A hearing on biological men competing in women's sports became heated on Wednesday with Republicans and Democrats reduced to shouting and gavel smashing over the definition of a woman.
The subcommittee on the Department of Government Efficiency conducted a hearing titled, "Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports," led by Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., that at times became unhinged due to both sides digging in.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., kicked off the conversation by seeking a definition of the word "woman" from Fatima Goss Graves, CEO of the National Women's Law Center, who was unable to present a succinct reply. Mace called out both Goss Graves and USA Fencing Chair Damien Lehfeldt as being unable to protect women. "You all are shameful," Mace said. "You're groomers."
Goss Graves pushed back and claimed that transgender women are in fact indistinguishable from biological women. "As an expert in women’s rights in sports and in society, I want to be clear here: Transgender women do not pose a threat to women’s sports. Transgender women belong in sports," Goss Graves said.
Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., questioned the purpose of the meeting saying that it had nothing to do with government efficiency and was organized solely to sew chaos.
"I do want to say welcome to our guests and to your families," Stansbury said. "We do appreciate all of you coming here to tell your stories. But I want to make clear that this hearing is actually not about oversight or DOGE but about spreading hate and using trans lives to distract from the real issues that Americans are facing, from attacks on our economy to attacks on our democracy to attacks on our communities."
Several female witnesses were called to testified who had suffered humiliation and at times physical injury after being forced to compete against men.
Stephanie Turner is a female fencer who took a knee to protest competing against a male at a competition in Maryland last month. Turner said she felt "betrayed" and "unwelcome" by USA Fencing.
"That knee I took in protest was a cry for help and an act of desperation," Turner said, telling lawmakers that it took courage to speak out against the relenting pressure.
Payton McNabb, a former high school volleyball player who was given permanent brain injury after getting hit with a spike from a male opponent in 2022, confirmed to Greene that she has never been free from the "physical and emotional abuse" of that day.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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