Transgender Boy Wins Second Straight Girls’ Wrestling State Tournament in Texas
Two years in a row, Mack Beggs, an 18-year-old Senior from Euless Trinity High School 25-minutes West outside Dallas, won the Texas girls’ Class 6A 110-pound weight class. Beggs though is a transgender boy who entered the state tournament with a season record of 32-0.
The controversy this year came in the form of fans booing which poured down from the arena crowd as Beggs defeated Chelsea Sanchez, 11-2. Beggs beat Sanchez in the 2017 State title as well.
Matt Howerton posted the video of the crowd with mixed emotions on his Twitter page.
WATCH: in a dramatic finish, transgender wrestler Mack Beggs rolls out of a possible pinfall to avoid defeat and win state. Met with boos from the crowd. @wfaa pic.twitter.com/72xRpzsQGN
— Matt Howerton (@HowertonNews) February 24, 2018
Texas rules require athletes to compete with the gender on their birth certificate. Beggs requested to wrestle among the boys’ division but was denied due to the rule Texas has in place.
Beggs is in the process of transitioning from female to male and takes low-level doses of testosterone.
Last year, Beggs encountered state and national attention for receiving steroid therapy treatments while wrestling among the girls. It sparked an intense debate about competitive fairness and transgender rights.
The controversial wrestler defeated three wrestlers on his way to a Texas state title this season. In 2016, the birth certificate rule was approved by the University Interscholastic League, which governs Texas High School state sports.
End of Mack Beggs title match was chaos. Had huge lead, nearly got pinned, then came the crescendo of cheers/boos. pic.twitter.com/FrLixVsTAj
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) February 24, 2018
