USA Fencing Chairman Damien Lehfeldt appeared to throw up a middle finger in a social media post ahead of a congressional hearing where he was to be questioned on keeping men out of women’s sports.
On Instagram, Lehfeldt posted a photo of himself showing his middle finger extended with the caption, “Game day.” The post was highlighted by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, which posted screenshots.
🚨 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
Damien Lehfeldt, chair of the @USAFencing Board of Directors, was subpoenaed to attend today’s @DOGECommittee hearing on saving women’s sports.
🚨 Damien is openly anti-woman. 🚨
Just look at some of the awful & disgusting things he’s said on social media in response to women… pic.twitter.com/tOmHOVKvRA
— Independent Women's Forum (@IWF) May 7, 2025
It is unclear whether the USA Fencing chairman’s gesture was intended to be profane, and if so, whether it was directed at female athletes who object to competing with men or Republican lawmakers on the Oversight Committee.
Lehfeldt was subpoenaed to appear before the House Oversight Committee’s DOGE subcommittee Wednesday afternoon.
Also testifying was Stephanie Turner, a female fencer who 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.
🤺🚨Historic Protest: Female Fencer Takes a Knee in Bout Against Male Opponent, Faces Immediate Disqualification
After receiving a black card for refusing to compete against a man, Redmond Sullivan's female opponent was expelled from the @USAFencing event at the Univ. of… pic.twitter.com/IloSnrb2Iu
— ICONS (@icons_women) April 2, 2025
“I want to thank God for trusting me with this mission to fight for female exclusive sports and putting me in a place to effectively protest,” Turner told The Daily Wire at the time.
Previously, Lehfeldt has repeatedly posted in support of trans-identifying males competing in women’s fencing.
When a social media follower asked him, “Are you okay with cis females being at a disadvantage?” Lehfeldt responded simply, “Yeah.”
In an article on his blog, The Fencing Coach, Lehfeldt said “transgender women are women” and lectured female athletes that giving trans-identifying male athletes “a sense of belonging and a will to live is more powerful than medals and competitive glory.”
The USA Fencing chairman also appears to have posted his email response to a woman who criticized allowing trans-identifying men in women’s fencing, 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.”
Payton McNabb, a former high school volleyball player who was seriously injured when a trans-identifying volleyball player spiked a ball at her head, also testified during Wednesday’s hearing.
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.
