Texas high school wrestler Mack Beggs advanced to the state semifinal in his girls wrestling weight class, setting the stage for a possible state championship on Saturday. Beggs is a transgender boy forced by state policy to wrestle in the girls division.
The Dallas-area high school junior will carry an incredible 54-0 season record into his University Interscholastic League semifinal match Saturday near Houston.
On Saturday, Beggs won his semifinal match, advancing to the state final.
Going into today, Beggs was ready for some hard-fought battles, posting on Facebook: “All the hard work that I've put in for the past 3 years, it comes down to this day and tomorrow… It's time. LET'S WRESTLE!”
According to the Dallas Morning News, Beggs had some supporters and detractors in the audience. When a couple fans cheered, several boos erupted from the stands, according to their report.
"Today while attending Macks wrestling match, I was deeply shocked and appalled at the amount of intentional misgendering I heard,” said photographer Eric Edward Schell, who was at the match. “Pronouns matter. For some it's life and death. It should never be taken lightly and every human deserves to be validated for who they are."
Schell insisted the misgendering was not accidental.
For regular updates on Begg’s progress on Saturday, follow @SportsDayHS on Twitter.
