A fencer was disqualified by a female competition in the United States after refusing to face a transgender opponent. Stephanie Turner knelt in protest after getting on the track against Redmond Sullivan during a tournament at the University of Maryland. “I’m sorry, I can’t do that. I am a woman, and this person is a man. This tournament is reserved for women, and I refuse to face it ”she justified herself. Consequence: the sportswoman received a black cardboard, synonymous with immediate exclusion. She has also been informed that she could not continue the competition in female foil.
USA Fencing, the tournament organizer (which was not an event at the National Collegiate Athletic Association) assured ABC News this Thursday, April 3, that the decision to disqualify Turner of the tournament “Was not linked to a personal declaration”, But to the fact that she had refused to face a “Eligible opponent”.
The rules of the International Fencing Federation indeed stipulate that an athlete cannot refuse to face an opponent in good and due form, whatever the reason. Redmond Sullivan joined the Wagner College female fencing team in 2024 after having played in the men’s team.
A decree signed by Trump
“I knew what I had to do, because USA fencing did not take into account women’s objections (of its eligibility policy according to gender) »»said Stephanie Turner on Fox News.
In 2023, USA Fencing had effectively adopted a policy in favor of approved transgender and non-binary athletes, allowing them to participate in competitions “In accordance with their identity and gender expression, regardless of the sex assigned to them at birth”. The American Fencing Association is favorable to “Inclusion in our sport while guaranteeing compliance with the requirements imposed by our ruling body “, She hammered in a press release.
Stephanie Turner has played more than 200 fencing fights and participated in the national championships. Redmond Sullivan, by Wagner College, won 18 of his 45 previous fights and finished 24th out of 39 participants during the Maryland tournament. This incident between the two athletes occurs in a context of broader debate on the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sport.
As a reminder, last February, President Donald Trump had signed a decree prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in female competitions, thus holding a flagship promise of his 2024 campaign. This text plans to cut the federal state subsidies to schools which would allow transgender students to be members of female sports teams.
