USA Fencing won’t explain reason for recent changes to controversial policies

USA Fencing announced changes to two of its controversial policies after its board of directors voted on amendments last Saturday. The organization has addressed the changes to Fox News Digital. 

One change was to a policy that discouraged hosting events in states that were deemed to have anti-LGBTQ laws, as the organization now intends to give equal consideration to all 50 states. The other change was to a policy that did not require the national anthem to be played before certain events. 

USA Fencing declined to explain the decisions behind the new policies. 

“It would be inappropriate for staff to speculate on the personal motivations of USA Fencing’s volunteer Board of Directors,” a USA Fencing spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

USA Fencing is already planning competitions in states it previously advised to avoid

USA Fencing events are now planned to take place six of the Republican-controlled states it had stigmatized, per an organization spokesperson. 

In fact, only three states that the organization previously didn’t advise to avoid are set to host a national tournament next season. 

“We merged several overlapping documents into one policy that scores every bid — regardless of state — on cost, safety, and travel convenience. Using this rubric, next season’s national events will span nine states including Texas, Missouri, Florida, Utah, Ohio, Virginia, Oregon, Tennessee and Nevada,” the spokesperson said. 

The previous host site selection policy gave preference when selecting host cities for national tournaments to states without laws that “harm members of LGBTQ communities” and states that do not “have laws undermining the reproductive health of women.” 

The states on organization’s “do not allow” list were Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas. 

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The states on its “avoid where possible” list included Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

The previous policy became one of the organization’s biggest points of criticism after fencer Stephanie Turner ignited global backlash against the organization when she recorded a video of her kneeling in protest of a trans opponent during a competition in Maryland in late March. 

On May 7, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee’s “Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” saw Turner testify against USA Fencing chair Damien Lehfeldt for its transgender eligibility polices. There, DOGE Subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., called out the organization for its host-city policy. 

“In selecting sites for its national fencing events, for instance, the board policy is to avoid states whose laws and policies on LGBTQ rights and abortion it opposes. It uses ‘Equality Maps’ to determine which states to blacklist from its competitions, and which to favor,” Greene said. 

“This ends up favoring a lot of blue states and harming a lot of red ones. So, it creates politically-determined winners and losers — but it has absolutely nothing to do with fencing. And it contradicts USA Fencing’s statutory duty as an NGB to ‘develop interest and participation throughout the United States’ in fencing.” 

Now, it won’t be an issue for USA Fencing, as state LGBTQ polices appear to no longer play a rule in selecting host sites.

The national anthem will now be required to play at every event

The board’s new national anthem policy will go into effect at the 2025 Summer Nationals and will be reviewed annually by the tournament committee. Previously, there were no rules requiring the anthem to be played at any event. The organization claims the anthem has been played at every national tournament. 

“The anthem has always been played at the start of every national tournament. The Board simply wrote that long‑standing practice into policy and added that it will also be played on any U.S. holiday that occurs during an event, such as Independence Day, which falls during our upcoming Summer Nationals,” the spokesperson said of the new policy. 

USA Fencing’s initial announcement claimed the new policy will “provide consistent, respectful minimum guidance for honoring the flag and anthem across nine annual tournaments.” 

Back in December, the USA Fencing board held a vote to play the national anthem at the start of tournaments before “all NACs and National Championships,” but it was voted against 8-2 with one abstention.

The previous anthem policy was also criticized by Greene at the May 7 DOGE hearing. 

“Recently, the board even voted against playing the national anthem at its events,” Green said. 

Now the organization has codified that the anthem will be played at every event going forward. Still, it may not a permanent rule. The board’s new national anthem policy will go into effect at the 2025 Summer Nationals but will be reviewed annually by the tournament committee.

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