Elizabeth Warren gives mocking gesture while helping to block bill keeping males out of women's sports

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., made her position visibly clear on whether she believes women and girls should be protected from trans inclusion in sports. 

Warren was seen giving an exaggerated thumbs down gesture while voting no on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act Monday night. 

Warren held her thumb down for several seconds in the face of the clerk tallying her vote. The clerk even had to tell Warren, "I got you," to assure her that her vote had been counted as the senator held her gesture for an exaggerated amount of time. 

Footage of the senator's gesture prompted widespread backlash on social media, especially by women's rights activists. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren questions Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on March 16, 2023, on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Independent Council on Women's Sports co-founder Marshi Smith condemned Warren in a response on X. 

"Hard to believe someone could hate little girls who just want a spot on the girls’ team and the girls’ podium this much," Smith wrote. 

The British U.K.-based feminist YouTuber Kellie-Jay Keen questioned how anyone in the U.S. could vote for someone like Warren in an X response. 

"Why would any woman in the USA continue to support these woman hating a--holes?" Keen wrote.

Feminist author Kara Dansky, a Democrat, replied to the clip by posting a long X response that included a note she wrote to Warren ahead of the 2020 election.

"The Democratic party is pushing the narrative that ‘transgender’ and ‘queer’ belong in the same category as gay rights, and that is problematic for several reasons: (1) it is not true, (2) it is bad for women and girls, and (3) it is likely to lead to a loss in 2020," Dansky posted. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Warren's office for comment. 

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Warren has a history of support for trans inclusion in women's and girls' sports and even once called legislation to prevent it "cruel." 

In February 2020, Warren condemned an Arizona state bill, the Save Women's Sports Act, that would have prevented biological males from competing in girls' sports. 

"Trans athletes are not a threat," Warren wrote on X (then known as Twitter). "We need to protect trans kids – and all LGBTQ+ kids – and ensure they feel safe and welcomed at school. I urge the Arizona legislature to reject this cruel bill."

Now, Warren has helped prevent a bill that would offer female athletes the same protections on a national level. 

Republicans needed 60 votes but only received 51. No Democrats sided with Republicans on the bill. Two Democrats were absent from the vote, as were two Republicans. The bill failed, 51-45.

During a recent interview on CNN's "The Arena with Kasie Hunt," Warren was asked why she thought Democrats lost to President Donald Trump in November, and if the party had moved too far to the left culturally. Warren's response indicated that she didn't believe that was the case. 

"I think the problem is we didn't make clear what we fight for and really get out there and fight for it. Our job right now is pretty straightforward. Just tell the truth," Warren said.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (AP)

A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls' and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls' and women’s bathrooms" as important to them. 

Additionally, 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important."

Meanwhile, a recent New York Times/Ipsos poll found that the vast majority of Americans, including 67% of Democrats, don't believe trans athletes should be able to compete in women's sports. 

Last month, a Gallup poll also showed a 45% plurality of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents saying they wanted the party to become more moderate, an 11-point increase since the beginning of President Joe Biden’s term in 2021.

The Democratic Party has largely struggled since Trump’s election in 2024. In a Quinnipiac University survey conducted during Trump’s first week in office, only 31% of respondents had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party.

Now, with Senate Democrats voting unanimously to block the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, many activists, including Riley Gaines, have vowed to help unseat the senators who prevented it from passing. 

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.