Latest news with #StephanieTurner
Fox News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
National sports governing bodies must be held accountable for failing to protect women
Just over a year ago, I argued in Fox News that national governing bodies like USA Volleyball and USA Fencing were corruptibly operating outside of accountability. Now they are saying the quiet part out loud, admitting in Congressional testimony and written policy that they won't comply with female-safety/opportunity standards unless "required by oversight bodies." Female athletes like me have suffered the devastating consequence of the lack of NGB oversight, and it is time Congress and the White House finally call them out. USA Fencing released a "Revised Transgender & Non-Binary Athlete Eligibility Policy" earlier this month with the added note "it will only be implemented if required by oversight bodies." This follows their humiliating spotlight when female fencer Stephanie Turner had to bow out of her own competition when the rule makers allowed a male opponent to jeopardize her safety. The USA Fencing-sanctioned event issued her a disqualifying black card as a "direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent." Their "inclusive" message was exposed in the light—it's nothing but discriminatory exclusion. The story doesn't end with Stephanie. Reduxx continues to uncover more men masquerading as women in USA Fencing competitions, some of which hold leadership positions within the organization. Their elevated platforms affirms the ideologically captured state of the board who voted against playing the national anthem at championships earlier this year and openly admits to factoring ratings from and healthcare access (abortion laws) into fencing site selection. Congress certifies these sports' national governing bodies (NGBs) through the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. Doing this largely yields oversight responsibilities to the USOPC, which generally allows for regulatory autonomy. But this yielded authority is not just about general rules of sport; it directs eligibility standards, informs university rulemaking, dictates how our country is represented in the Olympics, and more. It's hard to ignore the politically charged nature of athletics in today's climate, from covering USA jerseys in sexual pride to recognizing DEI as a core tenant of sports governance (see: USOPC "Diversity Scorecards"). It is clear; the USOPC's passivity has enabled the NGB's to operate as extended political arms with Congressional approval and very little accountability. But their politically-charged discrimination has now made its way to the national stage. Last month, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) penned a letter to USA Fencing requiring they "must comply with United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee rules and procedures, its statutory obligations to protect women, and President Trump's recent Executive Order (EO) on Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" to keep their NGB certification. While the NGBs already hold a specific obligation to ensure fairness and safety, President Trump's executive order specifically clarifies the secretary of state must "use all appropriate and available measures to see that the International Olympic Committee amends the standards governing Olympic sports to promote fairness, safety, and the best interests of female athletes by ensuring that eligibility for participation in women's sporting events is determined according to sex and not gender identity or testosterone reduction." Sen. Cruz's letter brought the weight of the Upper Chamber in his demands for documentation, clarity on how many men were competing in their women's categories, answers for their compliance in accordance with the executive order, and more. In the House of Representatives, the DOGE subcommittee invited Stephanie Turner and USA Fencing Board Chair Damien Lehfeldt to testify in a hearing on May 7th. After refusing the invitation, the Committee required Mr. Lehfeldt's appearance by issuing a subpoena. Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said USA Fencing "should not be recognized as the National Governing Body for fencing if it continues to defy the law." USA Fencing is facing heat from all angles. Good. During the hearing, Mr. Lehfeldt said he is "prepared to pivot" if the Ted Stevens Act is amended or the IOC directs them. But it begs a greater question; why must the federal government force them to protect female athletes? Why hasn't the USOPC stood up for female athletes? Without the accountability of the people and their elected representatives, NGBs have pursued policy goals that hurt women and undermine our country's values. Congress and the White House must continue to strengthen enforcement through the USOPC and remind NGBs that our country is a place for opportunity, not politically charged discrimination.
CBC
12-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Brunswick Square looks to fill vacancy
Stephanie Turner is part of a new leasing team for the once-busy uptown mall. She joins the show to speak on Brunswick Square and why there is new found hope for the shopping center.
Fox News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
USA Fencing transgender controversy escalates at DOGE hearing with social media regrets, calls for resignation
Just six weeks after women's fencer Stephanie Turner was disqualified and escorted out of a tournament for kneeling in protest of a trans opponent, she watched the man in charge of her punishment get grilled for it in a federal hearing. USA Fencing Chair Damien Lehfeldt was grilled by Republican lawmakers at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee's "Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" hearing on Wednesday. After the hearing, Turner told Fox News Digital that she would devote herself and her platform to pushing for resignations among key leadership figures in USA Fencing. "I'm going to be pushing for people to resign, to be honest. I'd like to see some people resign for the comments that they've made, especially publicly, ones that are harassing and meant to humiliate concerned women, mothers and daughters," Turner said. USA Fencing has provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing Turner's calls for leadership change. "We respect Ms. Turner's right to share her views. The volunteer members of USA Fencing's Board, elected by our membership, remain focused on serving athletes and meeting our obligations under the Ted Stevens Act and other governing-body rules. No leadership changes are under consideration," the statement read. Lehfeldt, who was subpoenaed and did not come voluntarily, made things harder on himself ahead of the hearing with a series of Instagram stories that were later blown up and used against him on the committee floor. In one post, which went viral before the hearing, he responded to a question that asked if he was "okay" with putting female fencers at a disadvantage with a simple, brash answer: "yeah." Then, during the hearing, Lehfeld admitted multiple times he regretted answering that way and admitted the question required a "more-nuanced" response. "He was under oath, but I was surprised that he admitted having written a fake response that he posted on his Instagram," Turner said. "So the simple admission that he knows what he's doing, and the intimidation tactics that he's been employing online, and he knows that they're wrong, and he hadn't redacted them until that point, it took a hearing, a subpoenaed hearing for him to do that, it was surprising." USA Fencing provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing its chair's social media posts on Wednesday. "Mr. Lehfeldt's pre-hearing social posts were made in a personal capacity. Before and during the hearing, he clarified that the comments do not reflect USA Fencing policy and expressed regret for any confusion they caused," the statement read. However, that was just the start of things for Lehfeldt. Throughout the afternoon, he faced his fair share of insults and personal comments from Republican committee members. Rep. Tim Burhcett, R-Tenn, asked Lehfeldt whether he would let his daughter fence against "a man." Lehfeldt suggested he would allow it while boasting about his organization's safety precautions. "As long as the competitor has met all the hormonal requirements and complies with the policy, I would be okay with it," Lehfeldt said. Later in the hearing, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., suggested that Lehfeldt was "not" a man for his organization's gender eligibility policy. "Real men protect women, you're not one," Mace said. Mace even asked Lehfeldt to simply apologize to Turner for punishing the fencer, to which the chair declined and pointed out that Turner received a black card for her refusal. However, Turner was not looking for an apology. "I want more than an apology. I want a change in policy and I want people to start speaking the truth again. And an apology is just empty words without actions to me, so I don't know how far it would go for me," Turner said. The organization first enacted its current trans-inclusion policy in 2023. It allows transgender athletes to compete in the women's category at both the junior and senior level after completing one calendar year of testosterone-suppression treatment. Proof of compliant hormone therapy must be provided prior to competition, but the organization has taken even further steps to prioritize its trans competitors. USA Fencing announced in late April that it is preparing to change its gender-eligibility policy in the aftermath of the controversy with Turner. "In the event that USA Fencing is forced to change its current stance in accordance with oversight bodies or federal legislation, the new policy states athletes competing in USA Fencing-sanctioned tournaments must compete according to their biological sex," the announcement read. The proposed updated policy ensures that the women's category "will be open exclusively to athletes of the female sex." The men's category "will be open to all other athletes who are otherwise eligible for competition." Education Secretary Linda McMahon previously announced that the newly formed Title IX investigations team will be probing the incident involving Turner and trans competitor Redmond Sullivan. Meanwhile, Turner is on a hiatus from fencing in the aftermath of the controversy. "I don't see how I can spend the money to go to a tournament and have their be multiple officials that I know who are deeply against me," Turner said. "That's just not a fight that I want to be in the middle of right now, I'd rather take this fight elsewhere." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Woke pro-trans fencing chief left red faced in brutal dressing down at DOGE hearing
The controversial chairman of USA Fencing endured a brutal interrogation by lawmakers on Wednesday over his stance on transgender athletes, including why he once compared concerned parents to the Ku Klux Klan. Damien Lehfeldt first made headlines last month, when a female fencer named Stephanie Turner refused to fight a transgender rival during a competition. The incident shone a light on USA Fencing and on Lehfeldt, who previously wrote in a blog post that 'transgender women are women' and '(they) deserve the right to compete with the gender they identify with.' Since returning to office, however, Donald Trump has signed an executive order entitled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports'. On Wednesday, both Turner and Lehfeldt appeared at a hearing involving a Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE). The hearing was shown a photo, apparently posted on social media by Lehfeldt, in which he made a profane two-finger gesture at the camera with the caption 'Game day'. Lehfeldt was grilled by lawmakers including chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, with his governing body accused of 'ignoring science' and putting 'politics ahead of women and the law.' Damien Lehfeldt, Chairman of @USAFencing, has a long, ugly record of smearing parents who dare to oppose men in their daughters' sports. He brought lame excuses. I brought receipts. — Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) May 7, 2025 Greene pressed him on why USA Fencing's 'site selection policy' for tournaments takes into account an area's policies on abortion and LGBT rights. 'We try to have tournaments in sites that are safe for all of our members. Period,' he said. But Lehfeldt refused to answer whether he would 'want (his) daughter to change in front of biological men in locker rooms? Yes or no.' The chairman responded to Greene: 'My daughter isn't really something that should be part of this hearing, respectfully.' Greene later posted a clip of the incident on social media and wrote: 'He couldn't say 'NO.' That tells you EVERYTHING. These people have lost all common sense.' During another excruciating exchange, Lehfeldt was pressed on previous comments he made about opponents to transgender athletes competing in women's sports. 'Do you think that parents who don't want their daughters competing against men in women's sports are "whiney",' Republican Congressman Brandon Gill asked him. After Lehfeldt said, 'No, sir,' Gill responded: 'Why did you write that on social media? I have a picture here where you posted that.' The congressman held up a screenshot. 'You were allegedly responding to a parent who didn't want their daughter being beaten up by men in sports competitions. (You wrote) "I'm not going to pull her from the sport and write and whiney email announcing my departure."' In his alleged reply, he ripped into a concerned 'Dorothy' and called her a 'cowardly Lion' Lehfeldt admitted his comments were 'inappropriate' but Gill then pressed him on another social media comment when he called opponents 'cowardly'. 'I regret it sir, I deleted it shortly after posting it and I certainly don't feel that way anymore.' As the chairman attempted to explain his position, Gill interrupted and asked: 'Do you think parents who don't want their daughters competing against men in sports should be compared to the Ku Klux Klan?' Lehfeldt responded, 'No. Absolutely not', only for Gill to dig up another 'receipt'. 'I'd like to read what you wrote and posted on social media, responding allegedly to a lady who had these concerns,' he said before quoting Lehfedlt. 'The only wizard that's going to dig you out of the myopic hole you've put yourself and your family in is one of the "grand wizard" variety.' Grand Wizard is a title traditionally given to a leader of the Klan, a white supremacist organization dating back the era of Reconstruction. '(It's) inappropriate, sir,' Lehfeldt admitted. 'I acknowledge that I said it and I will commit to never making a message like that again.' The chairman insisted the email he received was real but admitted he did not send the replies he posted to social media. Turner, meanwhile, claimed she was left feeling 'isolated and strangled' by USA Fencing, having spent '7,000 hours training and over $100,000' on her fencing career. Lehfeldt said the organization would comply with law changes regarding transgender athletes in women's sports. I asked if USA Fencing's Chair Damien Lehfeldt would want his daughter changing in front of a man. He couldn't say 'NO.' That tells you EVERYTHING. These people have lost all common sense. — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) May 7, 2025 'Gender participation in sports is a complex topic,' he said, adding that 'considerations of safety and fairness are paramount.' But in a statement to Outkick, USA Fencing suggested its transgender policy is out of its hands: 'USA Fencing remains dedicated to maintaining a fair, respectful environment where every athlete can participate. 'Our current transgender and non-binary eligibility policy, adopted in 2023, reflects guidance from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).' The statement continued: 'Because the Ted Stevens Act bars us from adopting participation requirements more stringent than those of our international federation (FIE), we must mirror that framework. Should Congress amend the Act, or the IOC/FIE change their standards, USA Fencing will adjust accordingly.'
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Stephanie Turner, Payton McNabb open up on chaotic DOGE hearing on trans athletes
Female athletes Stephanie Turner and Payton McNabb testified to members of Congress at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee's "Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" hearing on Wednesday. At one point during the hearing, the two women were approached by Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas. "'You're both very courageous. You're very courageous being here, and I want to say thank you for all of this,'" Crockett said to the two women, Turner told Fox News Digital. "And I said 'Payton and I both took time out of our day to be there, and I find it very disrespectful that you would co-opt this hearing that is about me and Payton and make it about your own politics.'" Crockett had just used her turn during the hearing to divert the conversation away from protecting women's sports, the main purpose of the hearing, to condemn President Donald Trump for other issues. Crockett had previously attempted to speak Crockett even made light of the issue of trans athlete inclusion by turning her monologue into a game she called "Trump or Trans." The game featured Crockett asking another witness whether to blame Trump or trans people for a series of unsubstantiated issues that included "increasing the price of everything" and "ignoring the constitution." The witness responded "Trump" all 12 times. Crockett has been outspokenly opposed to Republican efforts to keep trans athletes out of women's and girls' sports, even previously mocking Americans who claim to have been impacted. Yet, she tried to be complimentary with McNabb and Turner, according to them. "I think she was lying," McNabb told Fox News Digital. "I did not believe one word she said, because literally the theatrics, and just how she acted literally the whole time and then trying to come over and whisper and be nice girl to us. I don't know what happened, it was like a whole other person than what we all saw 10 seconds before she got over there." Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett for further comment. Crockett's antics were one of just several incidents that highlighted a hearing of chaos that involved multiple shouting matches between committee members and witnesses, as well as plainly questionable comments. Many such comments confused, frustrated and offended Turner and McNabb. McNabb suffered permanent brain injuries in high school after getting spiked in the head by a trans opponent during a volleyball match. She then had to watch opposing witness Fatima Goss Graves, CEO of the National Women's Law Center, suggest that the way to prevent other women from facing similar injuries is to prevent spiking in volleyball altogether. "I would argue that the answer is to ensure people can't spike volleyballs into other people's heads," Goss Graves said during the hearing when responding McNabb's story. For McNabb, Goss Graves' answer was startling. "That was just absolutely ridiculous," McNabb said. "The fact of the matter is, that day and that injury was unlike anything else I've ever experienced, and it's because it was a man who hit me in the face, it's really just that simple." What came as an even bigger shock to McNabb was when Goss Graves offered to work with the former volleyball player to help her recover from her brain damage, during the hearing. "That's not happening. This woman is obviously not sane, and I don't know why she would think I would ever want some medical advice or advice in general from her," McNabb said. Turner, who went viral in April for refusing to face a trans opponent at a fencing match and getting punished by USA Fencing, took particular offense to comments made by Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Cal. During Simon's turn, she suggested that protecting women's sports would lead to bringing back racial segregation and that Black women would be disproportionately targeted by trans athlete restriction laws. "I find that, as a Black woman myself, to be quite offensive," Turner said. "I find it offensive because they lead with this statement 'as a Black woman, I'm a Black woman.' Well, I'm a Black woman, I was born in Washington D.C., I was raised in one of the bluest parts of America in Montgomery County, Maryland, and no, I don't agree with you, that's wrong." Wednesday also marked the first time Turner came face-to-face with USA Fencing chair Damien Lehfeldt, who was subpoenaed to the hearing, since her viral kneel protest. Turner was given a black card for refusing to face the trans opponent, disqualified and escorted out of the venue, and then given a 12-month probation. Lehfeldt was aggressively pressed by Republican committee members throughout the hearing about his organization's pro-trans policies and punishment of Turner. At one point, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., used her time to ask Lehfeldt to apologize to Turner. Lefheldt did not apologize upon the request, and in response, Mace suggested Lehfeldt was "not" a man. "Real men protect women, you're not one," Mace said. Turner said she was not surprised by Lehfeldt's refusal to apologize and would not have accepted it even if he did. "An apology is just empty words without actions," Turner said. Turner added that after Wednesday's hearing, she sees the next big goal in the movement to protect women's sports is to push USA Fencing to make concrete changes to its gender eligibility policy to protect women competitors. The organization said it is preparing to amend its current policies that allow biological males to compete with women and girls in the event that it is "forced" to change it. Education Secretary Linda McMahon previously announced that the newly formed Title IX investigations team will be probing the incident involving Turner and trans competitor Redmond Sullivan. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
