A recent academic tournament in North Texas has drawn concern from attendees after an administrator allegedly made a remark to younger students about the topic of upcoming questions.
The event, connected with National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT), included a middle-school division with students around age 11.
An attendee who said he was present told The Dallas Express he heard an administrator at the event tell a group of 11-year-old students that the next set of questions would focus on “Gay Irish Authors.”
The attendee said he found the remark highly inappropriate for the age group and questioned how NAQT determines which topics are suitable for younger competitors.
The Dallas Express contacted NAQT multiple times by phone and email to ask whether such a category had been used or planned for middle-school tournaments, whether the organization considers it age-appropriate, and what review process is used to screen material for younger participants.
As of publication, NAQT had not responded.
When reached by phone, a staff member at NAQT’s national headquarters declined to identify themselves or answer questions.
NAQT’s website states that it “strives to promote learning, fair competition, and respect” through its quiz tournaments, which are held nationwide and serve students from elementary through collegiate levels. The organization publicly lists question-writing distributions for each age group but does not provide a clear policy outlining how potentially sensitive topics are reviewed for younger students.
According to NAQT’s published middle-school subject distribution, question sets focus primarily on literature, science, history, geography, fine arts, and current events, with detailed weightings for each topic area. The document lists sub-categories such as mythology, religious literature, and popular culture, but makes no reference to identity-based topics such as sexuality.
NAQT does not publicly post a policy describing how it screens questions for age-appropriateness.
Parents have expressed to The Dallas Express a desire for greater transparency from educational organizations regarding the selection and review of quiz topics for age suitability.