Wrestler Mack Beggs took the Texas 6A Girls wrestling title yesterday, becoming the first transgender athlete to win a Texas state title. But the crowd was cruel to 17-year-old Beggs—who identifies as male—as they booed him after winning his final match.Beggs, who has been taking testosterone treatments since 2015, lobbied to compete in the boys division, but was rejected due to a league law that says athletes can only compete against people with the same gender designation on their birth certificate. Yet, for some reason, Beggs wrestling in the girls division has outraged some other athletes and families. To the point that two wrestlers are involved in a lawsuit against the University Interscholastic League, asking to suspend Beggs for use of steroids. Those wrestlers are not even in Beggs' weight class.So Beggs is stuck in a league he doesn't want to be in, and is dealing with random people actively trying to suspend him from his sport—and now grown human beings are booing him? This is a 17-year-old kid who loves his sport.Crowd reacts as 17-year old #MackBeggs becomes Girls Texas State Wrestling champion. @uiltexas: he's 1st transgender boy to win such tittle. pic.twitter.com/V7sCc6Og4O
— Polo Sandoval (@PoloSandovalCNN) February 26, 2017