February 25, 2017
Trinity’s transgender boy wins girls state wrestling crown
By Jeff Caplan
star-telegram.com
Mack Beggs’ undefeated run to a state championship is complete.
The transgender wrestler from Euless Trinity High School defeated Chelsea Sanchez of Katy Morton Ranch to claim the Class 6A girls state title in the 110-pound weight class.
Beggs, a junior who was making a third consecutive trip to the UIL Wrestling State Tournament, won the title for the first time.
He was met with a smattering of boos following his victory, which was quickly drowned out by cheers. And a bloody nose almost forced him to forfeit. But he survived to finish the season a pristine 56-0.
Beggs is transitioning to a male aided by testosterone treatment, a fact rival coaches and wrestlers believe give Beggs an unfair advantage.
However, University Interscholastic League rules mandate Beggs wrestle as a girl and against girls.
Last year, the state’s school superintendents voted overwhelmingly to determine an athlete’s gender by birth certificate. The UIL also does not allow girls to compete in the boys division or vice-versa.
Coaches of wrestlers who lost to Beggs did not allow their athletes to speak with reporters after their matches. Coaches also declined interviews, often giving a terse “no comment,” that seemed to signify their disapproval of allowing the 5-foot-2 Beggs to compete against girls.
The mother of Beggs’ first-round opponent, League City Clear Spring’s Taylor Latham, said she had wanted her daughter to forfeit.
And now Beggs left to wonder if he’ll be back on the mat next season. A lawsuit filed against the UIL by Coppell attorney Jim Baudhuin, the father of a female wrestler who competes in a different weight class than Beggs, aims to keep Beggs from wrestling against girls next season.
If the suit is successful and the UIL declines to revisit its birth certificate rule, as UIL deputy executive director Jamey Harrison indicated Friday, it could put Beggs on the sideline for his senior year.
“The overwhelming sentiment here is that Mack should be allowed to wrestle, but should be required to compete against the boys,” Baudhuin. “Our beef is not against Mack or her folks or school. It is with the UIL.”
There is precedent for Mack to wrestle against boys. The NCAA in 2011 issued policy that requires a female to male athlete using testosterone to compete on a men’s team.
Earlier Saturday, Beggs pinned Grand Prairie’s Kailyn Clay to advance to the finals at the Berry Center in the Cypress-Fairbanks school district.
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/northeast-tarrant/article135021414.html
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