Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., took a firm stand during a hearing by challenging a civil rights activist’s definition of a woman, highlighting the dangers she believes such ideology poses to women. At the House hearing titled “Standing up for the Rule of Law: Ending Illegal Racial Discrimination and Protecting Men and Women in U.S. Employment Practices,” Mace confronted Maya Wiley, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, over her definition of a woman.
Wiley, known for her leftist views and a former MSNBC legal analyst who ran for mayor of New York City on a defund the police platform, responded to Mace’s question by saying, “A woman is a person who says she is.” Mace immediately interrupted, refusing to allow Wiley to divert with a story. “No, no, you’re not going to tell me a story, we’re not doing that right now, it’s not story time,” Mace asserted, reclaiming her time and silencing Wiley.
Mace did not mince words as she defended the concept of biological women. “Biological women are real women,” she declared. “A guy born as a man who wants to pretend to be a woman and put him and his big-Jim-and-the-twins in the locker room with underage girls is disgusting.” She recounted a personal incident involving her 14-year-old daughter being escorted to a dressing room by a biological male in women’s clothing, emphasizing the discomfort and danger such situations create.
Further personalizing her argument, Mace shared her own traumatic experience. “I’m a survivor of rape, I was raped at the age of 16,” she revealed. “I am not going to put other women and girls into unsafe situations with biological men with their willy-nillies out, putting women and girls at risk.” Her passionate plea underscored her commitment to protecting women from what she sees as harmful and misguided policies.
The heated exchange quickly went viral on social media, where many commentators supported Mace and criticized Wiley’s stance. “The left wants to erase biological reality,” wrote America First Legal. Video journalist Nick Sortor praised Mace, saying, “Rep. @NancyMace is on FIRE today showing America just how ridiculous the left has gotten,” while condemning Wiley’s qualifications as a law professor. Conservative humor account Catturd and YouTuber Sean FitzGerald also mocked Wiley, highlighting her controversial past and ideological stance.
Mace’s confrontation with Wiley reflects a broader conservative pushback against progressive gender ideologies, emphasizing the importance of maintaining traditional definitions and protections for biological women.