Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) slammed the chairman of USA Fencing by bringing up his social media posts comparing parents of female athletes to Ku Klux Klan members and calling them “whiny” for not wanting their daughters to compete against transgender individuals.
During a House Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee hearing held Wednesday, after a female fencer faced repercussions for refusing a match with a transgender opponent, USA Fencing Chair Damien Lehfeldt flailed when trying to avoid responsibility:
“Do you think that parents who don’t want their daughters competing against men in women’s sports are whiny?” Gill asked.
When Lehfeldt answered, “No, sir,” the congressman incredulously responded, “You don’t? Why did you write that on social media? I’ve got a picture here where you posted that.”
“You were allegedly responding to a parent who didn’t want their daughter being beaten up by men in sports competitions,” Gill said, referencing a screenshot of the fencing official’s social media. “You said, ‘I’m not going to pull her from the sport and write a whiny email announcing my departure.’”
Lehfeldt had little excuse to offer, claiming his post was an “inappropriate” message that he “regretted” and deleted.
“I certainly don’t feel that way anymore,” he claimed.
Gill moved on, bringing up another post where Lehfeldt likened parents of female fencers to members of the white supremacist KKK group.
“Do you think that parents who don’t want their daughters competing against men in sports should be compared to the Ku Klux Klan?,” he said. “No,” Lehfeldt responded.
“Responding allegedly to a lady who had these concerns [about trans athletes]: ‘the only wizard that’s going to dig you out of the myopic hole you put yourself and your family in is one of the quote ‘grand wizard variety,’” Gill quoted from the chair’s social media page.
“Inappropriate, sir,” Lehfeldt again said. “And I acknowledge that I said it and I will commit to never making a message like that again.”
All Lehfeldt could do was apologize for the messages he posted, but he refused to apologize to Stephanie Turner, the fencing athlete who was hit with a 12-month probation from USA Fencing after taking a knee in protest instead of facing off against a male who claims to be a woman in a March competition:
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who has been on a fiery crusade against males in women’s spaces, asked the chairman to offer an apology to Turner, who was also present during the DOGE subcommittee hearing:
“Congresswoman Mace, Ms. Turner was given a black card under our rules—” Lehfeldt began, before Mace demanded to know whether or not he would apologize.
“Will you apologize for the way she was treated? So that’s a no,” Mace said, before continuing to chastise him for being unable to look Turner “in the eyes” and own up to his organization’s mistake.
Turner said she is after more than an apology at this point, opting for pushing for a “change of policy” instead.
“I want more than an apology. I want a change in policy and I want people to start speaking the truth again. And an apology is just empty words without actions to me, so I don’t know how far it would go for me,” the fencer said, according to Fox News.
USA Fencing announced in April that it is preparing to change its gender policy after placing Turner on probation.
“In the event that USA Fencing is forced 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 statement, obtained by Fox News, read.
