Who Is Damien Lehfeldt? USA Fencing Chief Attacked Over Transgender Rules
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Damien Lehfeldt, of the organization USA Fencing, testified in Congress yesterday during a hearing which examined the participation of transgender women in sport. He was questioned by House Republicans on his views on the matter, which has become one of the most contentious issues in sport. He said that transgender participation in fencing posed no greater safety risks than single or mixed-gender participation.
Newsweek has reached out to USA Fencing via email for comment outside of regular working hours.
Why It Matters
The hearing comes amid a broader conversation about transgender women in sport, which is playing out across the world. Since his reelection, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order which banned transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sports. Organizations such as the English Football Association, the regulatory body for soccer in the country, have put in place similar bans.
USA Fencing board director Damien Lehfeldt speaks during the hearing on 'Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" at the U.S. Capitol on May 7, 2025. in Washington, DC.
USA Fencing board director Damien Lehfeldt speaks during the hearing on 'Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" at the U.S. Capitol on May 7, 2025. in Washington, DC.What To Know
Lehfeldt spoke at the at the hearing on "Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" held by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee at the U.S. Capitol.
The decision from House Republicans to subpoena Lehfeldt follows an incident in March of this year. During USA Fencing's Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland on March 30, a fencer named Stephanie Turner took a knee rather than competing against a 20-year-old transgender woman, Redmond Sullivan.
Turner forfeited the match and was hit with a 12-month probation period from the sport.
USA Fencing rules stipulate that a fencer cannot refuse to compete against any qualified fencer who has entered a tournament. Any fencer who violates this rule is then automatically placed on a 12-month probation.
The current policy of USA Fencing, which has been in place since 2023 allows transgender and nonbinary individuals to compete "in a manner consistent with their gender identity/ expression, regardless of the gender associated with the sex they were assigned at birth."
Lehfeldt was questioned on this policy in Congress by lawmakers including Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Nancy Mace.
Who Is Stephanie Turner?
Turner is a 31-year-old fencer. The video of her refusing to compete against Sullivan went viral, and she has been commended by figures including J.K. Rowling and Mace, both of whom are known for their vocal opinions on trans people, for her decision not to compete.
Turner told Fox News of her decision, "When I took the knee, I looked at the ref and I said, 'I'm sorry, I cannot do this. I am a woman, and this is a man, and this is a women's tournament. And I will not fence this individual."
Speaking to the House DOGE subcommittee, she said that she felt betrayed by USA Fencing. "I had been defrauded of a women's tournament and sold a lie by USA Fencing she said." Turner added that she felt "isolated" and "strangled," by USA Fencing for disagreeing with their transgender policy.
Who Is Damien Lefheldt?
Lehfeldt is the chair of the board of directors for USA Fencing, which is the national governing body which oversees fencing in the U.S. He was elected to the organization's board of directors in 2023 and has served as chair since 2024.
He has expressed support for transgender women in sport, though USA Fencing's policy on transgender women predates his position on the board.
In a statement shared at the subcommittee, Lehfeldt said: "USA Fencing has long sponsored mixed-gender competitions in which men and women freely compete against each other. Indeed, the majority of USA Fencing tournaments—particularly at the local level—are mixed-gender competitions."
The statement continued: "That significant body of experience has taught us 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."
Lehfeldt's involvement in fencing spans decades. He began his journey as a young épée fencer, competing through his college years at Brandeis University and participating in events like the Maccabi Games. He later moved into coaching, including a tenure at the Richmond Fencing Club.
What People Are Saying
J.K. Rowling, the writer on X: "This woman will go down in sporting history as a heroine and USA Fencing will be remembered for their profound misogyny for forcing her and other women, into this situation."
Shane Diamond, GLAAD's director of communications and transgender advocacy, said in an email shared with Newsweek: "Sport is a human right and should remain open and accessible to anyone who wants to participate, inclusive of their gender identity. "
Representative Nancy Mace on X: "I asked if Fencing's Chair Damein Lehfeldt would apologize to women's fencing hero Stephanie Turner. For how they treated her for standing up for herself and standing against men in women's fencing. He refused. Real men protect women. This guy ain't one."
Damien Lehfeldt, Chair of the Board of Directors of USA Fencing in a statement: "USA Fencing is committed to fairness, safety, and integrity. Those remain the organization's guiding principles. USA Fencing also is committed to complying with its obligations under the law. If the law and evidence around this issue change, so, too, will USA Fencing's policies."
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene on X: "I asked if USA Fencing's Chair Damien Lehfeldt would want his daughter changing in front of a man. He couldn't say "NO." That tells you EVERYTHING. These people have lost all common sense."
What's Next
Trump's executive order has reshaped transgender inclusion in sports. The future remains uncertain and the debate over fairness, inclusion, and athlete rights continues.
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'Though it is important to allow utilities to maintain grid reliability, the Commission can adopt a reasonableness standard that is narrow in scope while ensuring stable grid capacity,' the group wrote in its comments. Gas-only utilities National Fuel, Corning and Liberty Utilities joined with the New York State Builders Association to say the state should also provide exemptions based on costs. If the cost of electric-only exceeds traditional gas and electric costs, then an exemption should be permitted, they argue. The utilities and builders cite concerns about the affordability and demand for housing. An 18-month delay is also too long, they argue. 'If timeline, cost and uncertainty of building in New York become too great, developers and builders may turn to other states where these issues are not present,' they warn. 'To help avoid these unintended but very real consequences, when determining reasonableness for purposes of the Grid Exemption the Commission should consider all relevant factors where full electrification could render a project infeasible, including cost burdens that would price homes out of the reach of New York households and timing concerns associated with the availability and installation of electric infrastructure and equipment.' The state's joint utilities — Con Edison, National Grid, Central Hudson and NYSEG/RG&E — support the 18-month criteria. They also ask that developers seeking an exemption bear all the costs of required studies. The joint utilities indicate a cost-based exemption would be difficult to implement given variation in costs across different utilities. It would also require evaluating costs of both types of hookups. 'Requiring new service requests to evaluate costs based on both all-electric connections and electric/fossil fuel connections would require more resources, extend project timelines, and increase costs,' the utilities wrote in their comments. There's no timeline for the commission to make a decision, although clarity will be needed before the end of the year. The state's building codes council has also not finalized the new requirements for the coming year. — Marie J. French PSE&G MOVES AHEAD — New Jersey's largest utility is rolling out billing changes aimed at protecting electric customers from worst-case scenarios caused by rising rates. PSE&G now won't shut off service to low-income and other qualified customers by extending existing winter shut-off protections to include summer months (now through the end of September). The company is also suspending reconnection fees. Both ideas were floated last month by Gov. Phil Murphy's office and don't require Board of Public Utilities approval. 'There is now widespread recognition that New Jersey needs more power generation to address the forecasted energy supply-demand imbalance,' PSE&G President Kim Hanemann said in a statement. 'PSE&G is not the cause of the 17 percent rise in electric rates, but we can support our customers by advancing critical solutions. These actions should help relieve a burden to families and communities just as the weather is getting warmer and electricity usage hits its peak. We encourage our customers to reach out to us if they are struggling to pay their bill so we can help them access the solutions available.' PSE&G and other utilities are still waiting for the BPU to take up a broader change that would cushion summer bill spikes by deferring parts of those bills and having customers pay them back throughout the year. The plan resembles existing 'level' billing options that customers can choose to get. All these measures are designed to help take the edge off the new rates that took effect Sunday and are expected to increase the average residential power bill by $25 per month — but more in the summer months for many customers. Republicans have blasted the deferred payment concept, first proposed by the BPU, as a political stunt to help Democrats when they face voters this fall. — Ry Rivard NYISO PUSHES GAS FOR RELIABILITY — POLITICO's Marie J. French: The state's grid operator has escalated its warnings that new renewables aren't coming online fast enough to meet growing energy demand, explicitly backing additional fossil fuel plants to keep the lights on. The New York Independent System Operator has for years warned about shrinking reliability margins — the cushion of available generation to keep ACs humming and factories running. With new economic development projects, data centers and other large loads hooking up to the grid, those warnings have taken on new urgency. 'We must consider all options for investing in the grid to provide for reliability and certainty at the most efficient cost,' wrote NYISO President and CEO Rich Dewey in the annual Power Trends report released Monday.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Musk's father says Trump dispute triggered by intense stress, has to end
By Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW (Reuters) -The dispute between Donald Trump and Elon Musk was triggered by months of intense stress on both sides, and the public battle between the U.S. president and the billionaire donor needs to stop, Musk's father told Reuters on Monday. Trump and Musk began exchanging insults last week on social media, with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO describing the president's sweeping tax and spending bill as a "disgusting abomination". Asked whether he thought his son had made a mistake by engaging in a public clash with the president, Errol Musk said people were sometimes unable to think as clearly as they should "in the heat of the moment." "They've had five months of intense stress," Musk told Reuters at a conference in Moscow organised by conservative Russian tycoons. "With all the opposition cleared and two people left in the arena, all they have ever done is get rid of everything and now they are trying to get rid of each other - well that has to stop." Asked how it would end, he said: "Oh, it will end on a good note - very soon." Neither the White House nor Musk could be reached for comment outside normal U.S. business hours. Trump said on Saturday his relationship with Musk was over and that there would be "serious consequences" if the world's richest man decided to fund U.S. Democrats running against Republicans who vote for the tax and spending bill. Musk bankrolled a large part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Trump named Musk to head an effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. Musk's father told reporters he was standing by his son. "Elon is sticking to his principles but you cannot always stick to your principles in the real world," Musk's father said. "Sometimes you have to give and take." Speaking beside sanctioned Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeyev, Musk's father praised President Vladimir Putin as a "very stable and pleasant man." He accused "fake media" in the West of projecting "complete nonsense" about Russia and for casting it as an enemy.
