Rep. Nancy Mace rips civil rights activist for defining 'woman' as 'a person who says she is'

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., called out the head of a leftist civil rights group for how she defined what a woman is, arguing her ideology puts women in danger.

At a House hearing, "Standing up for the Rule of Law: Ending Illegal Racial Discrimination and Protecting Men and Women in U.S. Employment Practices," Mace challenged Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights CEO Maya Wiley, "Can you define what a woman is?"

Wiley, a former MSNBC legal analyst who ran for mayor of New York City in 2021 on a defund the police platform, responded, "A woman is a person who says she is, and let me tell you one story about this—"

"No, no, you’re not going to tell me a story, we’re not doing that right now, it’s not story time," Mace said, eventually telling Wiley to be quiet as she reclaimed her time.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., grilled civil rights activist leader and former New York City mayoral candidate Maya Wiley at a Thursday hearing.

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"Biological women are real women," Mace said. "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 or, his little-Jim-and-twins by the way, is disgusting."

Mace then recounted an incident where she took her 14-year-old daughter shopping for her birthday and her child was "taken to her dressing room by a biological male in a miniskirt and a lace bralette. It is disgusting, I have no idea if that man was over 18 or under 18. It is absolutely disgusting that we’re redefining what women are, and allowing men into women’s private spaces."

"And by the way, Miss Wiley, I’m a survivor of rape, I was raped at the age of 16," Mace added. "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."

President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Maya Wiley. (GOP Oversight YouTube channel)

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The exchange went viral on social media, where commentators condemned Wiley’s stance that a woman is merely somebody who chooses to identify as such. 

"The left wants to erase biological reality," the account America First Legal wrote.

"Rep. @NancyMace is on FIRE today showing America just how ridiculous the left has gotten," video journalist Nick Sortor wrote. He went on to slam Wiley, "This woman is supposedly a LAW PROFESSOR. WHEN DOES THIS END?"

"These people are ridiculous," the conservative humor account Catturd wrote.

"This was the progressive's choice for Mayor of NYC, the lady who was so woke that she quit the de Blasio administration," YouTuber Sean FitzGerald wrote. 

Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..