Female fencer who took a knee rather than face trans athlete recalls ‘betrayal' by sport's boss: ‘I cried the whole night'
A female fencer who was disqualified from a tournament after refusing to compete against a transgender opponent told members of Congress Wednesday she 'felt betrayed' by the sport's governing body, who she said had 'defrauded' her and 'sold a lie.'
Stephanie Turner, 31, took a knee instead of fencing against Redmond Sullivan, a 20-year-old who was born biologically male, at USA Fencing's Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland on March 30.
In addition to forfeiting the match, Turner was hit with a 12-month probation period, causing her to step away from the sport.
Advertisement
The night before the scheduled match against Sullivan, Turner recalled to the House DOGE subcommittee, 'I cried the whole night and again felt betrayed by USA Fencing.'
'I had already spent the money on competition fees and new equipment, and spent hours training and refurbishing my equipment,' she explained. 'I felt trapped. I had been defrauded of a women's tournament and sold a lie by USA Fencing.'
'I had felt so isolated and strangled by USA Fencing for disagreeing with this transgender policy that I felt scared to speak openly, online, or with friends in the fencing community.'
Advertisement
USA Fencing Chair Damien Lehfeldt, who claimed in an August 2023 blog post that 'transgender women are women and gender is not sex' said that he hopes Turner reconsiders her time away from fencing — but declined to apologize when prompted by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC).
5 Payton McNabb was previously a guest at President Trump's speech to Congress in March.
AP
'Miss Turner … remains free to enter tournaments and free to compete,' he said.
Lehfeldt also argued that concerns over transgender athletes in fencing are moot because USA Fencing also puts on mixed gender competitions — even though the event in which Turner and Sullivan were matched was specifically for women and not mixed-gender.
Advertisement
Turner accused USA Fencing of being 'unbelievably demeaning' by attributing female losses to transgender competitors to a 'skill issue.'
'Within the USA Fencing authoritative body, there is a culture of intimidation towards women which demands that we be silent when men enter our tournaments,' she added. 'A culture that includes public humiliation, doxxing, social ostracization, dismissal and even threats.'
GOP lawmakers on the panel took turns showering praise on Turner and her fellow witness, former volleyball player Payton McNabb, for their 'bravery,' while delivering stern rebukes of Lehfeldt.
5 Stephanie Turner ripped into USA Fencing's treatment of her concerns about transgender competition.
AFP via Getty Images
Advertisement
'Female athletes should never be forced to compete against mentally ill, biological men who parade around in women's clothes,' subcommittee chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) stressed during the hearing.
'No one is here today to harm transgenders,' she added. 'We are here to defend girls and women, and we are here to defend Title IV and to uphold President Trump's executive order that all biological males stay out of girls and women's sports.'
McNabb was knocked out during a high school volleyball game three years ago after a transgender rival spiked a ball in her face — and recounted feeling 'helpless' when she found out a biological male was being allowed to compete.
5 USA Fencing board director Damien Lehfeldt had been an outspoken defender of the sport organization's transgender policies.
Getty Images
'Neither my team nor the administration agreed that we should be playing against a male,' she said. 'But the game went on.'
Since her initial injury, McNabb has suffered a concussion, vision problems and partial paralysis, among other health ailments.
'It is completely aggravating because the injury I suffered was 100% avoidable if only my rights as a female athlete had been more important than a man's feelings,' said McNabb, who is now an ambassador for the Independent Women's Forum.
5 Stephanie Turner dished on the anguish she went through when she decided to protest against a transgender rival.
AFP via Getty Images
Advertisement
Meanwhile Democrats repeatedly tried to undercut the hearing and needle Republicans for have the DOGE panel look into transgenderism.
'We're not even gonna call it the DOGE subcommittee anymore. This is called the Fencing Oversight Committee,' Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), the top Democrat on the panel, chided at one point after unsuccessfully trying to adjourn the hearing early.
At the end of the hearing, Stansbury acknowledged Turner's and McNabb's experiences, but declined to call for women's sports to be protected.
'I am genuinely sorry to hear that both of our young lady witnesses who are here today had horrible experiences,' she said. 'And I want to acknowledge that … but I don't need a bunch of GOP, Republican colleagues mansplaining at me for three hours.'
Advertisement
Democrats brought Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women's Law Center, as their chief witness.
When pressed about the physical differences between men and women by House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Goss Graves downplayed the distinctions.
5 The DOGE subcommittee hearing on female sports devolved into a bitter, partisan slugfest.
Getty Images
'I think where you're trying to go is, is there an inherent … difference between men and women in all contexts? And the answer is no,' she said during a tense exchange.
Advertisement
Mace, who like McClain was granted permission to join the hearing despite not being on the panel, also grilled Goss Graves.
'Mrs. Goss Graves, do women have penises,' a stern-looking Mace asked, with her glasses perched halfway down her nose. 'Should young girls just get used to penises in their locker rooms and showers?'
After getting cut off from answering, Goss Graces shot back, 'You don't even know what you're talking about.'
Mace later chided, 'That's what you all are — groomers.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
22 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
The Latest: Pentagon says deploying Marines and National Guard to LA will cost $134 million
After persistent questioning from members of Congress on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth turned to his acting comptroller, Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, who provided the amount it would cost to send the National Guard and Marines to immigration protests in Los Angeles. She said the $134 million will come from operations and maintenance accounts. Here's the latest: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she wouldn't allow what's happening in LA in her state Sanders, who was press secretary in Trump's first term, is meeting with administration officials at the White House. She backs Trump sending the National Guard into Los Angeles without approval from California's governor and was asked if she'd be OK with a similar move in her state. 'If we needed help, I would be making the phone call myself to the president and asking for his assistance. But in Arkansas, we would never allow to take place what they're letting to go on in California. But if we needed help, the president would be one of the first people I would call because he is somebody I know who cares deeply about making sure the American people are safe and secure first and foremost.' Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says intelligence agencies must work faster And she says she's working to speed up the delivery of the intelligence information to address a key complaint from policy makers. Speaking at the Amazon Web Services summit in Washington, Gabbard said the pace of intelligence work frustrated her as a member of Congress and continues to be a challenge to lawmakers. 'They still express a lot of the same frustrations that I felt — that much of what we were briefed on was already reported in a newspaper … and that even if it was quality reporting it was coming too late,' Gabbard said. Artificial intelligence and computing could help speed up the work, Gabbard said, to ensure lawmakers have the information they need. Los Angeles deployment to cost at least $134 million and last 60 days, Pentagon says 'We stated very publicly that it's 60 days because we want to ensure that those rioters, looters and thugs on the other side assaulting our police officers know that we're not going anywhere,' Hegseth told members of the House appropriations defense subcommittee. The current cost estimate for the deployment is $134 million, which is largely just the cost of travel, housing and food,' said Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, special assistant to the secretary of defense who's currently performing the duties of the Pentagon's top financial officer. Hegseth: Funding for Ukraine military aid will be reduced in upcoming defense budget That could mean Kyiv will receive fewer critical air defense systems in the future that have been key to countering a continuous onslaught of Russian missiles. 'It is a reduction in this budget,' Hegseth told lawmakers. 'This administration takes a very different view of that conflict. We believe that a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nation's interests, especially with all the competing interests around the globe.' The U.S. to date has provided Ukraine more than $66 billion in aid since Russia invaded in February 2022. House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Trump's handling of protests in Los Angeles And he echoed the president's attacks on Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. 'That's not my lane,' Johnson said in response to a question about whether Newsom should face legal consequences such as arrest . Johnson, speaking at a news conference at the RNC on Tuesday, continued that Newsom should be 'tarred and feathered'— eliciting chuckles from members of House Republican leadership at the news conference — for 'standing in the way of the administration and the carrying out of federal law.' Thune says 'federal response' necessary to protests in Los Angeles Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said Tuesday there were 'clear failures on the part of state and local officials' in response to protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles and a 'federal response' was necessary. President Trump has sent thousands of National Guard troops and 700 active duty Marines to quell the protests despite the objections of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and local leaders. 'I don't know exactly the authorities that they are using,' Thune said, referring to the Marine deployment. 'But obviously, there was a security situation out there that needed to be addressed. And I think ultimately the president's objective is to keep people safe.' Hegseth suggests National Guard use for homeland defense will expand under Trump 'I think we're entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland,' Hegseth told lawmakers. Hegseth earlier refused to answer a lawmaker's questions on how much a deployment of active duty U.S. Marines to Los Angeles will cost. Greta Thunberg isn't fazed by Donald Trump After the activist joined a flotilla seeking to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and bring humanitarian aid to Palestinians, the U.S. president described Thunberg as a ″young, angry person.″ He said she should go to ″anger management class.' Thunberg was detained then deported by Israel on Tuesday and sent to Paris. Asked upon arrival about Trump's comments, she replied in a matter-of-fact tone: 'I think the world needs a lot more young angry women to be honest. Especially with everything going on right now.' Head of Marine Corps says battalion deployed to LA is there, ready to respond but hasn't engaged Gen. Eric Smith testified at a budget hearing before senators that those Marines are trained for crowd control and they would have shields and batons as their equipment. He said they have no arrest authority and are only there to protect federal property and federal personnel. When asked by Sen. Richard Blumental, a Connecticut Democrat, about the danger Marines would use lethal force that could result in injuries and deaths, Smith said he had faith in them. 'I am not concerned. I have great faith in my Marines and their junior leaders and their more senior leaders to execute the lawful tasks that they are given.' Ukraine's surprise drone attack on Russia has the US rethinking its own defenses, Hegseth says The attack in early June that destroyed a large number of Russian bomber aircraft caught the U.S. off guard and represented significant advances in drone warfare, Hegseth told lawmakers Tuesday. The attack has the Pentagon rethinking drone defenses 'so we are not vulnerable to a threat and an attack like that,' Hegseth told the House appropriations subcommittee on defense. Hegseth said the Pentagon 'is learning everyday from Ukraine,' and focused on how to better defend its own military airfields. Hegseth refuses to provide lawmakers details on costs of sending Marines to Los Angeles In a back an forth with the defense appropriations subcommittee's top Democrat, Hegseth refused to answer basic questions on the cost of deploying Marines to Los Angeles, instead falling back on political talking points. In a series of questions on the news that Marines would be sent to Los Angeles, House Appropriations defense subcommittee ranking member Rep. Betty McCollum told Hegseth 'this is a deeply unfair position to put our Marines in,' she said. 'There's no need for the Marines to be deployed.' McCollum asked what the cost of the deployment would be. Hegseth deflected on the costs, attacked the decisions of the previous Biden administration instead and talked about illegal immigration. 'Could the Secretary please address the budget' McCollum asked him. Hegseth again refused to acknowledge McCollum's question and attacked the politics of the past administration again. McCollum took back her time and Hegseth was instructed by the committee chairman to provide the costs in writing instead. California Democrats accuses Trump of inciting unrest Democratic members of California's congressional delegation are accusing the president of creating a 'manufactured crisis' in Los Angeles with his orders to send in thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines. 'It's a deliberate attempt by Trump to incite unrest, test the limits of executive power and distract from the lawlessness of his administration,' said Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who organized a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday morning. Rep. Jimmy Panetta said Trump's decision to send in the military was designed to 'give him the image and give him the fight and give him the pictures that he wants.' Rep. Nancy Pelosi contrasted Trump's actions now with his handling of the Jan. 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol when law enforcement officers were being beaten. 'We begged the president of the United States to send in the National Guard. He would not do it,' Pelosi said. Hegseth skirts acknowledging key controversies in opening remarks Based on his opening remarks in his first appearance before lawmakers since taking office, there's been nothing but smooth sailing in the defense chief's office. Hegseth completed his opening statement with no mention of his controversial use of Signal, of the lack of defense budget details to guide Congress, or his controversial firings of his own staff or military leaders. Hegseth also made no mention of a decision to deploy Marines into Los Angeles to respond to immigration raid protests. Instead, he clung closely to the talking points he's used since taking office, such as emphasizing that 'DEI is dead,' and that he's focused on a return to 'lethality.' Pentagon mired in 'controversy and chaos,' lawmaker says in Hegseth hearing Trump's defense chief faced a litany of questions on what some lawmakers called 'rash' or 'reckless' decisions or actions dating back to his first day in office, as Tuesday's hearing before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee began. In opening statements, lawmakers asked about Hegseth's decisions to fire top military leaders, his use of Signal and other controversies, including his firing of several staff members in his inner circle. 'The Department of Defense is mired in controversy and chaos,' said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking member of the full committee. Citing trade wars, the World Bank sharply downgrades forecast for global economic growth President Trump's trade wars are expected to slash economic growth this year in the United States and around the world, the World Bank forecast Tuesday. Citing 'a substantial rise in trade barriers'' but without mentioning Trump by name, the 189-country lender predicted that the U.S. economy — the world's largest — would grow half as fast (1.4%) this year as it did in 2024 (2.8%) . That marked a downgrade from the 2.3% U.S. growth it had forecast back for 2025 back in January. The bank also lopped 0.4 percentage points off its forecast for global growth this year. It now expects the world economy to expand just 2.3% in 2025, down from 2.8% in 2024. ▶ Read more about the World Bank's forecast Trump links protests in Los Angeles to home rebuilding after wildfires Trump said his decision to 'SEND IN THE TROOPS' to Los Angeles spared the city from burning to the ground like thousands of homes after wildfires this year. He wrote on his social media site that people want to rebuild, and that the federal permitting process is 'virtually complete on these houses.' Trump claimed 'the easy and simple City and State Permits are disastrously bungled up and WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE!' and blamed California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. 'People want to rebuild their houses. Call your incompetent Governor and Mayor, the Federal permitting is DONE!!!' he wrote. Trump's Tuesday schedule, according to the White House 12:25 p.m. — Trump will travel to Fort Bragg, North Carolina 2:40 p.m. — Once he arrives, Trump will observe a military demonstration 4:00 p.m. — Trump will deliver remarks to service members, veterans and their families 6:00 p.m. — Trump will travel back to the White House Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to face Congress for first time since Signal leaks He's expected to field sharp questions from members of Congress about his tumultuous start as Pentagon chief, including his sharing of sensitive military details over a Signal chat , in three separate Capitol Hill hearings beginning Tuesday. Lawmakers also have made it clear they're unhappy that Hegseth hasn't provided details on the administration's first proposed defense budget , which Trump has said would total $1 trillion, a significant increase over the current spending level of more than $800 billion. It will be lawmakers' first chance to ask Hegseth about a myriad of other controversial spending by the Pentagon, including plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on security upgrades to turn a Qatari jet into Air Force One and to pour as much as $45 million into a parade recently added to the Army's 250th birthday bash, which happens to coincide with Trump's birthday on Saturday. ▶ Read more about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth RFK Jr. ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory committee Kennedy on Monday removed every member of a scientific committee that advises the CDC on how to use vaccines and pledged to replace them with his own picks. Major physicians and public health groups criticized the move to oust all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Kennedy, who was one of the nation's leading anti-vaccine activists before becoming the nation's top health official, has not said who he would appoint to the panel, but said it would convene in just two weeks in Atlanta. Although it's typically not viewed as a partisan board, the entire current roster of committee members were Biden appointees. ▶ Read more about Kennedy's latest move Trump pushes ahead with his maximalist immigration campaign in face of LA protests Trump made no secret of his willingness to take a maximalist approach to enforcing immigration laws and keeping order as he campaigned to return to the White House. The fulfillment of that pledge is now on full display in Los Angeles . By overriding California's Gov. Gavin Newsom, Trump is already going beyond what he did to respond to Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, when he warned he could send troops to contain demonstrations that turned violent if governors in the states did not act to do so themselves. Trump said in September of that year that he 'can't call in the National Guard unless we're requested by a governor' and that 'we have to go by the laws.' But now, he's moving swiftly to test the bounds of his executive authority in order to deliver on his promise of mass deportations. What remains to be seen is whether Americans will stand by him once it's operationalized nationwide. For now, Trump is betting that they will. ▶ Read more about Trump's efforts to fulfill his immigration promises Trump heads to Fort Bragg while facing criticism for deploying military at Los Angeles protests Trump plans to speak at Fort Bragg on Tuesday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army as he deploys the military in an attempt to quiet immigration protests in Los Angeles. Fort Bragg, located near Fayetteville, North Carolina, serves as headquarters for U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Highly trained units like the Green Berets and the Rangers are based there. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will also be at Tuesday's event, along with service members, veterans and their families. Trump has promoted the Army's anniversary as a reason to hold a military parade in Washington, D.C. , on Saturday, which is also his 79th birthday. Trump, who sees the military as a critical tool for domestic goals, has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines to quell disturbances that began as protests over immigration raids. ▶ Read more about Trump's Fort Bragg trip Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
Michigan State football beats out Iowa, lands commitment from 3-star edge Cory House
Michigan State football beats out Iowa, lands commitment from 3-star edge Cory House Michigan State football has started the week by winning a big time recruiting battle and adding to their 2026 recruiting class at a position of need. Cory House, an edge rushing prospect from Memphis (TN), has committed to MSU. The Spartans won the commitment for House in a head to head battle with Big Ten rival Iowa. This decision comes off of official visits to both schools the past two weekends, with MSU coming out ahead. A 6-foot-5, 240 pound edge, House is a standout at Whitehaven High School in Memphis. He ranks as an 87-rated 3-star and No. 68 edge in the country by 247Sports. House had 28 total offers, with 12 of those offers being from power conference schools. Initially, he was also scheduled to visit Indiana and North Carolina, before the Spartans and Hawkeyes turned this into a two-man race. Michigan State rush ends coach Chad Wilt is credited with being the primary recruiter in this recruitment, doing what the Spartans needed him to do to win out with a commitment, especially over a Big Ten rival in Iowa. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Cory_Linsner
Politico
30 minutes ago
- Politico
Troops deployed to LA will cost $134M, Pentagon official says
President Donald Trump's decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles amid mass deportation protests will likely cost $134 million, the Pentagon's budget chief told lawmakers. Acting Pentagon comptroller Bryn MacDonnell, testifying at a House budget hearing on Tuesday alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, said the estimate covers costs such as travel, housing and food. Trump has ordered 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to assist law enforcement with the protests, although California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have said they are not needed. Hegseth sparred with Democrats during the hearing in defense of the deployment, arguing Newsom and Bass, both Democrats, mishandled the situation.
