USA Fencing changes policies that prioritized LGBTQ-friendly states, prevented playing of national anthem

USA Fencing chair Damien Lehfeldt was grilled by the DOGE subcommittee after Stephanie Turner was punished for refusing to face a trans competitor.

USA Fencing's board of directors voted to amend its current policy that prioritized states with LGBTQ-friendly laws for host sites for competitions and a policy that prevented the playing of the national anthem at some events. 

The decision comes after months of criticism for punishing a woman fencer who refused to fence a trans opponent, which included scrutiny from federal lawmakers at a congressional hearing in early May. 

The changes were voted into effect at a board of directors meeting on Saturday. 

An official announcement states that USA Fencing "adopted a streamlined policy that applies criteria prioritizing cost, safety and convenience to every national-event bid across all 50 states." The new policy "ensures host cities meet stringent member-safety and cost-efficiency standards." 

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) holds up maps of the U.S. in front of an alleged screenshot from USA Fencing Board Director Damien Lehfeldt's Instagram during the hearing on "Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" held by the Department of Government Efficiency Subcommittee at the U.S. Capitol on May 7, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, the board's new national anthem policy will go into effect at the 2025 Summer Nationals and will be reviewed annually by the tournament committee.

"On recommendation of the tournament committee, the board adopted a uniform national anthem policy governing all USA Fencing national events," the announcement said, adding that the new policy will "provide consistent, respectful minimum