"These kids don't care who you put in front of them to wrestle. We just want to WRESTLE."
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Mack Beggs, a 17-year-old trans male at Trinity High School in Euless, Texas, won his division this weekend at the Class 6A Region II wrestling tournament, and now advances to the state championships.
Beggs, a junior in the 110-pound weight class, identifies as male and has been taking testosterone since 2015. But he must still compete in girls’ wrestling because the sport’s governing body, the University Interscholastic League (UIL), mandates athletes must compete as the gender listed on their birth certificate.
He won on Saturday after two wrestlers forfeited their matches against him.
“The thing is, we want to wrestle each other,” Mack wrote on Facebook. “I feel so sick and disgusted by the discrimination—not by the kids, [but by] the PARENTS AND COACHES. These kids don’t care who you put in front of them to wrestle. We just want to WRESTLE. THEY are taking that away from me and from the people I’m competing with.”
Less than two weeks ago, a wrestler’s father sued the UIL, claiming Beggs should be suspended because using testosterone gives him an unfair advantage—and exposes other wrestlers to “imminent threat of bodily harm.”
Beggs, a junior in the 110-pound weight class, identifies as male and has been taking testosterone since 2015. But he must still compete in girls’ wrestling because the sport’s governing body, the University Interscholastic League (UIL), mandates athletes must compete as the gender listed on their birth certificate.
He won on Saturday after two wrestlers forfeited their matches against him.
“The thing is, we want to wrestle each other,” Mack wrote on Facebook. “I feel so sick and disgusted by the discrimination—not by the kids, [but by] the PARENTS AND COACHES. These kids don’t care who you put in front of them to wrestle. We just want to WRESTLE. THEY are taking that away from me and from the people I’m competing with.”
Less than two weeks ago, a wrestler’s father sued the UIL, claiming Beggs should be suspended because using testosterone gives him an unfair advantage—and exposes other wrestlers to “imminent threat of bodily harm.”
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Attorney Jim Baudhuin filed the suit, which names another father,
Pratik Khandelwal, as plaintiff—though neither man’s daughter is in the
same weight class as Beggs.
Baudhuin insists his suit has nothing to do with Mack being transgender: “I respect that completely… All we’re saying is she is taking something that gives her an unfair advantage,” he said, misgendering Beggs. “It’s documented. It’s universal that it’s an unfair advantage.”
Mack says he wants to compete against other boys, but he’s willing to follow the rules. (A proposal to the UIL Legislative Council last year to let transgender athletes compete as the gender they identify with was ignored.) Nancy Beggs, Mack’s grandmother and guardian, says the two have been completely transparent with the IUL since he began transitioning.
Baudhuin insists his suit has nothing to do with Mack being transgender: “I respect that completely… All we’re saying is she is taking something that gives her an unfair advantage,” he said, misgendering Beggs. “It’s documented. It’s universal that it’s an unfair advantage.”
Mack says he wants to compete against other boys, but he’s willing to follow the rules. (A proposal to the UIL Legislative Council last year to let transgender athletes compete as the gender they identify with was ignored.) Nancy Beggs, Mack’s grandmother and guardian, says the two have been completely transparent with the IUL since he began transitioning.
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| Mack Rylee Karam |
“Today was not about their students winning,” Nancy told the SportsDay
at Friday’s meet. “Today was about bias, hatred and ignorance. These
kids have wrestled each other before, they know each other and they were
not happy with this.”
While student Madeline Rocha forfeited her match against Beggs, her record means she will also advance to the state championships. Mrs. Beggs claims the two opponents this weekend were the first who have forfeited to Mack.
Currently both UIL guidelines and the Texas Education Code forbid the use of steroids, but make an exception if they are “dispensed, prescribed, delivered and administered by a medical practitioner for a valid medical purpose.”
Baudhuin’s suit is still pending, but he’s hoping to convince lawmakers to remove that exemption.
Read more articles from NewNowNext, here.
While student Madeline Rocha forfeited her match against Beggs, her record means she will also advance to the state championships. Mrs. Beggs claims the two opponents this weekend were the first who have forfeited to Mack.
Currently both UIL guidelines and the Texas Education Code forbid the use of steroids, but make an exception if they are “dispensed, prescribed, delivered and administered by a medical practitioner for a valid medical purpose.”
Baudhuin’s suit is still pending, but he’s hoping to convince lawmakers to remove that exemption.
Read more articles from NewNowNext, here.
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