USA Fencing announced today that it has prepared a revised Transgender and Non-Binary Athletes Eligibility Policy that would require athletes to compete according to their biological sex in sanctioned tournaments.
The organization emphasized that this change would only be implemented if required by governing bodies such as the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), International Olympic Committee (IOC), or International Fencing Federation (FIE).
“Given uncertainty around evolving guidelines and potential mandates from oversight bodies, the USA Fencing Board has prepared a revised policy,” the organization stated on April 18. “In the event that USA Fencing is guided to change its current stance in accordance with oversight bodies or federal legislation, the new policy states athletes competing in USA Fencing-sanctioned tournaments must compete according to their biological sex.”
This announcement comes on the heels of a controversial incident at the University of Maryland’s Cherry Blossom competition, where female competitor Stephanie Turner was disqualified after refusing to fence against transgender opponent Redmond Sullivan, who had transferred from Wagner College men’s team to the women’s team last year.
Turner, 31, took a knee and removed her mask rather than compete against Sullivan, explaining her decision: “I took a knee immediately at that point. Redmond was under the impression that I was going to start fencing. 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.'”
Tournament officials promptly issued Turner a black card, resulting in her disqualification and suspension from the remainder of the competition. Sullivan ultimately placed 24th out of 39 competitors.
In its new policy outline, USA Fencing indicated that if implemented, “The Women’s Category will be open exclusively to athletes of the female sex” while “The Men’s Category will be open to all other athletes who are otherwise eligible for competition.” These standards would apply across all sanctioned competition levels, though mixed-gender competitions would remain unchanged.
The organization stressed that this potential change does not reflect any shift in their “strong support for each individual’s right to identity” and acknowledged that “many people — particularly transgender and non-binary athletes and their supporters in fencing clubs nationwide — will be profoundly impacted if this policy takes effect.”
Turner had previously expressed concerns about what she described as a “pro-trans culture” within USA Fencing, telling the Daily Mail she was hesitant to approach the organization with her concerns because “There are a lot of people who are for this [trans athletes in women’s sports] who are referees. I could lose favor within the sight of referees and I could end up with a biased bout.”
The controversy has sparked intense debate on social media, with tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who has frequently spoken out against transgender women competing in female sports, weighing in simply with: “And again….”
USA Fencing concluded its announcement by calling for unity: “As we continue navigating recent attention and conversations around this complex issue, we ask our community to come together with empathy and unity.”
