Female Fencer Refuses to Compete Against Trans Opponent, Gets Ejected

This happened last weekend at the University of Maryland. A female fencer named Stephanie Turner chose not to compete against a trans woman named Redmond Sullivan at an event called the Cherry Blossom Open. As the match began, Turner took a knee and removed her mask. For this she was given a “black card” and ejected from the competition. Here’s the video.

🤺🚨Historic Protest: Female Fencer Takes a Knee in Bout Against Male Opponent, Faces Immediate Disqualification

After receiving a black card for refusing to compete against a man, Redmond Sullivan’s female opponent was expelled from the @USAFencing event at the Univ. of… pic.twitter.com/IloSnrb2Iu

— ICONS (@icons_women) April 2, 2025

In an interview with the Daily Wire, Turner described what was said in that moment.

“Redmond was under the impression that I was going to start fencing,” Turner recalled. “So when I took the knee, I looked at the ref and I said, ‘I’m sorry, I cannot do this. I am a woman, and this is a man, and this is a women’s tournament. And I will not fence this individual.’”

“Redmond didn’t hear me, and he comes up to me, and he thinks that I may be hurt, or he doesn’t understand what’s happening. He asks, ‘Are you okay?’ And I said, ‘I’m sorry. I have much love and respect for you, but I will not fence you,’” she continued.

“Redmond says to me, ‘Well you know, there is a member on the board of directors here who supports me, and there is a policy that acknowledges me as a woman, so I am allowed to fence, and you will get black-carded,’ and I said, ‘I know.’”

Tennis star Martina Navratilova has been an outspoken defender of women’s sports and lashed out at governing body which allowed this to happen. “How dare you throw women under the gender bulls**t bus!!!” she wrote.

This is what happens when female athletes protest! Anyone here still thinks this is fair??? I am fuming… and shame on @USAFencing , shame on you for doing this. How dare you throw women under the gender bullshit bus!!! https://t.co/2ojOJvJiLx

— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) April 2, 2025

JK Rowling also weighed in.

What a heroine looks like 👇 https://t.co/gkp0nFWsDR

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 3, 2025

Schools that were involved in this competition should think about whether it’s worth it.

University of Maryland and Wagner College should lose all federal funding because of this. Only way they will learn. https://t.co/qVj29GFcRT

— Marc Thiessen 🇺🇸❤️🇺🇦🇹🇼🇮🇱 (@marcthiessen) April 3, 2025

Incredibly, USA Fencing claimed that the treatment of Stephanie Turner was because she had violated rules which, I kid you not, were there to ensure fair competition.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

“According to the FIE (International Fencing Federation) Technical Rules, specifically Article t.113, a fencer is not permitted to refuse to fence another properly entered fencer for any reason. Under these rules, such a refusal results in disqualification and the corresponding sanctions. This policy exists to maintain fair competition standards and preserve the sport’s integrity.”

Ensuring fair competition is a good goal. Maybe they should focus on that a bit more. USA Fencing did acknowledge that things are changing but for now it sounds like they are sticking with this dumb policy.

“We understand that the conversation on equity and inclusion pertaining to transgender participation in sport is evolving. USA Fencing will always err on the side of inclusion, and we’re committed to amending the policy as more relevant evidence-based research emerges, or as policy changes take effect in the wider Olympic & Paralympic movement.”

Finally, it seems the experience of being expected to compete against males has changed Stephanie Turner. She is a longtime Democrat, but no longer. She now identifies as a conservative Republican.

“I voted red down the ticket this year,” Turner said. “It was like waking up to the lies of the mainstream media… Just to watch so many of my friends have this glassy-eyed look while just defending this policy because their brains can not manage the possibility that their party or their position has been wrong on this, and perhaps this isn’t a civil rights movement, and they have been misled.”

Democrats are going to keep losing voters over this until they follow Gavin Newsom’s lead and admit this is unfair.