As I reported yesterday, transgender high school senior Mack Beggs returned to the state wrestling finals this weekend after winning his division last year.
Beggs has asked to compete in the boys division but the University Interscholastic League (UIL), which regulates high school athletics in Texas, made him compete in the girls division based on the gender listed on his birth certificate.
Beggs is undergoing hormone replacement therapy under the care of a doctor, which the UIL allows. Beggs said last year that he’s taking less than the recommended dosage of testosterone in order to stay within the “allowed level.”
Beggs' weekly injection of .18 milliliters (36 milligrams) is medically prescribed and monitored for the primary purposes of stopping his menstrual cycles and allowing him to grow body and facial hair.
That dosage is tiny compared to what male body builders typically inject - 500 to 1,000 milligrams of testosterone per week.
Over the past years, parents of Beggs' competitors have been vocal saying Beggs' use of testosterone constituted an illegal advantage over girls calling the hormone treatment "steroid use."
On Saturday evening, the transgender male wrestler ended his perfect 36-0 season by winning his second straight UIL girls Class 6A state title in the 110-pound weight class.
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, there were a few boos last year but those cheering for Beggs drowned the haters out. This year the boos were back and more pronounced.
What I want to make absolutely clear is that Beggs' won fair and square playing by the rules. Period.
Beggs' focus moves now to "top surgery" in the next few months and then on college. He has already been offered a wrestling scholarship at an out of state college.
The NCAA, which regulates college athletics, allows transgender wrestlers to compete with their gender.
Watch video below of the last minute of Mack's title-winning match.
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
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