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American fencer Stephanie Turner was last week expelled from a competition in Maryland for refusing to duel against a transgender opponent.<\/p>\n
She and\u00a0Redmond Sullivan were scheduled to compete<\/a>\u00a0at the Cherry Blossom Open, but minutes before their duel, Turner shocked spectators by taking the knee in protest.<\/p>\n In controversial video footage that has since gone\u00a0viral,<\/a>\u00a0she could be seen removing her\u00a0fencing<\/a>\u00a0mask before tossing it away.<\/p>\n After refusing to compete, Turner was escorted to the USA Fencing board to explain her decision, after which she says she was handed a copy of the association’s\u00a0transgender<\/a>\u00a0policy.<\/p>\n She was dealt a black card and informed she wouldn’t be permitted to continue competing. It was also requested that Turner sign a document\u00a0acknowledging her punishment<\/a>, and before she was removed from the venue.<\/p>\n Ultimately, Turner was dealt her hotly-debated punishment after breaking a rule put into place by the International Fencing Federation (FIE).<\/p>\n The restriction states that no fencer is permitted to refuse competition against another fencer, who has been properly entered, for any reason.<\/p>\n On top of this, the move directly conflicted against transgender and non-binary policy that\u00a0USA<\/a>\u00a0Fencing put into place in 2023.<\/p>\n The American board explained of this policy: “[It] is based on the principle that everyone should have the ability to participate in sports and was based upon the research available of the day.<\/p>\n “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\u00a0Olympic<\/a>\u00a0and Paralympic movement.”<\/p>\n Addressing last week’s expulsion, USA Fencing went on to tell press: “In the case of Stephanie Turner, 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.<\/p>\n \ud83e\udd3a\ud83d\udea8Historic Protest: Female Fencer Takes a Knee in Bout Against Male Opponent, Faces Immediate Disqualification<\/p>\n After receiving a black card for refusing to compete against a man, Redmond Sullivan’s female opponent was expelled from the @USAFencing<\/a> event at the Univ. of\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/IloSnrb2Iu<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ICONS (@icons_women) April 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n