Fireworks Fly As USA Fencing Head Defends Males In Women's Sports, Trans Athlete Policy

The head of the board of USA Fencing, a man named Damien Lehfeldt, has proudly and openly championed biological males competing in women's sports. And Wednesday, in a Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing, Lehfeldt defended his actions and views while downplaying the threats to women and softening his prior extremism. 

Chairwoman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene started the hearing by playing a video of President Donald Trump signing an executive order prohibiting the participation of men in women's sports, followed by a series of examples of males dominating those competitions. 

Greene explained that USA Fencing and other organizations are required to provide "Equal athletic opportunity for women, biological women," which it's now refusing to comply with thanks to its transgender competition policy. She also pointed out that the organization makes a "mockery" of women's fencing by allowing over 200 recognized biological males to compete against women. 

READ: US Fencing Won't Comment On Males Having Physical Advantages Over Female Athletes

Meanwhile, the board of US Fencing said they would only change their policies if, and only if, it was forced to do so. Despite being objectively unfair to allow males to compete against females, the organization is so committed to political extremism that they have to be forced. And the questioners, well the Republican ones at least, called them out for it.

Oct 8, 2018; Buenos Aires, Argentina;  A detail of a USA Fencing mask in the Africa Pavilion, Youth Olympic Park. The Youth Olympic Games, Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Mandatory Credit: Florian Eisele for OIS/IOC Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports

(OIS/IOC Handout Photo-USA TODAY)

US Fencing Board Head Damien Lehfeldt Defends Trans Athletes

Another board member did issue a letter saying that transgender fencers have significant physical advantages in women's competitions. Those advantages include body size, reach, shoulder width, reach, explosive strength and recovery capacity. Even testosterone suppression does not reduce the advantages of biological males. Lehfeldt didn't, and doesn't, seem to care.

Lehfeldt faced criticism from the committee because their policy "ignores the science," and instead puts "politics ahead of women and the law." 

They do this not just with their unfair, potentially dangerous trans athlete policy, but by picking competition sites based on states that have "policies on LGBTQ and abortion that they don't agree with."

Per Greene, they have never surveyed their membership and declined to have an all-female committee give their opinion on the question of male athletes in women's sports. Likely because they already know the answer they'd get back.

Ranking Democratic Party members, instead of engaging with these arguments, accused the hearing of "spreading hate," using "trans lives" to do so. That attempting to ensure fairness in women's sports is "bullying trans kids and members of the trans community."

To demonstrate the danger male athletes pose, the committee played a video of Payton McNabb being severely injured by a volleyball spiked by a male athlete. In response, the Democrats once again resorted to saying that the committee was "spreading hate," and that trans kids and adults live "rent-free in the GOP's minds." 

Somehow, they remained unaware that their obsessive focus on Elon Musk and medicaid in a hearing about trans participation in fencing is the dictionary definition of "living rent-free."

Stephanie Turner, the fencer who took a knee rather than compete against a male opponent, also spoke in the hearing about her experiences with USA Fencing.

READ: Female Fencer Takes A Knee, Forfeits In Protest Of Transgender Opponent

She said she's spent "7,000 hours training and over $100,000" in expenses" in her fencing career, something that's now ruined because of the organization's absurdist policy. That it's offensive to suggest that women who lose to men is a "skill issue," as many defenders of trans athletes have suggested.

Turner detailed that the culture of USA Fencing demands silence when men compete against women, that she felt "isolated and strangled" by Lehfeldt's organization.

Lehfeldt gave his statement, which directly contradicted what he's said previously, and it's obvious why. He softened his views, saying that the organization would comply with changes to the law prohibiting males in women's sports. A far cry from his previous comments that "transgender women are women," and that male athletes don't do "transitions with the intention of gaining a physical advantage over their cisgender peers."

He argued in his statement that his and the organization's role is allow participation for all Americans in fencing. Except that ignores that there is a category for male athletes to compete in. It's very easy to provide fair access for all Americans to fence. Males compete against males, females compete against females. 

Instead of the "trans women are women" nonsense, Lehfeldt now says that he recognizes that "Gender participation in sports is a complex topic," and that "considerations of safety and fairness are paramount." 

"While saying he's been a 'vocal advocate' for trans participation in women's sports, he claimed that his actions as board chair are done with fairness and competition in mind."

He then downplayed the injuries suffered by women in competitions, saying fencing doesn't provide any significant safety risks for males competing against women. While also claiming that "flexibility and agility" are attributes that women have which provide an advantage over men. There's no evidence whatsoever that this is true.

If "Law, research or international consensus changes," Lehfeldt said he remains prepared to change the policy. Again, what research is USA Fencing waiting for? That males have physical advantages over females? It's insanity.

Meanwhile, as if determined to out-extreme Lehfeldt, the other Democratic Party witness, Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, said that "Transgender women do not provide a threat to women's sports," claiming that "Transgender women, belong in sports." 

They do. In men's sports.

The committee then pressed Lehfeldt on USA Fencing's other extremist policies, asking him why it prioritizes states for events based on abortion access. He didn't have much of an answer. When asked again, the best response he could muster was that the organization holds events where they're "safe."

Greene pressed him on his comments about his own daughter competing against a man, where he'd previously written that "whatever the result," he hopes "she doesn't care." As well as whether he'd want his daughter changing in a locker room in front of a man. He couldn't say no.

Rep. Pat Fallon did get Lehfeldt to admit that there are two competitive classes in US fencing, one for males and one for females, and that there are physical advantages for men over women. He admitted it would not be fair for a male who identifies as a man to compete against women in the women's division. He still wouldn't commit to changing the policy unless forced to by new laws. 

Rep. William Timmons later brought up that hormone treatments do not reduce many of the physical advantages men have over women. Lehfeldt had nothing to say.

He also highlighted that USA Fencing's website specifically has a chart detailing their version of the "power and privilege" hierarchy, specifically asking Lehfeldt what this had to do with fencing, and why it's on their website.

His only answer? That he'd never seen it before. Sounds right.

Posted it as a personal capacity, observing transgender women and the "purpose" that fencing gave them in life. Lehfeldt said he'd be ok with his own daughter being at a disadvantage against a male athlete as long as they "complied with policy."

Rep. Jasmine Crockett took her five minutes and used it to campaign against Donald Trump, calling Republican policies "demonic and disastrous." Then playing a "one word" game with Gross Graves, calling out nonsense and having Gross Graves respond "Trump or trans." After hours of avoiding one-word answers when asked questions about male athletes by representatives on the right, Gross Graves was happy to answer "Trump" when prompted.

Crockett, "Increasing the cost of everything," to which Gross Graves said "Trump." 

"Waging an idiotic trade war." "Trump." "Ignoring the constitution." "Trump."

Not present? Questions pertaining to the issue at hand.

Rep. Brian Jack asked Lehfeldt about his social media posts, where he impersonated a woman named "Dorothy" and wrote a note to himself. Finally, Lehfeldt actually admitted wrongdoing: "It was a poor attempt at humor, it was unbecoming of me as a leader of this organization to post that." 

Just imagine how unbecoming it is to allow males to compete against females. 

Rep. Brandon Gill scored some of the biggest points of the day, highlighting Lehlfeldt's extremism on this issue. Gil asked him a very simple "yes or no" question: Should men be allowed to share locker rooms and showers with women? 

His answer? He doesn't have an opinion. 

Gil also brought up that Lehfeldt said on social media that parents who don't want their daughters beaten up by men are "whiny." That they're "cowardly" for being concerned. All the sudden, when confronted with his prior statements, Lehfeldt admitted that it was "inappropriate" for him to comment. 

That wasn't even the worst of it. Lehfeldt on his social media account, compared parents concerned about their daughters to being part of the Ku Klux Klan.

"The only wizard that's going to dig you out of the myopic hole you've put yourself in is the ‘Grand Wizard’ variety," he posted.

Gil asked if Trump supporters would be welcome in USA Fencing. Lehfeldt once again was caught in his own trap, saying "yes, of course." Except, as Gil mentioned, on his Facebook page, Lehfeldt had previous gone after Trump supporters by posting: "Imagine one of 71 million dumb enough to vote for reelection for a poisonous clown who's permanently banned from Twitter." 

Finally, at the end of the hearing, when Rep. Nancy Mace asked Gross Graves "yes or no" questions about her extremism on biological females being forced to share their locker rooms and showers with males, she deflected and refused to answer. After easily understanding Jasmine Crockett's yes or no questions, she acted confused and stunned to face "yes or no" questions from Rep. Mace.

Wonder why!

The entire hearing served as a brutal reminder of how far gone the Democratic Party is on this issue. They quite simply have no defense for allowing males to invade women's sports and women's spaces. When asked how they can support such absurd nonsense, they say have no personal opinion. When asked if they want their daughter to be exposed to males in locker rooms, they have no opinion. 

Lehfeldt is completely unfit to serve in his role at USA Fencing. Their fencing policy is inexcusable. Their woke ideology is pervasive and all-encompassing, creating an unwelcoming environment for young women, or men, who don't agree with far-left politics. 

Oh, and Marjorie Taylor Greene had the mic drop of the night at the end of the hearing: the most decorated veteran American fencer in history is Liz Kocab, a biological man. Says it all.