Mack Beggs, the Texas high school wrestler who is transgender and who was forced to wrestle in the girls division will be the grand marshal of the San Antonio LGBT Pride parade on Saturday.
“I'm just super excited about it and I'm honored,” Beggs, 18, told Outsports. He will be co-grand marshal along with Joe Maldanado, an New Jersey 8-year-old transgender boy who got his ban reversed from being kicked out of the Boy Scouts.
Beggs’ story made national news when he was forced by state athletic law to wrestle in the girls division despite his desire to compete against boys. He won the state title this spring.
Texas athletic officials are debating changes to their rules to allow athletes to compete in the gender class with which they identify, but no changes are expected. This being Texas, there are politicians looking to pass legislation that could prevent Beggs from wrestling in high school, period.
Bravo to the San Antonio parade organizers for naming these two trailblazers to lead their parade.