A Republican ad is stirring up outrage over a trans teen wrestling in the girls’ division at school. The only problem is that it was Republican policies that forced the student, a trans boy, to compete against girls.

The flyer is an ad against Democrat Colin Allred, who is vying for Ted Cruz’s seat. The ad claims that Allred “failed to protect women’s sports, supporting boys competing with girls,” in reference to Allred’s history as a civil rights lawyer and advocacy LGBTQ+ equality. Most prominently, the ad features a blurred-out photo from 2017 showing then-teenager Mack Beggs.

Beggs, now 25 years old, is a trans man. Back in 2017, he would have preferred to compete against other boys, but Texas state law forced him to compete in the gender assigned to him at birth. Despite complying with the law, he was often booed when he took the ring, he told Yahoo News in 2021. One parent went so far as to sue him, though a judge later dismissed the suit.

“Mentally, it took a toll on me,” Beggs recalled. “I think we need to have resources in place for other [trans] kids who are in those positions.”

Even after graduating, it took time and therapy to recover. “I was in a very dark place,” Beggs said. “I had to seek out help, and I’m so glad I did that.”

Throughout his high school career, the Republican party used his image to drum up support for laws that would limit transgender participation in sport, including one bill that would have made Beggs ineligible to compete entirely.

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“You have to wrestle against girls — but you really want to wrestle against guys,” Beggs explained. “You beat girls, but technically you are a girl, but technically you’re not. It was a no-win situation. It was just a struggle that I hope nobody else has to go through.”

Seven years later, Republicans are still using Beggs’ image to vilify the trans community. On Saturday, Beggs responded to the ad on Instagram.

“I’ve been waiting to collect my thoughts on this situation,” he said. “The Republican State of Texas Government has decided to USE my image for yet again one of their political campaigns.

“I have already had a few people let me know about this campaign ad paid for and by the Republican Party in TX. NOT COOL.

“The fact they are STILL using my story and FACE for their political agendas. It’s sickening at this point.”

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