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Martina Navratilova, the tennis icon, condemned USA Fencing after a female fencer took a knee when she refused to fight against a transgender competitor at a weekend tournament.
Stephanie Turner decided not to participate against transgender athlete Redmond Sullivan in the Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland. Instead, she chose to take a knee. Turner received a black card, the sport’s most severe punishment. She told Fox News Digital that she was then dragged out of the event and had to sign a form confirming the punishment.
On Wednesday, the scene went viral on social media, prompting Navratilova, an advocate of justice in women’s sports, to respond.
“See what happens when female athletes protest! Does anybody here still believe this is fair? I am furious… And shame on you, @USAFencing, for doing this. “How dare you throw women under the gender bus!,” she posted on X.
Juliana Peceli, a former NCAA fencer, also weighed in.
“As a former Division 1 @NCAA fencer, I was forced to compete against guys claiming to be women. Female athletes devote their life to their sport, only to see males steal our positions, trophies, and future,” she wrote on X.
“Kudos to the women who refuse to accept this injustice.”
USA Fencing replied to the event with a statement to Fox News Digital.
“In 2023, USA Fencing implemented its current policy for transgender and non-binary athletes. The strategy aimed to increase access to fencing while also creating inclusive, secure areas. The policy is founded on the premise that everyone should be allowed to engage in sports, and it was developed using current research,” according to the statement.
“We appreciate all points of view and urge our members to share them with us as the situation progresses. It is important for the fencing community to participate in this discourse, but we want it to be done responsibly, whether at our contests or online. The path forward is via fair, evidence-based conversation.”
A representative for USA Fencing also told Fox News Digital that Turner was fined for declining to fence rather than for her position against trans inclusivity.
“In the case of Stephanie Turner, 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, which the FIE rules clearly prohibit,” according to a spokeswoman.
“According to the FIE (International Fencing Federation) Technical Rules, notably Article t.113, no fencer may refuse to fence another validly entered fencer for whatever reason. According to these guidelines, such a rejection leads in disqualification and the associated fines. This policy exists to ensure fair competition standards and the sport’s integrity.
Turner told Fox News Digital that she has always been a Democrat, but the concept of biological guys competing in women’s sports has never appealed to her. She described herself as a “new Republican conservative.”
“I voted red down the ticket this year,” Turner said. “It was like waking up to the falsehoods of the mainstream media… Just seeing so many of my friends have this glassy-eyed expression while supporting this policy because their minds can’t handle the thought that their party or stance has been incorrect on this, and that this isn’t a civil rights movement, and they have been mislead.”
