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Texas 'transgender boy' wins second girls' wrestling state title
Mack Beggs, a female transgender who is transitioning to a male, won his second state championship title in Texas. (YouTube screenshot)

Texas 'transgender boy' wins second girls' wrestling state title

A transgender boy has won the Texas girls' Class 6A 110-pound division title for the second time.

Mack Beggs, 18, a senior at Euless Trinity High School near Dallas, won the title Saturday at a tournament in Cypress outside of Houston, the Associated Press reported. He came into the competition with a 32-0 record and beat Chelsea Sanchez, the same opponent he defeated for the title in 2017.

Beggs also beat three additional female wrestlers on his way to the championship.

What is the transition process?

Beggs is taking a low-dose of testosterone to transition from female to male and is taking a low-dose of testosterone, reports state.

His steroid therapy treatments last season sparked a fiery debate about fairness and transgender rights. This year did not see as much fanfare, except for a last-minute lawsuit that tried to stop Beggs from competing, reports state.

Beggs tried to wrestle in the boys’ division. But athletic league rules for Texas public schools requires athletes to compete on teams that reflect the gender on their birth certificate.

“He has so much respect for all the girls he wrestles,” his mother, Angela McNew, told the Associated Press. “People think Mack has been beating up on girls … The girls he wrestles with, they are tough. It has more to do with skill and discipline than strength.”

Was there a lot of controversy this year?

McNew did not allow media interviews with Beggs prior to the state meet. She said that allowed him to focus on the competition. It also shielded him from possible social media attacks and the insults that are sometimes shouted out from the stands or from other competitors.

Last season, two of Beggs' competitors forfeited their meets because they feared being injured. This year, there was one forfeit. An opposing coach and her teammates had insisted she wrestle Beggs, but she refused, McNew said.

Beggs and his family have repeatedly said he wants to compete against boys.

The University Interscholastic League, which governs Texas high school sports, approved the birth certificate rule in 2016. The rule was designed to help schools determine competition, said Jamie Harrison, the UIL’s deputy director, told the Associated Press.

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