WATCH: Sparks Fly Between Riley Gaines and Dem Rep During Hearing on Biden Proposal to Rewrite Title IX

Representatives and witnesses highlighted concerns for girls and women during a contentious hearing on Tuesday challenging the Biden administration’s proposed changes to Title IX, which would effectively broaden the definition of sex to include “gender identity.”

The proposed changes would rewrite Title IX in such a way that policies banning biological males who identify as trans from competing with or against females would now be in violation of law. Issuing such sex distinctions to protect girls sports, therefore, could strip a school of its funding. The rule would be applied to public K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions that receive federal funding.

The hearing opened with a rather fiery interaction between former NCAA swimmer-turned-advocate Riley Gaines and Democratic Rep. Summer Lee (PA), who preemptively suggested Gaines and other witnesses’ testimonies would be “transphobic” and filled with “hateful misinformation.”

“And Ranking Member Lee, if my testimony makes me transphobic, then I believe you’re opening monologue makes you a misogynist,” Gaines said in closing her opening statement.

Lee interrupted the next witness to ask to have Gaines’ words taken down. Gaines chimed in, “Can I just ask, how it’s fair to be called transphobic —” before Lee interjected, “I never called you anything.”

🚨BREAKING: After Democrat @RepSummerLee (D-PA) said @Riley_Gaines_ engages in "transphobic bigotry" by opposing boys in girls sports, Riley fired back by saying "if my testimony makes me transphobic then you are a misogynist."

Lee then moved to have her words taken down. pic.twitter.com/MdZRc4RgUM

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 5, 2023