Latest news with #CourageWinsChampion
Fox News
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter: AG Pam Bondi files suit amid Maine's steadfast stance on girls' sports
FILING SUIT – Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a lawsuit as the feud between Maine and the Trump administration rages on. A federal judge recently paused a funding freeze that was initiated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Continue reading … CLOSING A CHAPTER – Stephanie Turner said she will step away from the sport amid a 12-month probation issued by USA Fencing. The decision comes after Turner declined to compete against a transgender athlete on March 30. Continue reading … UNDER THE MICROSCOPE – Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the recently-formed Title IX investigations team will investigate Stephanie Turner's disqualification from a USA Fencing event. Turner took a knee and refused to fence against a transgender competitor. Continue reading … SPEAKING OUT – Stephanie Turner appeared on OutKick's "Gaines for Girls" podcast with Riley Gaines to discuss being named the Courage Wins Champion by XX-XY Athletics. Turner was ejected from a fencing event last month after she took a knee and refused to face a transgender opponent. Continue reading … MAINE VS TRUMP – Maine Gov. Janet Mills issued a response to the lawsuit filed against her state by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over policies concerning transgender athletes' participation in women's and girls' sports. Continue reading … 'NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED' – Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine hopes a resolution can soon be reached as Maine and the Trump Administration continue to feud over the interpretation of Title IX. Continue reading … GREEN JACKET – On Sunday at historic Augusta National Golf Club, a tear-eyed Rory McIlroy finally earned a green jacket, becoming just the sixth golfer to complete the career grand slam. Continue reading … SILENT TREATMENT – Bryson DeChambeau revealed that Rory McIlroy, his playing partner for the final round at the Masters, "didn't talk to me once." But McIlroy's sports psychologist argued it was a strategic move, not a personal or disrespectful one. Continue reading … RIVALRY RENEWED – Suns star Kevin Durant reacted to ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith's comments concerning the amount of responsibility the NBA star should shoulder for Phoenix's latest disappointing season. Continue reading … FROM FOX SPORTS – Hawks star Trae Young's frustration boiled over in the form of some fancy ball handling involving the referees which resulted in two technical fouls in the fourth quarter of Atlanta's play-in game against the Magic. Continue reading … FROM OUTKICK – The Michigan football fan who wore a Wolverines hat to Ohio State's national championship celebration at the White House explained his decision to OutKick. Continue reading … WATCH NOW – FOX Sports' Joel Klatt joined Colin Cowherd to discuss Tennessee's decision to release quarterback Nico Iamaleava following an NIL dispute. Watch here … FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fox News
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Fencer reveals difficulties after taking stand on trans inclusion in women's sports
Fencer Stephanie Turner spoke out about some of the difficulties that came with her decision to take a knee in protest of competing against a transgender athlete during a competition. Turner was honored as the Courage Wins Champion by XX-XY Athletics following the decision, which led to her expulsion from the event and a USA Fencing investigation. She appeared on OutKick's "Gaines for Girls" podcast with Riley Gaines to talk about the award and opened up about coming out against trans inclusion in women's sports. "There are quite a lot of women who are witnessing men in their sports, and they are trying to save their own sports on their own, and it's hard to come out because you essentially nuke your whole life," she said. "You can face social ostracism, you can have financial blowback, you can have training disrupted, and you could have officials or referees now not being very favorable toward you for the rest of your life. "There's no end to the backlash that you may face, or you could have threats on your life like I know in your case you have had such things happen to you. So, it's not fun being on the receiving end of this. It's not what I wanted to do, and it helps to have people who acknowledge that, that it takes some sort of sacrifice to bring attention to an issue and I appreciate XX-XY for their acknowledgment." USA Fencing told Fox News Digital that Turner is now on probation for the next 12 months after receiving a black card for the forfeit. She can still compete in events under the probation but is choosing not to. "I'm going to be taking a break from fencing for a while in the U.S. circuit, so that's a little bit of a disruption for me… It has disrupted my training, it has disrupted my interactions when I go out in public, and it will certainly disrupt my competition because I won't be competing in the United States any time soon," she told Fox News Digital when asked if her expectation that taking the knee would "destroy her life," came true. Instead, Turner will focus on her new mission in the movement to ban trans athletes from women's sports. "I will remain in the public eye for as long as it takes to resolve this," she said. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
12-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Women's sports activist aims to 'platform' knee-taking fencer as the latest winner of courage award
XX-XY Athletics founder and CEO Jennifer Sey spoke out about why she was awarding a female fencer with a courage award after the athlete's stance against a transgender opponent in a match. Sey announced during an interview with "America Reports" that she is honoring fencer Stephanie Turner, who was disqualified in March from competing in a tournament at the University of Maryland after she took a knee rather than compete against a transgender athlete. "We call them our Courage Wins Champions," Sey said. "They are women who stand up or stand down from competing to defend women's sports." The athletics brand also used a portion of its sales to award its latest Courage Wins Champion a $5,000 grant, according to its post on X, formerly Twitter. "We aim to take the sting out of monetary cancelation and platform these women and bring them on board," Sey said. "They have community. They have support. They will not stand alone." Turner joins a growing group of female athletes opposed to competing against transgender athletes. More recently, professional disc golfer Abigail Wilson went viral for walking out of her tournament in Nashville, Tenn., after she learned she had the same tee time as a transgender athlete. "I believe women like Stephanie Turner, the fencer, and Abigail Wilson, the disc golfer, are starting a movement," Sey said. "This is not a moment. It is a movement of truth and bravery that has begun." Sey, the country's 1986 national gymnastics champion, praised both athletes' bravery. "I'm so proud of these women," Sey told co-anchor John Roberts. "I have such admiration for them. It could be career-ending, and they do it anyway." After Roberts noted a transgender runner setting season records in an Oregon high school's girls' track races, Sey insisted that cases like Turner's and Wilson's are not isolated incidents. "Women's sports are not the place for failed male athletes or mediocre male athletes to go," Sey said. "Compete in the category to which you were born. People say it's just a handful. It's not a handful — I can name 10 in the last week alone. Enough, it's over." On Feb. 5, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning biological men from competing in women's sports. While the NCAA followed Trump's executive order the following day, USA Fencing wrote in a statement to the University of Maryland's student newspaper that the tournament from which Turner was banned was not an NCAA event. The club defended Turner's disqualification as being in accordance with international rules to compete with eligible opponents, before affirming its commitment to "inclusivity" in a statement. "… we recognize not all individuals' gender identities are binary, and a gender binary default for participation could potentially cause harm — leaving some individuals to feel excluded and unsafe," USA Fencing stated on its website. "Within our divisions, USA Fencing will not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, regardless of sex assigned at birth."
Fox News
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Fencer Stephanie Turner receives honor for courage after refusal to compete against trans athlete
Female fencer Stephanie Turner was honored as a Courage Wins Champion for her decision to take a knee instead of competing against a biological male during an event earlier this month. XX-XY Athletics announced Turner as the award winner on Monday. "By taking a knee, she became more powerful than any male. She stood her ground to fight for women's sports," XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey said in a news release. "She's a hero." Turner will receive $5,000 and be entered into a leadership program. Sey announced the award on Fox News Channel's "America Reports." "We aim to take the sting out of monetary cancelation and platform these women and bring them on board," she said. "They have community. They have support. They will not stand alone." Turner refused to compete against trans competitor Redmond Sullivan at the Cherry Blossom Open. Turner received a black card for her decision to take a knee, leading to her expulsion from the tournament for serious infractions or unsportsmanlike behavior. "I knew what I had to do because USA Fencing had not been listening to women's objections regarding [its gender eligibility policy]," Turner told Fox News Digital in an interview last week. "I took a knee immediately at that point. 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.'" USA Fencing defended its trans-inclusion policy in wake of the protest. "USA Fencing remains committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful community for everyone in our sport. We believe in the principle of creating safe communities where all athletes, and community members, have a place," the statement read. "While we understand there are a range of perspectives, USA Fencing will continue to engage in respectful, research-based dialogue and review as policy evolves in the Olympic and Paralympic movement as well as domestic law, hate speech of any kind is not acceptable—online or in person. Let's keep the conversation respectful and the strip welcoming to all." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
