Fencer Stephanie Turner Explains Why She Refused To Compete Against Transgender Competitor

Forbes Breaking News

At today's House DOGE Committee hearing, Stephanie Turner, a competitive fencer, explained why she refused to compete against a transgender competitor.

Transcript

00:00five minutes. As a reminder, please press the button on the microphone in front of you so that

00:06it is on and the members can hear you. When you begin to speak, the light in front of you will

00:12turn green. After four minutes, the light will turn yellow. When the red light comes on, your five

00:19minutes have expired, and we would ask that you please wrap up. I now recognize Ms. Turner for

00:26her opening statements. Good afternoon, Chairwoman Greene and Ranking Member Stansbury and members of the committee.

00:36It is a privilege to be invited here to speak to you today. I started fencing at the University of

00:41Maryland College Club team 12 years ago and became competitive within the United States Fencing

00:48Association a year later. What started as a hobby quickly became a deep passion of mine. In these

00:54past 12 years, I estimate that I have spent over 7,000 hours training and over $100,000 between

01:00lessons, club dues, competition fees, equipment, and travel. I have dedicated a significant portion

01:07of my life to this sport and competition because, like thousands of other women, I love it. My favorite

01:13part of fencing is the competition, the thrill, the fight, the triumph, and even the heartache.

01:19But lately, fair, female-only competition is harder and harder to come by. USA Fencing has

01:25over 200 self-declared members who identify as transgender. Each time a man competes in the

01:31women's category, with USA Fencing's support, it removes fair sport and takes opportunities from

01:37women. Fencing is a combat sport, a martial art of sorts. There are elements of speed, power, reaction time,

01:46distance control, footwork, and blade work, all attributes affected by sex development.

01:53It's not uncommon for a quicker, more athletic opponent to overcome the technique of another

01:58fencer. Athleticism is powerful in fencing and works in equal parts with strategy and technique.

02:06It's unbelievably demeaning to female fencers to put down the differences between men and women

02:11and any woman's loss to a man as a skill issue, or that a woman simply needs to work harder.

02:19Within the USA Fencing authoritative body, there is a culture of intimidation towards women which

02:25demands that we be silent when men enter our tournaments, a culture that includes public

02:30humiliation, doxing, social ostracism, dismissal, and even threats.

02:35I went from avoiding tournaments with known male athletes to reaching out to news outlets to get

02:43this story known. The USA Fencing, up until my protest, has been unresponsive to women's demands for

02:50fair fencing and, instead, doubled down on efforts to promote male inclusion in the female category.

02:57One month ago, I took a knee in protest to a man competing in my category, Division 1A Women's

03:03Foil, ironically held at the University of Maryland where my fencing career began,

03:07and the video of my protest went viral. The story of that knee began three years ago when I contacted

03:13icons out of desperation for numerous men taking women's national and world titles.

03:21Leadership was not only ignoring women, but encouraging and glorifying these men.

03:27It felt like there was no place for women in USA Fencing.

03:30It took me nearly three years to get up the courage to come out publicly.

03:35That knee I took in protest was a cry for help and an act of desperation.

03:41The night before the tournament, I saw Redmond Sullivan's name on the registration list.

03:46I recognized his name from a Redux article as a male fencer within Wagner College's men's team

03:54who switched to the women's NCAA team and the women's USA Fencing division.

04:01I cried the whole night and again felt betrayed by USA Fencing.

04:07I had already spent the money on competition fees and new equipment and spent hours training

04:12and refurbishing my equipment, and I had traveled down from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to College Park,

04:17Maryland the night before in preparation for that tournament.

04:19I felt trapped. I had been defrauded of a women's tournament and sold a lie by USA Fencing.

04:27This was hardly the first time I faced fencing a man in a women's competition.

04:31In previous instances, I would wait until the last minute to register for a tournament to see if

04:37any known men would register. If they did, I would not sign up. I missed out on numerous regional and

04:44national tournaments. I did not want to keep abandoning opportunities to advance my fencing.

04:51I had felt so isolated and strangled by USA Fencing for disagreeing with its transgender policy

04:57that I felt scared to speak openly online or with friends in the fencing community.

05:03I reached out to a church friend asking what I should do.

05:06I prayed together and asked God if it is his will that I protest that he pair me with Redmond in about

05:13that following day. The next morning, I found myself on the platform against him and I stood down.

05:21Speaking out on this issue has made me a target for harassment and violence as well as cost me friends.

05:28I have decided to step away from the sport I love, at least for now as well, because USA Fencing has

05:35fostered an environment where I am unwelcome in my own category. It is culturally acceptable to bully and

05:43shame women who speak up for other women. I should not have had to make this sacrifice.

05:52Women deserve to be treated fairly in sport. We deserve opportunities to train, compete and win

05:58in women's fence, in women's category set aside for women. We deserve this at the lowest level of sport

06:05all the way through elite Olympic competition. I hope that by taking a stand and raising awareness

06:10of the misogyny in our sport, I can help ensure other women and girls do not have to take such risks

06:15to receive the most basic protections in sports. Thank you, Ms. Turner.

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