Teacher Using 11 YO as Pawn for "Social Justice"?

Hi there,Looking for a gut check on whether or not we're out of line/overreacting.Some back story, first. I've tried to assemble all the details from talking to my son/his teacher, as fairly as possible.Approximately 3 weeks ago, the class began organizing for a play. Students decided whether they wanted to be stage crew or actors. My son chose actor and (apparently) all of the acting roles except for the "haughty princess" were taken by the time it was his turn to select, as no one wanted the role (including the females in the class). He chose to accept this role after being informed most (all?) female roles during the Shakespearean era were played by males.Supposedly, he changed his mind the following day and asked the teacher for a different role (such as backstage crew) but was told no, that he had already committed to the role.We only found out about all of this yesterday, when he told us he didn't want to play the role when he found out the play would be performed in front of the entire elementary school (i.e. an 11 year old boy in a dress, playing a princess in front of the entire school).Now, my concern is the ever-present problem of bullying. We are pretty progressive parents, and times have changed a bit, but when I was his age 2 decades ago, the situation would have been disastrous in that social climate. If he wanted to play that role, I would of course be fully supportive, but he's saying he doesn't.The teacher responded to our concerns by claiming when she introduced the activity, that all of the students knew it would be in front of the entire school and that the play would be ruined if he backed out now. She claims he's not being bullied and has been enjoying playing the role. Further, she said backing out would affect his grade and he would be made to give an apology to the class.My thoughts are that as a professional educator, she should have had the foresight to understand the volatility of the situation. I consider it not only extremely irresponsible, but also wonder if she's pushing an ideological agenda, as she mentions trying to make her class an "example of social justice". Additionally, saying he will be forced to give a public explanation as to why he backed out of the role is tantamount to bullying by a teacher, in my opinion.I'm considering taking this to the principal, school board, and possibly legal action, but thought it would be prudent to get some unbiased opinions. via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2CAJAtu