The battle over women’s sports came to a head for women’s fencing on Wednesday in a heated congressional hearing where female fencer Stephanie Turner took questions alongside USA Fencing Chairman Damien Lehfeldt, who doubled down on allowing trans-identifying men.
Lehfeldt was subpoenaed to appear before the House Oversight Committee’s DOGE subcommittee for the hearing titled, “Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
Turner was disqualified from a Maryland tournament in March for taking a knee and refusing to compete against a trans-identifying male opponent. She ultimately stepped away from fencing altogether.
“It took me nearly three years to get up the courage to come out publicly,” Turner told lawmakers at the hearing. “That knee I took in protest was a cry for help and an act of desperation.”
“That knee I took in protest was a cry for help and an act of desperation.”
USA Fencing athlete Stephanie Turner testified before Congress about the painful decision to protest being forced to compete against a male opponent. pic.twitter.com/yVrD2XSB0Q
— ICONS (@icons_women) May 7, 2025
Turner also explained how biological sex impacts performance in fencing, reminding lawmakers that it is a “combat sport.”
“There are elements of speed, power, reaction time, distance control, footwork and blade work — all attributes affected by sex development,” she said in her opening statement. “It’s unbelievably demeaning to female fencers to put down the differences between men and women and any woman’s loss to a man as a ‘skill issue’ or that a woman simply needs to work harder.”
Ahead of the hearing, Lehfeldt appeared to throw up a middle finger on social media, captioning the post “Game time,” but later clarified that he cropped his other finger out of the photo. The uncropped photo shared with Fox News showed Lehfeldt holding up two fingers.
🚨 OUTRAGEOUS: @USAFencing Chair Damien Lehfeldt appears to give the middle finger this morning ahead of a Congressional hearing on the mistreatment of female fencers like Stephanie Turner—who took a knee to protest facing a male opponent and has since left the sport.
Unclear if… pic.twitter.com/n4ELk2T4ue
— ICONS (@icons_women) May 7, 2025
During the hearing, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) asked Lehfeldt whether he believes forcing women to change in front of a man is “abusive.”
Lehfeldt struggled to offer an answer.
“Congresswoman, I’m not sure I follow the question,” he responded.
🚨 @RepMTG: “Do you think forcing a woman to change in a locker room in front of a male is abusive?”
The silence from Damien Lehfeldt is LOUD…
Absolutely reprehensible! pic.twitter.com/hRpFnlnsDx
— Independent Women's Forum (@IWF) May 7, 2025
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) challenged Lehfeldt to apologize to Turner to her face.
“Will you face Miss Stephanie Turner today? Will you look her in the eyes? Will you apologize to her for the way that she was treated by USA Fencing, standing up for women and girls, women’s rights, standing her ground as a woman who only wanted to fence with other women?”
🤺👀 Rep. Mace asked Damien Lehfeldt, board chair of USA Fencing, to look Stephanie Turner in the eyes and apologize for how his organization treated her by forcing her to compete with men. HE REFUSED.@RepNancyMace: “Real men protect women, you are not one.”
Watch the clip 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/Iw8h1Lul5T
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) May 8, 2025
“Why aren’t you protecting women?” asked Rep Eli Crane (R-AZ).
“Sir, from a fencing standpoint, it’s one of the safest sports in the Olympic movement. I know that you think that swords present some kind of danger,” Lehfeldt responded.
Americans don't want MEN in WOMEN's sports.
Why are Democrats so weird and out of touch? pic.twitter.com/ztuqyJvgQS
— Rep. Eli Crane (@RepEliCrane) May 8, 2025
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) asked Lehfeldt about his response to a mother who said she would move her daughters to a new sport over trans-identifying men in women’s fencing.
Lehfeldt posted his response to the woman on social media, calling her email “whiny,” and going on a bizarre rant to the woman, named Dorothy, in which he referenced “The Wizard of Oz” and told her the only wizard who could help her is “of the grand wizard variety.”
“I want to be crystal clear. That was an inappropriate message,” Lehfeldt said during the hearing. “I regret it, sir. I deleted it shortly after posting it, and I certainly don’t feel that way anymore.”
Damien Lehfeldt, Chairman of @USAFencing, has a long, ugly record of smearing parents who dare to oppose men in their daughters’ sports.
He brought lame excuses. I brought receipts. pic.twitter.com/QMU8XjB68z
— Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) May 7, 2025
Lehfeld also doubled down in a response to a social media follower who asked him, “Are you okay with cis females being at a disadvantage?” Lehfeldt responded simply, “Yeah.”
After the hearing, Turner said she wanted to see some USA Fencing leaders resign.
“I’m going to be pushing for people to resign, to be honest. I’d like to see some people resign for the comments that they’ve made, especially publicly, ones that are harassing and meant to humiliate concerned women, mothers and daughters,” Turner said.
Last month, USA Fencing said it might have to change its policy to bar trans-identifying males from women’s fencing.
“In the event that USA Fencing is guided to change its current stance in accordance with oversight bodies or federal legislation, the new policy states athletes competing in USA Fencing-sanctioned tournaments must compete according to their biological sex,” the organization said in a statement.
“The policy will be implemented only if and when one or more governing bodies require these updates,” USA Fencing added.
