October 21, 2025
The Arizona school district has remained adamant on not letting the young boy play over the mistaken birth certificate.
An Arizona teen could not partake in his high school’s boys basketball tryouts over a gender issue on his birth certificate.
Laker Jackson had plans to go out for the boys’ basketball team at Eastmark High School in Mesa, Arizona. After turning in his required documents, however, he could not show off his skills on the court, at least amongst the boys.
A clerical error lists Laker as a female at birth. Albeit untrue, the small mistake seemed like an unnecessary headache to fix. His mother told KGNS that it was the hospital’s mistake, but it has not caused an issue until this latest incident.
“I give them the birth certificate, and they’re like, ‘Did you know this says female?’” shared Becky Jackson. “I was like, ‘Oh, man, that’s so funny.’ So, we come home. Everyone’s laughing.”
The concerned mother said the issue left her son embarrassed by the removal. The high school’s athletic director removed him from the tryouts, suggesting that he go out for the girls’ team instead.
“They 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,” Jackson said.
The incident speaks to the growing issue with transgender athletes participating in their chosen identity’s sport teams. The school confirmed that the young boy must join the girls’ team, despite a doctor confirming his sex as male.
“Queen 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,” shared the school district.
The statement continued, “In 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’s note indicating a gender change. Our schools rely on a student’s original birth certificate at birth to determine athletic eligibility.”
The school has remained adamant in forbidding Laker from trying out for the boys’ team. The school has even suggested chromosomal testing to ensure the young boy is actually a male.
“Now, they may consider changing it if we get chromosomal testing. They didn’t say they would. It says they may,” Jackson added.
However, the expense of the testing, just for the possibility of the ruling reversal, has troubled the family. Meanwhile, Laker still cannot participate on the boys’ team, with his hopes of playing high school basketball this year dwindling.
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