USA Fencing expels female athlete for refusing to fence man

Female fencer Stephanie Turner received a black card, disqualifying her from a weekend competition for opting out of a fencing match with a man who identifies as female. Footage showed Turner preparing to face Redmond Sullivan at the Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland. Just before the match began, spectators saw Turner kneel and remove her mask. Turner decided to take a knee after seeing Sullivan’s name in her pool the night before, according to her interview with Fox News. Turner told the referee that she could not go forward with the match because she was a woman with a male opponent. 

The referee walked away, and Sullivan approached, confused, Turner told Fox. Sullivan told Turner that a member of the USA Fencing board supported him and reminded her that refusing to fence resulted in a black card, expelling her from the tournament, according to Turner. The referee returned with a black card and escorted Turner to the tournament committee, where she once again explained her objection to the matchup. Turner was given a copy of USA Fencing’s policy on transgender participation and had her sign a document accepting the black card.

What are the reactions? The Independent Council on Women's Sports shared footage of the exchange in a Wednesday social media post. Influential women like J.K. Rowling, Riley Gaines, and Megyn Kelly praised Turner for her courage. Former NCAA D1 fencer Juliana Peceli also spoke out on Turner’s behalf, sharing her experience of being forced to compete against men. Women will dedicate their lives to a sport only for a man to come to take our titles, she wrote. Tennis icon Martina Navratilova said she was fuming at Turner’s disqualification and wondered how anyone could see the situation as fair. Shame on USA Fencing for punishing a female athlete for protesting and throwing women under the bus, she wrote Wednesday.

What has USA Fencing said? WORLD reached out to USA Fencing on Thursday for comment and had not received a response as of Thursday afternoon. The organization posted a statement on Thursday morning about fostering inclusion and continuing research-based dialogues but did not directly address the weekend’s events.

Didn’t President Donald Trump’s executive order bar men from women’s sports? The president’s executive order protecting women’s sports applied only to federally funded programs, like NCAA member schools. Because USA Fencing is a private nonprofit organization that is not federally funded, it is not legally bound to comply with Trump’s order.

However, co-founder of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, Marshi Smith, told WORLD that because USA Fencing is part of the Olympic movement, it’s subject to the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. The measure protects women from sex-based discrimination and encourages their participation in sporting events, Smith said in an emailed statement. She argued that USA Fencing’s policy of allowing men in women’s sports discouraged and excluded female participation.

What does this mean for Turner? USA Fencing’s standard black card is issued for actions like disrespecting referees and unsportsmanlike conduct, and puts the athlete on a year-long probation, according to the organization’s latest policy. Depending on the severity of the offense, the black card policy allows individuals to request a hearing before the Black Card Review Group. The review group may strip black cards from individuals or levy punishments, but athletes may appeal the review group’s decisions.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on the Trump administration cutting funding to the University of Pennsylvania for allowing men to compete in women's sports.