MESA, AZ — An eighth-grader at Eastmark High School in Mesa was removed from boys' basketball tryouts this week after his school district questioned his eligibility based on the gender listed on his original birth certificate.
"I was really upset and disappointed," Laker Jackson said.
The 14-year-old told ABC15 he had been training for a year to make the team at Eastmark, which is a 7th to 12th-grade school in the Queen Creek Unified School District.
Laker's mother, Becky Jackson, said the original birth certificate had an error, which listed Laker as a female instead of male. Becky said she became aware of the mistake years ago when she originally registered Laker for school. As a busy mom of six kids, she said correcting the document was not initially a priority.
"So we just put it in the drawer and moved on," Becky said, "It hadn't been an issue until this past spring."
The error became problematic when school staff began treating Jackson as female last school year, Becky and Laker said. Over the summer, the family took action to correct the birth certificate.
"It's not something that you can fix quickly. You have to have an affidavit signed," Becky said.
Laker's parents also showed ABC15 documentation, including results from a local doctor's exam, where the doctor signed off that Laker was a biological boy.
"You have to have a bunch of things notarized, and you have to drop off a bunch of paperwork to the downtown Office of Vital Records," Becky Jackson said.
The corrected birth certificate arrived this month, which lists Laker as male. However, the Queen Creek School District still would not allow him to join the boys' team. A letter sent to his parents stated that he "may only participate in classes or athletics that align to the original birth certificate," which would be female athletics or coed sports.
"I'm really heartbroken. I'm sad for everybody that it's come down to this," Becky Jackson said.
The district's athletic policy states, "Teams and events for girls shall be reserved for students whose biological sex as determined at birth is female," but the policy does not include specific language saying original birth certificates were required as proof.
"I am a biological boy. I was born a boy," Laker said.
ABC15 is committed to finding the answers you need and holding those accountable.
Submit your news tip to Investigators@abc15.com
Queen Creek Unified School District released a statement saying it is "committed to ensuring fairness, integrity, and equal opportunity in all athletic programs for both boys and girls."
The district added that it "has informed the parents that documentation such as a chromosome analysis could be considered to help support or verify eligibility."
The cost of genetic testing would be approximately $1,500, according to the family.
"So who's going to pay that?" Becky said.
Becky said she has a close family member who is transgender, and she has advocated for transgender children. However, she maintains this situation involves a simple clerical error that has been corrected.
"I feel like it's setting a precedent for both people who are pro trans and people who maybe have an issue with it, because in the end, the precedent they're setting is it doesn't matter what paperwork or information you show us or give us, we are going to force a biological boy to play with the girls," she said.
Laker's parents say they will have him try out for the girls' team if the district gives them no other option.
Laker said kids at school are now making jokes.
"A lot of kids do talk about me because they think it's funny or weird," the eighth-grader said. "I've gotten pulled into the principal's office, and I'm really confused, because he's like, 'I want you to be comfortable,' but I am comfortable, if you just put me with the boys and stuff."
ABC15's research so far has not found any prior incidents where a school has required genetic testing to determine a child's sex to participate in junior high sports.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
