So this all happened at a fencing event in Maryland. One of the competitors, Stephanie Turner, ended up getting the harshest punishment in the sport — all because she didn’t want to go up against a transgender opponent.
She was at the Cherry Blossom Open, saw the match list, and realized she was set to fence Redmond Sullivan — who’s a transgender athlete.
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She decided not to compete but waited until the last moment
Once she saw who she was paired with, Turner had already made up her mind that she wasn’t gonna fence. But she didn’t say anything right away — she waited until the actual day of the match.
The protest happened right before the match
When the day came, she went through all the usual stuff — warmed up, did a few matches — four of them actually. Then she came up to the one with Sullivan.
Right when they were about to start, she took off her mask and got down on one knee to make her point.
She spoke directly to the ref and her opponent
Turner said Sullivan thought she was gonna fence like normal. But instead, she looked at the ref and 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.”
She felt like no one was listening to women
She said she felt like she had to take a stand because USA Fencing hadn’t been hearing women’s concerns about the gender rules.
She also mentioned she’s been fencing for 12 years and claimed Sullivan seemed upset during the moment on the piste. Still, Turner stood by her protest.
“I’m sorry, but I will not fence you. You’re a man, and I’m a woman, and this is a women’s tournament. I have much love and respect for you, but I will not fence you,” she told Sullivan.
Her opponent warned her about the consequences
Then, according to Turner, Sullivan told her, “Well you know, there is a member on the board of directors here who supports me, and there is a policy that acknowledges me as a woman, so I am allowed to fence, and you will get blackcarded,” and Turner said, “I know.”
The black card came right after
Just like Sullivan said, the refs gave Turner a black card. That’s the top-level penalty in fencing — the worst one. It can get you kicked out for stuff like unsportsmanlike behavior or breaking the rules in a serious way.
USA Fencing said in a statement that it wasn’t about the protest itself — it was because she refused to compete against someone who was officially eligible.
Officials said she broke a specific rule
USA Fencing explained it using the rulebook — Article t.113 from the FIE rules. It says fencers aren’t allowed to say no to a match against someone who’s properly signed up.
Their statement said, “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.”
She had to sign off on the punishment and leave
After the black card, she said she was taken to talk to the bout committee. They handed her the fencing association’s transgender policy and had her sign something saying she got the black card.
Even though she knew it was coming, she said she signed the paper “under objection.” Then she was walked out of the building.
USA Fencing defended its inclusion policy
They later made a statement saying the transgender and non-binary athlete policy had been put in place back in 2023. They said it was about making fencing more open and safer for everyone.
They added that the rules were based on the research they had at the time, and they’re open to changing things as new info comes out or if the Olympic world changes its own guidelines.
USA Fencing said they welcome different views but want the conversations — whether in person or online — to stay respectful. “The way to progress is by respectful discussion based in evidence,” they said.
Turner said she’s ready to deal with the fallout
Turner also said she’d tried to avoid signing up for events where transgender athletes were competing, and she guessed Sullivan signed up after she did for this one.
She said she knew this decision might really mess up her life for a while — but she stood by it. And she supported Trump’s move to stop funding states that let trans athletes compete in girls’ and women’s sports.
“Something needs to be done, and there are activists who have embedded themselves in authoritative positions in sports bodies,” she said.
But now, she said, skipping tournaments just to avoid trans opponents isn’t realistic — it’s gotten too expensive to keep backing out.
“Ultimately I’d never be able to fence if I was just avoiding every tournament where there was a transgender person,” she said.
A well-known athlete backed her up online
The whole thing picked up even more attention when tennis legend and LGBTQ rights advocate Martina Navratilova jumped in on X to show support for Turner.
She posted, “This is what happens when female athletes protest! Anyone here still thinks this is fair??? I am fuming… and shame on @USAFencing, shame on you for doing this. How dare you throw women under the gender bulls** bus!!!”*
Whatever happens next, Turner’s clearly not backing down.
