An Arizona 14-year-old boy was barred from playing for his high school\u2019s boys\u2019 basketball team, but told he could join the girls\u2019 roster because of a clerical error on his birth certificate. <\/p>\n
Laker Jackson was \u201cphysically removed\u201d from the Eastmark High School\u00a0gym in the middle of tryouts for the boys basketball team on Oct. 14 when school officials determined that he was breaking the school\u2019s policy regarding \u201cfairness and equality\u201d of its athletic teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey sent the athletic director of Eastmark High to physically remove Laker from the basketball tryouts in front of all of his friends, in front of the coach,\u201d the teen\u2019s mother, Becky Jackson, told AZFamily.<\/a><\/p>\n Laker Jackson speaks out after he was removed from trying out for his high school\u2019s boys\u2019 basketball team on Oct. 14, 2025. Arizona\u2019s Family (3TV \/ CBS 5)\/YouTube<\/p>\n Jackson\u2019s birth certificate had incorrectly marked him as female when he was born. <\/p>\n Jackson had lived his entire life without knowing about the mistake until last year when he registered to attend the public school in Mesa, Ariz., based 33 miles outside of the state\u2019s capital of Phoenix. <\/p>\n \u201cI give him the birth certificate and they\u2019re like, did you know this says female,\u201d Becky Jackson said. \u201cI was like, \u2018what, oh man, that\u2019s so funny.\u2019 So we come home, everyone\u2019s laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n Jackson, who is in eighth grade, and the rest of the basketball team hopefuls were left confused over his removal from the school\u2019s tryouts.<\/p>\n He had unsuccessfully tried out for the team the previous year with no problems over his birth certificate.<\/p>\n The mix-up was never a problem for the teen as he grew up knowing he was a male.<\/p>\n He played in a boys\u2019 basketball league over the summer and won a conference championship for the school\u2019s wrestling team last year.<\/p>\n Laker Jackson has always played on boys\u2019 sports teams because he never knew of the legal mix-up on his birth certificate. Arizona\u2019s Family (3TV \/ CBS 5)\/YouTube<\/p>\n Jackson won a conference championship for the school\u2019s wrestling team last year. Arizona\u2019s Family (3TV \/ CBS 5)\/YouTube<\/p>\n Becky Jackson never caught the mistake after she gave birth to Laker, her sixth and youngest child.<\/p>\n \u201cThe gender marker is not something I looked at, I looked at the time and date making sure they were right and put it in the safe. I wasn\u2019t even aware it was [marked] female until we registered [Laker] at school in the Queen Creek School District,\u201d she told 12News.<\/a><\/p>\n The family received a corrected birth certificate and a doctor\u2019s note to clarify the legal change for the teen to resume tryouts. <\/p>\n \u201cIt said he was examined and yes, he is a biological male,\u201d Becky Jackson said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n School administrators stood firm and ruled Jackson was ineligible to join the boys\u2019 team since the original birth certificate stated he was a female.<\/p>\n \u201cQueen Creek Unified School District is committed to ensuring fairness, integrity, and equal opportunity in all athletic programs for both boys and girls. We take great care to follow state and district guidelines that support competitive equity and student well-being,\u201d the school said in a letter to the outlets.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this particular case, the student has been enrolled in QCUSD since elementary school and has been registered as a biological female throughout their time in our district. The day before basketball tryouts, the parent submitted a new birth certificate and a doctor\u2019s note indicating a gender change. Our schools rely on a student\u2019s original birth certificate at birth to determine athletic eligibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Becky Jackson speaks out on her son\u2019s eligibility to play high school sports. Arizona\u2019s Family (3TV \/ CBS 5)\/YouTube<\/p>\n School administrators stood firm with their decision and stated Jackson\u2019s original birth certificate says he is a female. Arizona\u2019s Family (3TV \/ CBS 5)\/YouTube<\/p>\n The discovery forced the school to remove Jackson from the boys\u2019 basketball tryout, but it opened the door for him to try out for the girls\u2019 team if he wants to play basketball until his legal gender is clarified.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of kids do talk about me because they think it\u2019s funny or weird,\u201d the eighth-grader said. \u201cI\u2019ve gotten pulled into the principal\u2019s office, and I\u2019m really confused, because he\u2019s like, \u2018I want you to be comfortable,\u2019 but I am comfortable, if you just put me with the boys and stuff,\u201d the teen told ABC15.<\/a><\/p>\n