A fencing competition just became the latest face-off in the trans athlete debate
CNN
By Andy Rose, CNN
(CNN) — The fencing competitors looked virtually identical, clad head-to-toe in protective gear. But Stephanie Turner believed the athlete at the other end of the strip was not like her in one crucial way.
After the usual courtesy of touching foils, the bout ended in seconds without a single lunge, as Turner took a knee and removed her mask.
The refusal by Turner, 31, to compete in a women’s event against a challenger she says is transgender has become the latest incident to fuel a simmering legal, political and cultural debate over trans athletes’ participation in women’s sports.
“I told them that I was refusing to fence because this person is a man, and I’m a woman, and this is a women’s tournament and I refuse to fence on principle,” Turner told Fox News this week as she narrated a social media video of the protest she’d asked a friend to film.
After telling a fencing official she would not compete against the opponent she drew in the March 30 preliminary pool of the annual Cherry Blossom tournament in Maryland, Turner was given a “black card” by that same official, disqualifying her from the event, according to the video of the event and Turner.
“I knew what I had to do because USA Fencing had not been listening to women’s objections,” she recalled later on Fox News.
“I am a woman, and I have an athletic disadvantage to men,” she said, suggesting her opponent should compete in the mixed division.
Under USA Fencing rules, trans women athletes must be on testosterone suppression treatment, a common component of gender-affirming care, for at least 12 months before they can participate in women’s competitions. Turner’s opponent was eligible for the tournament, said the non-profit group that qualifies US fencers for the Olympics.
Turner had asked a friend to take the video of her protest and disqualification, she told Fox News. It drew widespread attention after being posted by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, an advocacy group that opposes trans athletes.
CNN has reached out to Turner and her fencing club for further comment.
CNN is not naming Turner’s opponent because she has not publicly commented on the competition or her gender identity. A social media page for the athlete is set to private, and CNN has not been able to reach her.
Turner told opponent she was ready to be disqualified
Turner had deliberately avoided competing at tournaments where there would be an athlete she believed was transgender, she told Fox News. But in this case, she registered before her opponent.
After taking a knee, Turner’s opponent approached her, thinking she might be hurt, according to Turner and the video. The two then talked for a few seconds as a judge stepped out of the frame. While the competitors’ conversation cannot be heard clearly in the video, Turner said her opponent told her she had a right to compete.
“There is a policy that acknowledges me as a woman, so I am allowed to fence, and you will get black-carded,” Turner recalls her opponent said.
Turner said she replied: “I know.”
The tournament at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus was sanctioned by USA Fencing and had no involvement from the NCAA.
Turner was disqualified from the day’s tournament because of her refusal to participate in the bout and “not related to any personal statement,” USA Fencing said. “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.”
USA Fencing enacted its transgender policy based on the principle that everyone should be able to participate, it said in a statement.
“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,” the group said.
Transgender athlete policies vary in sports
Rules governing trans athletes’ participation differ among amateur sports as scientific consensus remains inconclusive about their physical advantages and controversies – including over a San Jose State volleyball player and a University of Pennsylvania swimmer – have erupted.
Turner’s opponent competed in men’s fencing competitions as recently as June 2023 – according to Fencing Tracker, a privately run website that documents tournament results, as well as AskFRED, a website used to organize tournament rosters – then began competing in the women’s division last year after a 15-month absence from USA Fencing-sanctioned events.
Turner’s opponent won golds at two women’s qualifying events – one with only six competitors – but has not dominated the sport. She placed in the bottom half of the field of all women’s tournaments in which she has competed, including The Cherry Blossom, competition records showed.
The NCAA now only allows athletes assigned as female at birth to compete in the women’s category following a rules amendment in February, one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to “rescind all funds” from colleges and universities that allowed transgender female athletes on women’s sports teams.
The order was criticized by Athlete Ally, which advocates for transgender athletes: “Our hearts break for the trans youth who will no longer be able to know the joy of playing sports as their full and authentic selves,” it said.
Other athletes and teams have responded to increased gender inclusivity in sports by refusing to play against opponents they believed had transgender players. College volleyball teams forfeited matches last year against San Jose State, saying one of their players was transgender. The Spartans ultimately lost their bid for the Mountain West Conference title, and neither the school nor the player has commented publicly on the gender controversy.
The International Olympic Committee adopted a new framework on transgender participation in 2021, 17 years after it lifted a ban on transgender athletes competing according to their gender identity. The new rules eliminated a requirement for trans athletes to transition surgically before competing and discouraged absolute bans on trans athletes in any sport while acknowledging genuine safety concerns.
“The Framework encourages sports bodies to consider actual risk, rather than using an athlete’s gender identity, gender expression, or physical appearance as a proxy for risk,” the IOC said.
As a result, international standards on trans athletes vary from sport-to-sport, frequently in ways that do not accommodate all transgender women. Former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas – one of the most prominent trans athletes in college sports – has been barred from international events by the rules of World Aquatics, which only qualifies transgender athletes who have not experienced biological puberty.
While Turner’s refusal to face a transgender woman in competition has resulted in praise from conservative advocates and publications, she told Fox News she did not do it for attention.
“I don’t think that it’s going to be easy for me from now on going to fencing tournaments,” she said. “I don’t think it’s going to be easy for me at practice.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
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