EULESS, Texas – Just days before a state competition, a transgender Euless Trinity High School wrestler has been put into the middle of a lawsuit filed against the University Interscholastic League.The suit demands the UIL prohibit the student from competing in girls wrestling competitions.

Mack Beggs’ mom says he just wants to wrestle and is following the rules as outlined by the UIL. But the attorney who filed the lawsuit says allowing Mack to wrestle is unfair and unsafe.

Mack’s mom, Angela, says she’s concerned about the suit being a distraction before the big state competition this weekend.

Angela declined to speak on camera but says her 17-year-old son is open about transitioning from female to male and the testosterone that’s making it possible.

UIL policy states a student’s participation is based on the gender on their birth certificate. And while state laws and UIL rules prohibit steroid use, a spokesperson says there is an exception for those taking it as prescribed by a doctor for a medical purpose. And that exception applies to Mack, a junior on the Euless Trinity girls wrestling team.

Attorney Jim Baudhuin says he knows Mack personally and filed the suit on behalf of a female wrestler who has competed against him.

“This is a great kid,” Baudhuin said. “This is no fueled by hate.”

The lawsuit says “somewhere in the process of reviewing this case and looking at the trees, the folks at the UIL missed the forest; they failed to see the impropriety and outright insanity of allowing a girl who is taking a banned anabolic steroid to still compete.”

Angela says Mack would prefer to compete as a boy, but current UIL rules prevent that. And she says until that changes, Mack shouldn’t be banned as the lawsuit demands.

“At least if Mack wants to compete against the boys, she’s doing it knowingly and willingly,” Baudhuin said. “The other girls in the bracket don’t have that choice. They show up to the girls’ competition, and there is somebody who is not really a girl — not really a boy yet — but who is closer to the boys than the girls.”

Transgender advocates, like Finnigan Jones with Trans-Cendence International, are watching Mack’s case very closely.

“It’s not the student’s problem, it’s UIL’s problem,” he said. “Mack, in a way, does have an unfair advantage because the testosterone will make him stronger. But because of the UIL rules, they will not allow Mack to wrestle with the boys. So, really, it’s UIL responsibility to let these children do whatever sports they choose to do.”

Mack’s family says the UIL has his medical records and has approved the student to compete.