U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) confronted a protester who approached him outside a town hall event last week, leading Ogles to challenge the masked man to reveal his identity.
A clip Ogles posted to the social media platform X shows the Republican briefly exiting the Spring Hill event venue, where he was immediately met by a crowd of protesters, including one masked man wearing black who said that Ogles should leave the Volunteer State.
Ogles shot back, “I’m from here, my family helped start this state, and we are not backing down, and I am not going anywhere.” Approaching the man, Ogles challenged, “Why don’t you take off the mask, why are you such a coward?”
As another masked man joined the protester, Ogles answered the question.
“Because you’re not a man,” said Ogles. “You’re hiding.”
Ogles called the protesters “Marxist cowards” in his post to X. “Democrats have no real policies to offer the American people, so they resort to grandstanding,” he wrote.
Marxist cowards in masks tried to disrupt my huge and successful townhall…
Democrats have no real policies to offer the American people, so they resort to grandstanding. Pathetic. pic.twitter.com/OXfExeb4Uk
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) September 6, 2025
Other videos from inside the town hall event show other detractors engaged peacefully with the congressman, including an apparent constituent who took issue with Ogles’ support for the Second Amendment.
“I understand that I have the right to have a gun, and I do have a gun. However, I do understand that they are killing more kids than even measles,” said the woman, according to a clip reposted to X.
Ogles then seemingly referenced the attacks on the Covenant School and Annunciation Catholic School by individuals who identified as transgender.
He replied, “The last time I looked, the mass shootings were from transgender weirdos.”
😂🤣😂
Andy Ogles @RepOgles …we need more representatives just like him‼️‼️🤣
“Guns are k*lling kids”- unhinged leftist
“Last time I checked, it was a bunch of tr*nsgend*er weirdos…”- Ogles pic.twitter.com/vHRGDHeJnj
— 𝕊𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝔼𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝔻𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕖𝕣 🇺🇸 (@nomandatesco) September 8, 2025
He later told the woman, “Transgenderism is a mental illness,” and suggested Congress should pass legislation to compel medical professionals to treat transgenderism as a mental illness rather than a disorder.
Before the Trump administration stripped federal funding from initiatives including gender ideology and transgenderism earlier this year, Ogles previously joined a congressional effort to strip $31 million in funding from transgender youth studies.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Andy Ogles” by Andy Ogles.
