of the role as identified in the script will be used when casting.”

“Because the nature and subject matter of productions vary, the District is not inclined to apply this criteria to all future productions,” the statement added.

The district also says it is reviewing the production after it was brought to their attention that the musical “contained mature adult themes, profane language and sexual content.”

Hightower said this was not the explanation he received from the principal, and that their response to the situation took him by surprise.

“It struck me as kind of odd because it’s ‘Oklahoma!'” Hightower said. “Maybe I saw the abridged version, but it’s not ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’.”

Hightower said his family has received a tremendous amount of support from the community after his sharing his son’s story online.

“The outpouring of love and support was something like I’d never seen before. I didn’t see any hate in any of that,” he said.

“I’m not going to quit advocating for my son – ever. Max has shown me what real strength is.”

Members of his family have also been vocal about the situation on Facebook, drumming up support for Max from the local community.

The teen’s older brother Noah Hightower, a sailor in the US Navy, said he was “ashamed I associate my education” with the district after the school revoked his brother’s starring role.

“My brother is trans and I love him to pieces, all I want to say and the reason I’m writing this is because at the end of the day, gender roles are important to the persons choice rather than their original assignment,” he wrote.

His older sister, Gracie Hightower, noted her brother had only received minor roles in choir and theater before this year and had been ecstatic by the news — only to have his hopes crushed days later.

According to the teen’s sister, female students who were assigned the part of “cowboys” in the musical also had their roles taken away and were no longer allowed to participate.

“Many opportunities were ripped away from kids not for bad grades, not for bad behavior, not for attendance, but for something that has absolutely nothing to do with the production whatsoever,” she wrote.

The district, which is working to now produce an “appropriate” version of “Oklahoma!” has since decided to push back the musical, which was slated for early December, to later in January.