During a House Oversight Subcommittee on Health hearing, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the “Squad” and a Democrat from New York, made a claim that all underage women would be subjected to genital examinations if biological men were barred from participating in women's sports. Ocasio-Cortez expressed concerns about proposals that aim to marginalize transgender Americans and questioned the potential consequences for women and girls if their stated gender is disbelieved.

Ocasio-Cortez argued that the requirement for genital examinations could potentially be used as a means to criminalize access to abortion and gather data on women's reproductive health. She expressed doubt about the understanding of biology and privacy consequences by the panel of men discussing the issue.

This claim comes almost a year after a controversial provision was removed from an Ohio state Senate bill that aimed to prevent biological men from competing against women. The removed provision would have required "internal and external" exams to confirm the gender of student-athletes. The provision was replaced with a requirement for student-athletes with gender questions to present their original birth certificates.

During the hearing, Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimming legend and advocate for women's sports, fired back at Rep. Summer Lee, another member of the “Squad” and a Democrat from Pennsylvania. Lee had labeled Gaines' testimony and that of other women leaders seeking to restrict women's sports to biological women as "transphobic." Gaines emphasized the importance of safety and fairness, stating that inclusion should not be prioritized over these principles. She called Lee's opening remarks misogynistic in response.

The hearing was marked by passionate exchanges between the witnesses and the representatives, with differing viewpoints on the issue of transgender participation in sports. Fox News Digital's Ronn Blitzer contributed to the reporting of this news item.