Texas steroids bill could ban transgender prep wrestler

Euless Trinity junior Mack Beggs, top, drives Morton Ranch's Chelsea Sanchez into the mat during the Class 6A girls 110-pound championship final. (Chron/Jason Fochtman).

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Senate has given preliminary approval to a bill that would let state officials ban a transgender wrestling champion from competing.

The measure comes after Trinity Euless junior Mack Beggs, who is transitioning from female to male, won a Texas state girls wrestling championship. Recently adopted University Interscholastic League rules required Beggs to compete as a girl, the gender listed on his birth certificate.

Beggs' case drew national attention as he had been taking steroids as part of his transition. A lawsuit was filed to try to stop him competing.

The bill would require transitioning athletes like Beggs to turn over their medical records to the UIL. The organization could then determine if the athlete's steroid use compromised the safety of opponents or created an unfair advantage in competition.
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Copyright 2017 The Gayly - 5/9/2017 @ 6:19 p.m.