WATERTOWN, Wis. — The Watertown school board has voted to remove an instrumental piece tied to LGBTQ history from the upcoming spring concert.
The controversy began when the Watertown Wind Symphony, made up of about 40 high schoolers, was set to perform "A Mother of a Revolution" at their spring concert on May 18.
The piece was written by Omar Thomas to honor the legacy of transgender activist Marsha Johnson and the 1969 Stonewall Uprising — a series of protests led by LGBTQ+ people against a police raid in New York.
The school board questioned the appropriateness of the piece, putting the performance in doubt less than a week before the concert.
In October, the band director gave students and families the chance to opt out of participating if they found the music to be controversial, per school board policy. Only 3 students opted out.
Students who have been practicing the piece said they were not given any history lesson about Stonewall or Marsha Johnson in their class.
Students, parents and community members gathered for a protest ahead of the school board's special meeting — a final push to convince the board to allow them to perform a piece they have been practicing for months.
During the meeting, public comment was extended multiple times, with many community members wanting to share their thoughts ahead of the vote.
Despite the public outcry, the board voted nearly unanimously to remove the song
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