This week saw Hawaii Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono confront FBI Director Kash Patel about the possibility that new fitness standards could discriminate against female applicants.

Yet as Breitbart observed, Hirono's question contained an admission which left the senator's critics laughing. 

Hirono highlights "physiological differences" between males and females

"One question I had is that you are now requiring applicants to be able to do a certain kind of pull-ups, which a lot of women cannot because of physiological differences. Are you requiring these kinds of pull-ups?" Hirono asked Patel.

Hirono: "You are requiring applicants to be able to do a certain kind of pull ups, which a lot of woman cannot because of physiological differences."

Kash: "If you wanna chase down a bad guy and put him in handcuffs, you better be able to do a pull-up."pic.twitter.com/bdh6OdEqDh

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 16, 2025

“We are requiring a physical program at BFTC (Basic Field Training Course) at Quantico, because FBI agents carrying guns in the field have to chase down bad guys and do really hard work,"

"The physical fitness standards—," Patel continued before the Democratic lawmaker attempted to abruptly cut him off.

The FBI director nevertheless pressed on, stating, "We are requiring everybody to pass the 1811 standards at BFTC. If you wanna chase down a bad guy and put him in handcuffs, you better be able to do a pull-up."

Hirono opposed bill that would exclude men from women's sports

Hirono then said that "there are concerns about whether or not being able to do these kinds of harsh pull-ups is really required of FBI agents."

Patel quickly countered by remarking that "[d]oing one pull up is not harsh, and there are always medical exemptions to that."

Breitbart noted that Hirono's recognition of the innate biological distinctions between men and women was curious given her history.

The website recalled how she was one of 45 Democratic senators who opposed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.

Activist Riley Gaines slammed Hirono and other Democrats

The legislation was introduced by Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville and mandates that gender be "recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth."

Hirono's stance was criticized in a social media post by conservative activist and former college swimmer Riley Gaines, who also took aim at Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.

"Name and shame them all." Gaines wrote above a list of Democratic lawmakers who had voted in opposition to the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.