A female fencer took a knee after she was matched against a transgender athlete and decided to take a stand.
According to Fox News, the athlete was Stephanie Turner, 31, who made the decision to bow out of a bout at the Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland over the weekend.
Turner told Fox News she had made a decision to take a knee the night before after checking the competition pools and saw that she would be competing against trans athlete Redmond Sullivan.
“I saw that I was going to be in a pool with Redmond, and from there I said, ‘OK, let’s do it. I’m going to take the knee,'” Turner said. “I knew what I had to do because USA Fencing had not been listening to women’s objections.”
Turner noted she had told the referee that she would not fence Sullivan because he is a man, and she is competing in a women’s tournament.
“I took a knee immediately at that point,” Turner said. “Redmond was under the impression that I was going to start fencing. So, when I took the knee, I looked at the ref and I said, ‘I’m sorry, I cannot do this. I am a woman, and this is a man, and this is a women’s tournament. And I will not fence this individual.'”
Turner added that initially Sullivan thought she was injured, and when asking if Turner was ok, was informed that they would not be competing against each other.
“Redmond didn’t hear me, and he comes up to me, and he thinks that I may be hurt, or he doesn’t understand what’s happening. He asks, ‘Are you OK?’ And I said, ‘I’m sorry. I have much love and respect for you, but I will not fence you,” Turner said. “Redmond says to me, ‘Well you know, there is a member on the board of directors here who supports me, and there is a policy that acknowledges me as a woman, so I am allowed to fence, and you will get blackcarded,’ and I said, ‘I know.'”
Turner was then dealt a black card by refs and was expelled from the tournament. She then had to explain her actions and was handed a copy of the association’s trans gender policy, before being escorted out.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, USA Fencing said the trans gender policy is meant to create “inclusive, safe spaces.”
“USA Fencing enacted our current transgender and non-binary athlete policy in 2023,” the organization’s officials said. “The policy was designed to expand access to the sport of fencing and create inclusive, safe spaces. The policy is based on the principle that everyone should have the ability to participate in sports and was based upon the research available of the day.”
“We respect the viewpoints on all sides and encourage our members to continue sharing them with us as the matter evolves. It’s important for the fencing community to engage in this dialogue, but we expect this conversation to be conducted respectfully, whether at our tournaments or in online spaces. The way to progress is by respectful discussion based in evidence.”
A USA Fencing spokesperson reportedly told Fox News Digital that Turner was penalized for refusing to fence, not for her stance against trans gender athletes.
“In the case of Stephanie Turner, her disqualification was not related to any personal statement but was merely the direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent, which the FIE rules clearly prohibit,” the spokesperson said.
“According to the FIE (International Fencing Federation) Technical Rules, specifically Article t.113, a fencer is not permitted to refuse to fence another properly entered fencer for any reason. Under these rules, such a refusal results in disqualification and the corresponding sanctions. This policy exists to maintain fair competition standards and preserve the sport’s integrity.”
Turner said she had been trying to avoid situations like this and previously refused to enter past fencing events that included trans gender athletes.
“In previous years when I had known about transgender fencers being present, I just wouldn’t register, but for this one, Redmond must have signed up after me,” Turner said. “I was like, ‘You know what, I’m just going to give it to God. If this person shows up to my event and is on my script, then I would take a knee, and that would be God’s will.'”
