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
Kyle Carroll is a Long Island, N.Y. native and avid MMA and amateur wrestling fan. He has been a part of the wrestling community for nearly 20 years. Carroll has six years of experience coaching high school wrestling. His father coached high school wrestling over 35 years, passing on his strong knowledge. Carroll has been reporting MMA news since January 2011. The former wrestler’s coverage includes the 2012 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials, 2013 & 2016 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championship, and numerous MMA events (Bellator MMA, King of the Cage, North American Fighting Championship, and Glory).