Latest news with #USAFencing-sanctioned
Fox News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
USA Fencing prepares to change transgender policy amid federal probe, backlash after athlete's kneel protest
USA Fencing announced Thursday that it is preparing to change its gender-eligibility policy, after a viral protest by women's fencer Stephanie Turner sparked mass backlash and federal intervention by protesting a trans opponent. 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. "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 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." The change would go into effect across sanctioned competition levels, including Division I, IA, II, III, Junior, Cadet, Youth, Veteran and all other categories. If adopted, this policy is solely to ensure future compliance required by oversight organizations. This policy does not reflect any change in our strong support for each individual's right to identity," the announcement read. "We recognize that many people — particularly transgender and non-binary athletes and their supporters in fencing clubs nationwide — will be profoundly impacted if this policy takes effect." Turner spoke out against the organization and its prepared rule change to Fox News Digital. "USA Fencing is pretending they need outside permission to follow federal law that guarantees fair competition and equal opportunities for women. They know their current policy allowing men to take women's national and world titles is unjust, yet instead of taking responsibility, they are passing the buck to the USOPC, an ideologically captured organization," Turner said. "This results in a cowardly stance with no urgency for change. By admitting the policy is wrong but refusing to fix it, they further insult women. As we head toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, it is long past time for both the USFA and USOPC to enforce policies that protect the women's category for female athletes and stop deflecting responsibility." The organization came under immense global scrutiny after a video of Turner kneeling to protest trans competitor Redmon Sullivan at the Cherry Blossom Open, and then getting disqualified, went viral in early April. DOGE subcommittee Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene announced a hearing addressing the organization's gender eligibility policies that allow biological male transgender athletes to compete in the women's category. And 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 stepping away from the sport after being dealt a 12-month probation for refusing to face Sullivan. USA Fencing has confirmed to Fox News Digital that Turner is under probation for the next 12 months after receiving a black card for the forfeit. She may 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. 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. In November 2022, it announced a policy to give preference when selecting host cities for national tournaments to states without laws that "harm members of LGBTQ communities" and states that do not "have laws undermining the reproductive health of women." That policy went into effect during the 2023 season, the same year it changed its gender policy. It later released a list of states that it intended to "avoid where possible" and the states that it flat out would not allow to host major events. In December, the nonprofit Fair Fencing Organization penned an open letter to USA Fencing board members, urging the re-evaluation of its stance on several issues, including transgender inclusion. Just days later, however, board members voted against several motions to approve an all-female task force to re-evaluate and revise the current transgender policy, in an 8-3 vote. Now, after siding against women fencers seeking protection from trans inclusion, USA Fencing finds itself with a global controversy after Turner's viral protest. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fencer explains why she refused to compete against transgender opponent
(NewsNation) – A fencer in Maryland was disqualified from a USA Fencing-sanctioned regional tournament after she refused to compete against a transgender opponent last month. During the competition March 30 at the University of Maryland, fencer Stephanie Turner took a knee before her match against transgender student Redmond Sullivan. Turner was then given a black card by a referee. USA Fencing said in a statement that all athletes compete under the same rules established by the International Fencing Federation, regardless of their personal positions. In Turner's case, 'her disqualification, which applies to this tournament only, 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,' USA Fencing said. White House defends not including Russia, North Korea on tariffs Speaking to NewsNation on Thursday, Turner said she didn't take a knee as an 'individual attack' against Sullivan. However, Turner said she didn't agree with Sullivan competing in the same category as her. When Turner saw Sullivan's name on the participants list, she says she cried. 'I cried so much because I had spent quite a few months training specifically with this in mind,' Turner said. If something like this happened, Turner said, she decided she would 'forfeit' the competition. 'I was always nervous about it, because it creates a scene, and it will obviously result in the black card,' she said. Turner told NewsNation she didn't 'want to let people know that I'm OK with this and pretend like nothing's happening.' NewsNation tried to reach Sullivan for comment. White House denies reports that Elon Musk is being pushed out Former tennis player Martina Navratilova criticized USA Fencing on X Wednesday, saying she was 'fuming' over the incident. On Thursday afternoon, USA Fencing released a statement on its current policies, saying the organization is committed to fostering an 'inclusive, respectful community for everyone in our sport.' '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,' USA Fencing said. 'Hate speech or targeted hate of any kind is not acceptable — online or in person.' Turner said she doesn't find USA Fencing's transgender and nonbinary athletes policy to be inclusive. 'This policy is ridiculous, and it's forced me to refuse by taking a knee,' Turner said. Reuters contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
04-04-2025
- Sport
- The Hill
Fencer explains why she refused to compete against transgender opponent
(NewsNation) – A fencer in Maryland was disqualified from a USA Fencing-sanctioned regional tournament after she refused to compete against a transgender opponent last month. During the competition March 30 at the University of Maryland, fencer Stephanie Turner took a knee before her match against transgender student Redmond Sullivan. Turner was then given a black card by a referee. USA Fencing said in a statement that all athletes compete under the same rules established by the International Fencing Federation, regardless of their personal positions. In Turner's case, 'her disqualification, which applies to this tournament only, 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,' USA Fencing said. White House defends not including Russia, North Korea on tariffs Speaking to NewsNation on Thursday, Turner said she didn't take a knee as an 'individual attack' against Sullivan. However, Turner said she didn't agree with Sullivan competing in the same category as her. When Turner saw Sullivan's name on the participants list, she says she cried. 'I cried so much because I had spent quite a few months training specifically with this in mind,' Turner said. If something like this happened, Turner said, she decided she would 'forfeit' the competition. 'I was always nervous about it, because it creates a scene, and it will obviously result in the black card,' she said. Turner told NewsNation she didn't 'want to let people know that I'm OK with this and pretend like nothing's happening.' NewsNation tried to reach Sullivan for comment. Former tennis player Martina Navratilova criticized USA Fencing on X Wednesday, saying she was 'fuming' over the incident. On Thursday afternoon, USA Fencing released a statement on its current policies, saying the organization is committed to fostering an 'inclusive, respectful community for everyone in our sport.' '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,' USA Fencing said. 'Hate speech or targeted hate of any kind is not acceptable — online or in person.' Turner said she doesn't find USA Fencing's transgender and nonbinary athletes policy to be inclusive. 'This policy is ridiculous, and it's forced me to refuse by taking a knee,' Turner said.
The Independent
04-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Fencer disqualified after refusing to fight trans opponent
USA Fencing disqualified a fencer from a Maryland women's tournament after she refused to compete against a transgender opponent. Stephanie Turner was competing in a USA Fencing-sanctioned regional tournament at the University of Maryland on Sunday when she took a knee in protest of her transgender opponent, Redmond Sullivan, before her match. An official then showed Turner a black card, and she was disqualified from the rest of the tournament for refusing to compete. 'I told them that I was refusing to fence because this person is a man, and I'm a woman, and this is a women's tournament and I refuse to fence on principle,' Turner later told Fox News. She has not been disqualified from other events or tournaments. 'A fencer is not permitted to refuse to fence another properly entered fencer for any reason,' USA Fencing told the Associated Press. '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.' The organization also said it understood that the conversation around transgender participation 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.' Turner's protest comes as President Donald Trump and his administration have gone on a crusade against trans people, banning trans athletes from women's sports and even scrubbing references to them from government websites. In January, he signed an executive order declaring that there are only two sexes, male and female, and insisting that it would 'defend women's rights and protect freedom of conscience by using clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male.' A federal judge in March blocked the enforcement of a Trump executive order banning transgender people from the military. In 2023, USA Fencing enacted a policy allowing transgender and non-binary athletes to compete 'in a manner consistent with their gender identity/ expression, regardless of the gender associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.' 'Within our divisions, USA Fencing will not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, regardless of sex assigned at birth, or any other form of gender expression for participation in any division,' its policy states online.
CBS News
04-04-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Fencer disqualified after refusing to face opponent she says is trans
College Park, Md. — USA Fencing disqualified a fencer from a women's tournament in Maryland after she refused to face an opponent whom she says is transgender. Stephanie Turner was competing on March 30 in a USA Fencing-sanctioned regional tournament at the University of Maryland. It wasn't an NCAA-sanctioned event. Online video showed Turner took a knee in protest before her match against the opponent. She was shown a black card by an official and disqualified from the remainder of the tournament. The Associated Press is not identifying Turner's opponent because they have not publicly commented on the incident nor disclosed their gender identity. "A fencer is not permitted to refuse to fence another properly entered fencer for any reason," USA Fencing said in a statement released to The Associated Press. "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." USA Fencing said it enacted its current transgender and non-binary athlete policy in 2023. The organization added that Turner's disqualifcation only applies to the March 30 tournament. "We understand that the conversation on equity and inclusion pertaining to transgender participation in sport is evolving," the statement said. "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." Turner told Fox News Digital that after checking the competition pool the night before the event, she realized she would be competing against a transgender opponent. "I told them that I was refusing to fence because this person is a man, and I'm a woman, and this is a women's tournament and I refuse to fence on principle," Turner told Fox News.
