Fencer who protested trans athlete reacts to Team USA policy change

Women’s fencer Stephanie Turner believed she was “ruining her life” when she chose to kneel in protest of a transgender competitor at a USA Fencing event in late March. 

But after nearly four months, a congressional hearing on the subject and, now, a revision in Team USA’s transgender participation policy that surfaced Tuesday, Turner says she “absolutely” would do it all again. 

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) updated its policies on Tuesday to suggest it will comply with President Donald Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order.

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“This has caused so much of a hindrance to my life personally, and it’s caused me so much emotional turmoil that I’m just so glad this is over and that there are a lot of women and girls out there who are very appreciative of this victory,” Turner told Fox News Digital. 

“I just have to say thank you [to Trump]. I voted for him, and this was a huge reason why I voted for him. And to see him come through for me and for women and girls so soon into his administration, it just, I mean, that’s a huge victory. I’ve never seen politics work in my favor immediately, effectively, efficiently. … I’m just so grateful for that executive order.” 

Still, Turner said that the change taking as long as it did is “disappointing” to her. 

For Turner, a former longtime Democrat and Maryland native, Trump in 2024 was the first Republican she’s voted for. She says she “shudders” to think where she’d be if she and other former Democrats didn’t vote for Trump in 2024. 

WHO IS STEPHANIE TURNER? WOMEN’S FENCER WHO KNELT TO PROTEST TRANS OPPONENT AND IGNITED GLOBAL AWARENESS

Still, Turner and her support group are calling for further measures by the USOPC after the recent policy change. 

The Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), the advocacy group that represents Turner, released a statement Tuesday calling for mandatory sex screening for all women’s athletes to enforce Trump’s executive order effectively. 

“The next critical step is for the USOPC to implement sex screening protocols. This will ensure that women are guaranteed equal, fair and safe opportunities in athletic competition. ICONS will not rest until every girl, at every level, in every sport has access to fair competition and privacy in locker rooms,” the statement said.

“The U.S. has a chance to be a leader in standing up for the fair treatment of women around the world.”

Turner is also calling for mandatory testing. 

“Enforcement of this policy is going to be essential,” Turner said. Turner pointed to karyotyping, a test that examines the chromosomes in a sample of cells, as a necessary form of testing. 

“You can’t rely on documentation anymore. You can’t rely on drivers license(s), you can’t rely on birth certificates because those can all be edited,” Turner said. 

Turner helped ignite an avalanche of backlash against one of the USOPC’s major governing bodies, USA Fencing, when she released footage of her viral protest in April. 

Turner was disqualified and given a black card for her refusal to face the trans opponent, prompting backlash against USA Fencing. 

The controversy was then the subject of a federal hearing May 7. Turner testified against USA Fencing Chair Damien Lehfeldt at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee’s hearing, “Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”

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In early June, USA Fencing’s Board of Directors voted to amend its previous policy that prioritized states with LGBTQ-friendly laws for host sites for competitions and a policy that may have prevented the playing of the national anthem at some events. Both of those policies were highly criticized in the aftermath of Turner’s viral protest. 

Then, the very next week, two USA Fencing directors filed a lawsuit against the other six at-large members, alleging Lehfeldt made false statements to Congress at the May 7 hearing. The plaintiffs, Andrey Geva and Abdel Salem, each have long ties to the sport and organization, previously coaching or competing for Team USA. 

This week, USA Fencing became one of the first organizations to make an official announcement that referenced the USOPC’s new policy. 

On July 18, 2025, the USOPC released new athlete safety guidelines that all national governing bodies must follow under a federal executive order issued by the president earlier this year.

For Turner, her involvement in the issue began in her home state of Maryland the last weekend of March, when she was matched up against the transgender opponent, Redmond Sullivan, at the Cherry Blossom Open. 

When Turner knelt in front of Sullivan, she says she told Sullivan, “I have much love and respect for you, but I will not fence you.”

Now, as she reflects on the issue, Turner has a message she would give Sullivan after Tuesday’s news.

“I hope he understands that what he did was cheating, and it was not fair to women and girls. I also want him to know that I don’t hate him personally. This was never about him and me. This was really about the issue and the policy at hand,” Turner said. 

“And if I am angry at anybody, I’m angry at his enablers and the people who have allowed this policy to go on for so long.” 

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