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USA Fencing announced Thursday that it is preparing to change its gender-eligibility policy, after a viral protest by women’s fencer Stephanie Turner sparked mass backlash and federal intervention by protesting a trans opponent.
The organization said it is preparing to amend its current policies that allow biological males to compete with women and girls in the event that it is “forced” to change it.
“In the event that USA Fencing is forced 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,” the announcement read.
The proposed updated policy ensures that women’s category “will be open exclusively to athletes of the female sex.” The men’s category “will be open to all other athletes who are otherwise eligible for competition.”
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The change would go into effect across sanctioned competition levels, including Division I, IA, II, III, Junior, Cadet, Youth, Veteran and all other categories.
If adopted, this policy is solely to ensure future compliance required by oversight organizations. This policy does not reflect any change in our strong support for each individual’s right to identity,” the announcement read.
“We recognize 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 spoke out against the organization and its prepared rule change to Fox News Digital.
“USA Fencing is pretending they need outside permission to follow federal law that guarantees fair competition and equal opportunities for women. They know their current policy allowing men to take women’s national and world titles is unjust, yet instead of taking responsibility, they are passing the buck to the USOPC, an ideologically captured organization,” Turner said.
“This results in a cowardly stance with no urgency for change. By admitting the policy is wrong but refusing to fix it, they further insult women. As we head toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, it is long past time for both the USFA and USOPC to enforce policies that protect the women’s category for female athletes and stop deflecting responsibility.”
The organization came under immense global scrutiny after a video of Turner kneeling to protest trans competitor Redmon Sullivan at the Cherry Blossom Open, and then getting disqualified, went viral in early April.
DOGE subcommittee Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene announced a hearing addressing the organization’s gender eligibility policies that allow biological male transgender athletes to compete in the women’s category.
And Education Secretary Linda McMahon previously announced that the newly formed Title IX investigations team will be probing the incident involving Turner and trans competitor Redmond Sullivan.
Meanwhile, Turner is stepping away from the sport after being dealt a 12-month probation for refusing to face Sullivan.
USA Fencing has confirmed to Fox News Digital that Turner is under probation for the next 12 months after receiving a black card for the forfeit. She may still compete in events under the probation but is choosing not to.
“I’m going to be taking a break from fencing for a while in the U.S. circuit, so that’s a little bit of a disruption for me. . . . It has disrupted my training, it has disrupted my interactions when I go out in public, and it will certainly disrupt my competition because I won’t be competing in the United States any time soon,” she told Fox News Digital.
The organization first enacted its current trans-inclusion policy in 2023. It allows transgender athletes to compete in the women’s category at both the junior and senior level after completing one calendar year of testosterone-suppression treatment. Proof of compliant hormone therapy must be provided prior to competition, but the organization has taken even further steps to prioritize its trans competitors.
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In November 2022, it announced a policy to give preference when selecting host cities for national tournaments to states without laws that “harm members of LGBTQ communities” and states that do not “have laws undermining the reproductive health of women.”
That policy went into effect during the 2023 season, the same year it changed its gender policy. It later released a list of states that it intended to “avoid where possible” and the states that it flat out would not allow to host major events.
In December, the nonprofit Fair Fencing Organization penned an open letter to USA Fencing board members, urging the re-evaluation of its stance on several issues, including transgender inclusion.
Just days later, however, board members voted against several motions to approve an all-female task force to re-evaluate and revise the current transgender policy, in an 8-3 vote. Now, after siding against women fencers seeking protection from trans inclusion, USA Fencing finds itself with a global controversy after Turner’s viral protest.
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