A female fencer was handed a brutal punishment for refusing to take part against a transgender opponent.
Stephanie Turner was competing at the Cherry Blossom Open event in Maryland last weekend when she discovered that her opponent would be Redmond Sullivan, a transgender athlete.
Turner decided that she would not compete with Sullivan but did not tell anyone her decision until the day of the match.
She told Fox News: “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 had prepared for the match as normal, warming up for the match when she took a knee as a sign of protest at the start of the match.
She 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.’”
She added that she “knew” she had to protest because ‘USA Fencing had not been listening to women’s objections’ around gender policy.
She shared that she told her opponent she had ‘much love and respect’ but would ‘not fence’ her.
“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.’” she added.
Referees gave Turner a black card, the most severe penalty in the sport of fencing.
A spokesperson for USA Fencing later shared: “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.”
After being given the black card, Turner claimed she was taken to a committee to explain her decision and was given the association’s transgender policy. She was also asked to sign acknowledgment of the black card, given, before being escorted out of the venue.
USA Fencing later shared the following statement: “USA Fencing enacted our current transgender and non-binary athlete policy in 2023. 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 understand that the conversation on equity and inclusion pertaining to transgender participation in sport is evolving. USA Fencing will always err on the side of inclusion, and we’re committed to amending the policy as more relevant evidence-based research emerges, or as policy changes take effect in the wider Olympic & Paralympic movement.
“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.”
