House Republicans are trying to build momentum for a stalled bill that bans transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. It passed the House but hasn’t made any progress in the Senate.
So, on Tuesday, May 6, they hosted a hearing with Stephanie Turner and the chairman of USA Fencing following a now-viral incident in which Turner took a knee, rather than compete against a transgender athlete.
What happened during the hearing?
They shared a letter they received from an Olympic fencing coach that stated transgender women have advantages over biological women, including body size, reach, shoulder width, muscle development, explosive strength and recovery capacity.
Republican lawmakers cited a UN report that found women have been severely injured competing against transgender athletes and that testosterone suppression does not eliminate competitive advantages.
They also pointed to a New York Times/IPSOS poll from January that found 79% of Americans believe trans athletes should be banned from women’s sports.
Despite claiming that science and public sentiment back up their point of view, they used divisive rhetoric to describe transgender athletes. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., described them as “mentally ill biological men.”
What have Democrats said?
Democrats contend Republicans are politicizing the issue. They pointed out that the hearing was being hosted by the Department of Government Efficiency subcommittee within the House Oversight Committee, which is in charge of ensuring the executive branch and federal departments follow the law and do their duty.
“This hearing literally has nothing to do with that. In fact, it has nothing to do with anything that falls under the oversight and accountability committee’s jurisdiction,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., said.
As for Turner, she said there are 200 self-declared transgender athletes within USA fencing and that she has long opposed competing against them.
“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,” Turner stated.
Are mixed-gender bouts more dangerous?
The Chairman of USA Fencing said the organization allows mixed bouts. He said gender does not provide any advantage when it comes to strategy and technique, and added that other perceived inequalities are not what they appear.
“Those bouts show that mixed gender competition, in fencing at least, does not pose any significant safety risks above and beyond single gender fencing competition. The same is true for fencing involving transgender participation,” USA Fencing Chairman Damien Lehfeldt said. “Additionally, while some attributes more common in men, such as height and physical strength, can certainly confer an advantage in a fencing bout, women more commonly exhibit other advantageous traits such as flexibility and agility.”
Lehfeldt was subpoenaed to appear.
Democrats also brought in an attorney from the National Women’s Law Center, who explained trans athletes can be subject to discrimination and need protections in sports.
“For example, denying trans kids the chance to find teammates who have their back that’s harmful,” said Fatima Goss Graves, the National Women’s Law Center CEO. “School officials secretly investigating girls gender to make sure that they are feminine enough to play. That is harmful and that is dangerous.”
According to ESPN, 23 states have laws that restrict transgender athletes from competing in sports leagues that don’t match their birth gender. There are efforts to pass similar laws in all 50 states.
