During a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing focused on admissions policies at military academies, Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) questioned Air Force Academy Superintendent Lieutenant General Richard Clark about the inclusion of various gender identity terms in a fellowship application. Gaetz specifically asked Clark to define terms such as "agender" and "demigender," which were listed as eligible identities for the fellowship program.

Clark admitted unfamiliarity with the specific definitions, stating that the terms represented individuals who view gender differently. This prompted further questioning from Gaetz, who pointed out that the fellowship seemingly excluded cisgender men while including categories the Superintendent couldn't define. Gaetz questioned the appropriateness of promoting such a program, particularly in the context of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, if the leadership wasn't familiar with the terminology used.

The fellowship in question, the Brooke Owens Fellowship, is designed for "women and gender-minority students in aerospace." Its website explicitly lists eligibility for individuals identifying as cisgender women, transgender women, non-binary, agender, bigender, two-spirit, demigender, genderfluid, genderqueer, or other gender minorities.

Clark clarified that the fellowship is not directly run by the Air Force Academy but is an external program cadets are permitted to apply for as a developmental opportunity. Gaetz pressed further, questioning how the program could be considered beneficial for developing warfighters if the leadership didn't understand the terminology used in its eligibility criteria.