Exclusive: Over two months have passed since female fencer Stephanie Turner gained attention for being penalized by USA Fencing for kneeling in protest against a transgender opponent. Following nine weeks of intense public and federal examination of the organization due to the incident, USA Fencing made changes to two notable policies last weekend.
The board revised its guidelines regarding a law perceived as “harmful” to the LGBTQ community, as well as policies lack guaranteeing the national anthem’s performance before all events.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Turner reacted to these updates. “US fencing is controlled by unpatriotic tyrants who place vague political agendas ahead of sports. It should never have been debatable whether or not to play the national anthem,” she stated.
She added, “I think these policies have been created to penalize conservatives and those in Red States. There’s a need for innovation and oversight in auditing social media and online platforms within USA Fencing.”
Turner stepped away from competition after being put on probation for a year for refusing to compete against transgender athlete Redmond Sullivan at the Maryland Cherry Blossom Open in March. The uproar from this episode quickly triggered revisions to the organization’s regulations.
Late April saw USA Fencing announce plans to update its gender eligibility policy, ensuring that the female category allows only female sex athletes and the male category is open to all other qualified competitors. However, this new policy isn’t officially in place yet.
The situation with Turner also led to a Title IX investigation initiated by the administration of former President Trump, plus a congressional hearing in May.
During a hearing with the Government Efficiency Bureau on May 7, USA Fencing Chair Damien Lefeld faced tough questions from Republican lawmakers regarding regulations in women’s sports.
After the hearing, Turner expressed her intention to advocate for resignations among key figures in US Fencing leadership. “Honestly, I plan to push for people to resign, particularly those making public comments,” she said.
Chairman Marjorie Taylor Greene specifically scrutinized the organization’s policy prioritizing states with pro-LGBTQ laws during the hearing. She mentioned, “When choosing locations for fencing events, the board avoids states with laws opposing LGBTQ rights. Using an ‘equality map’ for this purpose effectively benefits many blue states while disadvantaging red ones. It creates winners and losers based on political alignment, which has nothing to do with the sport itself.”
Previously, many states were placed on a “do not allow” list. States now included on an “avoid if possible” list are Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, and several others.
Nevertheless, USA Fencing now claims some festivals will indeed take place in those states next year. “We’ve streamlined several overlapping documents into a single policy that addresses state costs, safety, and travel logistics,” the organization noted. “As a result, we plan to hold events in nine states next season, including Texas, Missouri, Florida, and others.”
Additionally, USA Fencing issued a statement regarding the new national anthem policy, asserting, “The anthem has been played at the start of national tournaments every time. The board formalized a longstanding practice and will continue to do so on national holidays during events, such as Independence Day this coming summer.”
