Olivia Burke
A gender row has erupted in the fencing world after a competitor was disqualified after taking the knee and refusing to fight her transgender opponent.
Stephanie Turner, 31, was turfed out of the Cherry Blossom Open tournament in Maryland on Sunday (30 March) following her act of protest while stood on the piste.
She was set to take on Redmond Sullivan, a trans athlete, but made the decision to not compete instead - seeing her remove her mask and take a knee.
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As a result, Turner was shown a black card by the referee at the USA Fencing-sanctioned regional tournament, which signified her expulsion from the competition.
The International Fencing Federation (FIE) rules state that a fencer is not permitted to refuse to go against any other properly entered fencer for any reason.
Turner has since revealed that Sullivan - who uses she/her pronouns - warned her about this rule when she realised what was going on.
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The disqualified fencer said she 'knew what she had to do' going into the tournament, as she claimed USA Fencing has ‘not been listening to women’s objections’ over its gender eligibility policy.
Turner explained that she made the decision not to compete against Sullivan the night prior, after she found out who she would be going up against in the competition.
"From there I said, ‘OK, let’s do it. I'm going to take the knee'," Turner told Fox News. "Redmond was under the impression that I was going to start fencing.
"So when I took the knee, I looked at the ref and I said, ‘I’m sorry, I cannot do this. I am a woman, and this is a man, and this is a women's tournament. And I will not fence this individual."
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Turner said Sullivan 'didn't hear' her complaints and so approached her, as the fencer presumed she may have been 'hurt' and 'didn't understand what's happening'.
After she confirmed she was okay, Turner says she then told her opponent: "I’m sorry. I have much love and respect for you, but I will not fence you."
It was at this point that Sullivan reminded Turner of the rule regarding what would happen if she refused to take part.
Turner went on: "Redmond says to me, 'Well you know, there is a member on the board of directors here who supports me, and there is a policy that acknowledges me as a woman, so I am allowed to fence, and you will get blackcarded'.
"And I said, 'I know'."
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The 31-year-old says she was then shown the black card - which is the most severe penalty in fencing - before being taken to the board and asked to explain herself.
She claims she was then handed a copy of the association's transgender policy, and asked to sign a document acknowledging her punishment. Turner was then allegedly escorted out of the venue.
Responding to her disqualification, USA Fencing said in a statement: "In the case of Stephanie Turner, her disqualification, which applies to this tournament only, was not related to any personal statement but was merely the direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent, which the FIE rules clearly prohibit.
"USA Fencing is obligated to follow the letter of those rules and ensure that participants respect the standards set at the international level. We remain committed to inclusivity within our sport while also upholding every requirement dictated by our governing body."
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Although the The Cherry Blossom tournament was held at the university, it was not an National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-sanctioned event.
The NCAA changed its policy in February after Donald Trump signed an executive order preventing transgender women from competing in female categories of sports.
However, a statement on social media, USA Fencing said it ‘remains committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful community for everyone’.
“We believe in the principle of creating safe communities where all athletes and community members have a place,” it stated.
“While we understand there are a range of perspectives, USA Fencing will continue to engage in respectful, research based dialogue and review as policy evokes in the Olympic & Paralympic movement as well as domestic law, hate speech or targeted hate of any kind is not acceptable – online or in person."