Stephanie Turner, the fencer who gained national attention after refusing to compete against a transgender opponent, delivered powerful testimony before the House Oversight Subcommittee on the DOGE Committee highlighting what she describes as systemic issues within USA Fencing.
“It’s unbelievably demeaning to female fencers to put down the differences between men and women,” Turner stated during her testimony. “It’s almost as though to tell a woman that a woman’s talent is being lost to a man as a skill issue, or that a woman simply needs to work harder.”
Turner explained that fencing, as a combat sport, relies on attributes directly affected by biological development including speed, power, reaction time, and distance control. According to Turner, these physiological differences create an uneven playing field when biological males compete in women’s categories.
Her testimony painted a troubling picture of the current climate within the sport’s governing body. “Within the USA Fencing authoritative body, there is a culture of intimidation towards women which demands that we be silent when men enter our tournaments,” Turner said, “a culture that includes public humiliation, doxing, social ostracism, dismissal, and even threats.”
Turner revealed that USA Fencing has over 200 self-declared members who identify as transgender, and claimed that the organization had been “unresponsive to women’s demands for fair fencing” prior to her protest.
The hearing has generated significant response from lawmakers and public figures. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene called for Damien Lehfeldt, the Chairman of USA Fencing, to resign his position, stating he has “continually put young women in danger by allowing biological males to compete in the women’s division.”
Author J.K. Rowling voiced support for Turner on social media, writing: “This woman will go down in sporting history as a heroine and USA Fencing will be remembered for their profound misogyny for forcing her, and other women, into this situation.”
Turner’s testimony adds to the growing national debate about transgender participation in women’s sports, with advocates for women’s sports arguing for sex-based categories while others maintain that inclusive policies should allow transgender athletes to compete in categories matching their gender identity.
For Turner, the issue centers on competitive fairness. “My favorite part of fencing is the competition, the thrill, the fight, the triumph, and even the heartache,” she testified. “But lately, fair, female-only competition is harder and harder to come by.”
