Stephanie Turner may have been shown the door at a fencing tournament, but now the spotlight’s shining on someone else: Damien Lehfeldt. He’s the guy who handed her the black card for kneeling during her match, and now he’s the one sweating in a federal hearing.
Damien Lehfeldt faces the heat
On May 7 2025, Damien Lehfeldt, the chair of USA Fencing, found himself defending his actions in front of the Department of Government Efficiency Subcommittee. The topic? “Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” Yup, that hearing title says it all.
Turner’s protest back in March was about having to compete against a transgender athlete. She knelt during the match and got disqualified. Now, she’s demanding resignations from USA Fencing leadership, and she’s not exactly whispering about it.
Turner isn’t backing down
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Turner made it clear she’s not stopping anytime soon. “I’m going to be pushing for people to resign,” she said. Especially those who, according to her, made public comments that were anything but supportive of women standing up.
Instagram drama adds fuel to the fire
Now here’s where Damien Lehfeldt made things worse. Before the hearing, he posted some not-so-smart things on Instagram. Like when someone asked if he was okay with putting female fencers at a disadvantage, he answered with a bold “yeah.” Not the smartest move when you’re about to testify under oath.
At the hearing, Lehfeldt said he regretted the post and admitted he needed to give a more thoughtful response. But by then, screenshots were everywhere.
The hearing wasn’t exactly a lovefest
Lawmakers didn’t hold back. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene even called Damien Lehfeldt “not a man” for his stance on gender eligibility in fencing. Another rep asked if he’d let his daughter fence against “a man.” He said yes, as long as hormone rules were followed.
Meanwhile, Turner said she wasn’t looking for a simple “I’m sorry.” What she wants is real change. “An apology is just empty words without actions,” she said.
USA Fencing stands by its guy
USA Fencing wasn’t shaken. In a statement, they said Lehfeldt’s posts were personal and don’t reflect official policy. As for Turner’s request for resignations? Nope. The board says no leadership changes are on the table.
Policy updates are coming
After all the drama, USA Fencing announced it might revise its gender-eligibility rules. If forced by oversight or federal law, new rules will require athletes to compete based on biological sex. Translation: women’s events will be for female-born athletes only.
Turner takes a break, but the fight goes on
For now, Turner is stepping away from fencing. She says it’s hard to compete when she feels targeted by officials. But she’s not done speaking up. This fight just moved from the fencing strip to the national stage, and Damien Lehfeldt is right in the middle of it.
