In a stunning example of just how far the gender ideology movement has penetrated competitive sports, female fencer Stephanie Turner was black-carded and expelled from a fencing tournament after refusing to compete against Redmond Sullivan, a trans-identifying male listed on the women’s roster.
The incident unfolded on March 30th during a competition in Maryland, where Turner made it clear she wouldn’t pretend biological sex doesn’t matter in sport. When faced with a scheduled bout against Sullivan, Turner took a knee in protest and was immediately disqualified under USA Fencing’s rules.
“I cried so much because I had spent quite a few months training specifically with this in mind,” Turner told NewsNation, explaining that she had resolved beforehand to take a stand if the moment came. “I was always nervous about it, because it creates a scene,” she said. But, as Turner made plain, “I don’t want to let people know that I’m OK with this and pretend like nothing’s happening.”
When asked why the fencer no longer competes on the women’s fencing team, a Wagner College spokesperson provided the statement: “We are in full compliance with NCAA and NEC rules and regulations. The fencer is not a member of our fencing team.” Story ➡️ https://t.co/rKdr4syjDW pic.twitter.com/Yn3g3j27sV
— SIAdvance (@siadvance) April 8, 2025
Wagner College spokesperson Jim Chiavelli later told reporters that Sullivan was not officially a member of the school’s fencing team, insisting the college remained in full compliance with NCAA and NEC regulations. Whether Sullivan was removed from the team or voluntarily stepped down remains unclear.
But the damage was already done. Turner was punished for standing up for basic fairness in women’s sports, while USA Fencing released a statement defending the inclusion of trans-identifying males in female competitions, citing “inclusive, respectful community” values.
The statement added that “hate speech or targeted hate of any kind is not acceptable”, effectively labeling Turner’s silent protest as beyond the bounds of respectful dissent.
Enter Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who announced an official investigation into USA Fencing over the incident. A Civil Investigative Demand (CID) has been issued, seeking documents related to “potentially false, deceptive, and misleading acts and practices.”
This could be the first serious legal challenge to the policies allowing biological males to compete in women’s divisions—policies that have already drawn fire from athletes, parents, and lawmakers across the country.
It’s worth noting that President Donald Trump had already signed an executive order barring biological males from competing in women’s sports. The NCAA followed suit, updating its policy to prohibit student-athletes “assigned male at birth” from joining women’s teams.
“The new policy limits competition in women’s sports to student-athletes assigned female at birth only,” the NCAA confirmed.
Yet despite this, organizations like USA Fencing continue to enforce policies that fly directly in the face of common sense and federal directives—while punishing women like Turner for daring to speak up.
