Transgender Female Transitioning To Male Booed After Winning 2nd Straight Women's Title

For the second year in a row, 18-year-old Texas high school senior Mack Beggs won a girls’ state wrestling title even though he is a transgender man. His victory in the Class 6A 110-pound division on Saturday elicited mixed reactions. The booing got rather loud, though as seen on video, a few people made it a point to stand and cheer for him.Show more

State law puts Beggs in an awkward position. The University Interscholastic League requires student-athletes to participate under the sex noted on their birth certificate. In his case, it describes him as a girl, even though he started making the transition from female to male in freshman year. This process involves taking testosterone, which actually isn’t prohibited by authorities because in his case, it is doctor-proscribed for a medical purpose.

Beggs, who competes on behalf of Euless Trinity High School, said this year and last that he only wanted to wrestle the boys, but the law wouldn’t let him.