Female fencer takes a knee and walks out against transgender rival, as she tells ref: 'I will not fence against a man'

A pistillate fencer was disqualified from her tourney aft taking a genu and refusing to vie against a transgender opponent. 

USA fencer Stephanie Turner was scheduled to look Redmond Sullivan astatine the Cherry Blossom tourney held astatine the University of Maryland.

However, arsenic the lucifer was astir to begin, Turner took a genu and removed her disguise successful a protestation during the Division 1A Women's Foil event.

She was subsequently shown a achromatic paper which signifies that a subordinate is instantly excluded from the contention and suspended for the remainder of it. 

Turner had completed 4 matches earlier facing Sullivan, who yet placed 24th retired of 39 successful the competition. 

Speaking astir her decision, Turner said: 'I saw that I was going to beryllium successful a excavation with Redmond, and from determination I said, 'OK, let's bash it. I'm going to instrumentality the knee'.

'I knew what I had to bash due to the fact that USA Fencing had not been listening to women's objections. I took a genu instantly astatine that point. Redmond [Sullivan] was nether the content that I was going to commencement fencing. 

'So erstwhile I took the knee, I looked astatine the ref and I said: 'I'm sorry, I cannot bash this. I americium a woman, and this is simply a man, and this is simply a women's tournament. And I volition not obstruction this individual.'

'Redmond didn't perceive me, and helium comes up to me, and helium thinks that I whitethorn beryllium hurt, oregon helium doesn't recognize what's happening. He asks: 'Are you OK?' And I said: 'I'm sorry. I person overmuch emotion and respect for you, but I volition not obstruction you.'

However, soon afterwards, USA Fencing produced a connection successful enactment of Sullivan and transgender information successful the sport. 

The connection read: 'USA Fencing enacted our existent transgender and non-binary jock argumentation successful 2023. The argumentation was designed to grow entree to the athletics of fencing and make inclusive, harmless spaces. 

'The argumentation is based connected the rule that everyone should person the quality to enactment successful sports and was based upon the probe disposable of the day.

'We recognize that the speech connected equity and inclusion pertaining to transgender information successful athletics is evolving. USA Fencing volition ever err connected the broadside of inclusion, and we're committed to amending the argumentation arsenic much applicable evidence-based probe emerges, oregon arsenic argumentation changes instrumentality effect successful the wider Olympic and Paralympic movement.

'We respect the viewpoints connected each sides and promote our members to proceed sharing them with america arsenic the substance evolves. It's important for the fencing assemblage to prosecute successful this dialogue, but we expect this speech to beryllium conducted respectfully, whether astatine our tournaments oregon successful online spaces. The mode to advancement is by respectful treatment based successful evidence.

'In the lawsuit of Stephanie Turner, her disqualification was not related to immoderate idiosyncratic connection but was simply the nonstop effect of her determination to diminution to obstruction an eligible opponent, which the FIE [International Fencing Federation] rules intelligibly prohibit.

'USA Fencing is obligated to travel the missive of those rules and guarantee that participants respect the standards acceptable astatine the planetary level. We stay committed to inclusivity wrong our athletics portion besides upholding each request dictated by our governing body.'

Transgender jock Sullivan antecedently made headlines backmost successful December aft making the determination to power to her college's women's team. 

It came aft she competed for the girls' teams astatine Daniel Hand High School successful Madison, Connecticut successful way and tract events.

The transportation had been criticized by tennis fable Martina Navratilova and the Independent Council connected Women's Sport (ICONs).

Navratilova, who is gay, has been vocal successful her absorption to allowing transgender women to vie successful pistillate sports and says they person an unfair advantage.

'And again....' she wrote successful a station connected X referencing a Reduxx study astir Sullivan.

Since his inauguration, Donald Trump has signed enforcement orders requiring the national authorities to admit lone 2 genders and different titled: 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports.'

In the second order, the Trump medication vowed to rescind backing to immoderate instauration that permits trans athletes to enactment successful pistillate sports. The bid directs the Department of Justice to marque definite each authorities agencies enforce a prohibition nether Trump's mentation of Title IX, a instrumentality against enactment favoritism successful education.

Since then, the NCAA has amended its argumentation and present limits women's sports to student-athletes assigned pistillate astatine birth.