A female fencer chose to take the knee rather than face a trans opponent in a university tournament. Her opponent’s first response on seeing her take the knee was to find out whether or not she’d been injured.
Stephanie Turner, from the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia, was scheduled to face off against Redmond Sullivan, a recent transfer to the Wagner College women’s team, in a Division 1A Women’s Foil event. The match would have taken place at the Cherry Blossom Open tournament at the University of Maryland, but Turner took the knee and removed her face mask. She was subsequently disqualified.
Turner said, according to the Daily Mail, that she decided to forfeit the match “because USA Fencing had not been listening to women’s objections.”
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Turner recalled that, as she took the knee, Sullivan approached her with concern, assuming she’d been injured. “I’m sorry, I have much love and respect for you, but I will not fence you,” Turner responded. Despite this statement of “love and respect,” Turner has continuously misgendered Sullivan in her statements to the press.
The USA Fencing policy on transgender participation, adopted in 2023, requires “one calendar year of testosterone-suppression treatment” in order to compete in women’s events.
A spokesperson for USA Fencing explained the policy and reiterated the league’s commitment to inclusion.
“The policy is based on the principle that everyone should have the ability to participate in sports,” they said. “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 and 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 spokesperson also clarified the reason for Turner’s disqualification and reiterated Sullivan’s right to compete. “In the case of Stephanie Turner,” they said, “her disqualification was not related to any personal statement but was merely the direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent.”
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