Transgender rights are becoming a mainstream and divisive topic. The latest controversy revolves around 17-year-old Mack Beggs, a transgender boy who just won the girls' Texas state wrestling championship, eliciting critiscm in the community. According to the Washington Post, Beggs wanted to compete against other boys, but was unable to due to state rules rquiring athletes to participate as the gender specified on their birth certificates.

Read: Doctors ‘Failing To Help’ Transgender People; Gender Dysphoria In Health Care

Outspoken parents expressed their discontent to the newspaper about the boy, who is taking testosterone injections, and who they believe has an unfair advantage.

“She’s standing there holding her head high like she’s the winner,” says Patti Overstreet in the Washington Post, mom to a wrestler in the boys’ division. “She’s not winning. She’s cheating.”

A parent and attorney, James Baudhuin, is suing the league which oversees sports in Texas schools about the decision to allow Beggs to compete against girls.

“The 16 girls who are in [Beggs’s] bracket have been put in a very, very unfair situation because of the grown-ups,” Baudhuin tells the newspaper. “To me, this is a complete abject failure of leadership and accountability from the people who regulate sports in Texas. They’re doing wrong by Mack, and not just these 15 girls but all the other girls she wrestled all year.”

Although Beggs competed in the 110-pound bracket, the newspaper reports that coaches noticed a change in the wrestler's strength that wasn't previously apparent before he began testosterone injections. But what does testoterone really do for females? Here are five ways testosterone affects women:

Read: Think Like A Man: Testosterone Treatment Allows Transgender Men To Think And Talk Like A Man

Increases Bone Density

According to Healthline, a study on transitioning females found that testosterone increased bone mineral density. However, further research is needed to determine if more testosterone can reduce bone fractures.

More Body Hair

Known as hirsutism, Healthline reports that women with excess testosterone can develop body hair just like men, including facial hair.

Masculine Appearance

Higher levels of tesosterone in women can lead to virilization, which causes a more masculine appearance, and can reslt in male pattern baldness and a deeper voice.

Lower Body Fat

The Monterey Preventive Medical Clinic writes that more testosterone in women can result in lower body fat, but a higher chance of becoming insulin resistant, which can lead to diabetes.

Increased Libido

WebMD reports that a study from the early 2000s indicated that women with low libidos were more interested in sex after taking testosterone.

See Also:

Transgender Vets Are At Greater Risk For Variety Of Medical Conditions, Including HIV And Depression

Improving Transgender Mental Health: Trans Kids Who Receive Support Avoid Depression, Suicide

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