The controversial chairman of USA Fencing endured a brutal interrogation by lawmakers on Wednesday over his stance on transgender athletes, including why he once compared concerned parents to the Ku Klux Klan.
Damien Lehfeldt first made headlines last month, when a female fencer named Stephanie Turner refused to fight a transgender rival during a competition.
The incident shone a light on USA Fencing and on Lehfeldt, who previously wrote in a blog post that ‘transgender women are women’ and ‘(they) deserve the right to compete with the gender they identify with.’
Since returning to office, however, Donald Trump has signed an executive order entitled ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’.
On Wednesday, both Turner and Lehfeldt appeared at a hearing involving a Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE). The hearing was shown a photo, apparently posted on social media by Lehfeldt, in which he made a profane two-finger gesture at the camera with the caption ‘Game day’.
Lehfeldt was grilled by lawmakers including chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, with his governing body accused of ‘ignoring science’ and putting ‘politics ahead of women and the law.’
USA Fencing chief Damien Lehfeldt endured a brutal interrogation by lawmakers this week
Back in March, a female fencer refused to fight a transgender rival during a competition
Greene pressed him on why USA Fencing’s ‘site selection policy’ for tournaments takes into account an area’s policies on abortion and LGBT rights.
‘We try to have tournaments in sites that are safe for all of our members. Period,’ he said.
But Lehfeldt refused to answer whether he would ‘want (his) daughter to change in front of biological men in locker rooms? Yes or no.’
The chairman responded to Greene: ‘My daughter isn’t really something that should be part of this hearing, respectfully.’
Greene later posted a clip of the incident on social media and wrote: ‘He couldn’t say “NO.” That tells you EVERYTHING. These people have lost all common sense.’
During another excruciating exchange, Lehfeldt was pressed on previous comments he made about opponents to transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
‘Do you think that parents who don’t want their daughters competing against men in women’s sports are “whiney”,’ Republican Congressman Brandon Gill asked him.
After Lehfeldt said, ‘No, sir,’ Gill responded: ‘Why did you write that on social media? I have a picture here where you posted that.’
The congressman held up a screenshot. ‘You were allegedly responding to a parent who didn’t want their daughter being beaten up by men in sports competitions. (You wrote) “I’m not going to pull her from the sport and write and whiney email announcing my departure.”‘
The hearing was shown a photo in which Lehfeldt made a two-finger gesture at the camera with the caption ‘Game day’
In now-deleted Instagram posts, Lehfeldt previously shared email conversations with ‘Dorothy’
In his alleged reply, he ripped into a concerned ‘Dorothy’ and called her a ‘cowardly Lion’
Lehfeldt admitted his comments were ‘inappropriate’ but Gill then pressed him on another social media comment when he called opponents ‘cowardly’.
‘I regret it sir, I deleted it shortly after posting it and I certainly don’t feel that way anymore.’
As the chairman attempted to explain his position, Gill interrupted and asked: ‘Do you think parents who don’t want their daughters competing against men in sports should be compared to the Ku Klux Klan?’
Lehfeldt responded, ‘No. Absolutely not’, only for Gill to dig up another ‘receipt’.
‘I’d like to read what you wrote and posted on social media, responding allegedly to a lady who had these concerns,’ he said before quoting Lehfedlt.
‘The only wizard that’s going to dig you out of the myopic hole you’ve put yourself and your family in is one of the “grand wizard” variety.’
Grand Wizard is a title traditionally given to a leader of the Klan, a white supremacist organization dating back the era of Reconstruction.
‘(It’s) inappropriate, sir,’ Lehfeldt admitted. ‘I acknowledge that I said it and I will commit to never making a message like that again.’
The chairman insisted the email he received was real but admitted he did not send the replies he posted to social media.
Turner, meanwhile, claimed she was left feeling ‘isolated and strangled’ by USA Fencing, having spent ‘7,000 hours training and over $100,000’ on her fencing career.
Lehfeldt said the organization would comply with law changes regarding transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Stephanie Turner, 31, took a knee and walked out of her match against a transgender rival
‘Gender participation in sports is a complex topic,’ he said, adding that ‘considerations of safety and fairness are paramount.’
But in a statement to Outkick, USA Fencing suggested its transgender policy is out of its hands: ‘USA Fencing remains dedicated to maintaining a fair, respectful environment where every athlete can participate.
‘Our current transgender and non-binary eligibility policy, adopted in 2023, reflects guidance from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).’
The statement continued: ‘Because the Ted Stevens Act bars us from adopting participation requirements more stringent than those of our international federation (FIE), we must mirror that framework. Should Congress amend the Act, or the IOC/FIE change their standards, USA Fencing will adjust accordingly.’
