Women’s Fence Stephanie Turner took off her mask and got a knee in front of her transient opponent.

At the forefront of a match at the Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland over the weekend, Turner, 31, made the decision not to compete against Trans -Athlet Redmond Sullivan. And Turner also wanted to make sure her rejection was caught on video for the world to watch.

Turner came to the decision the night before the event when she checked the competition pools and saw that she would compete against Redmond, which she had read about in an article last year.

“I saw that I was going to be in a pool with Redmond, and from there I said, ‘Ok, let’s do it. I take my knee,'” Turner told Pakinomist Digital.

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Turner reviewed all her warm-ups that day and went on to fences in four bouts before her matchup with the trans-athlete. When it came, she was “nervous and appalling” but was sure of her decision.

“I knew what I had to do because USA fence hadn’t listened to women’s objections about [its gender eligibility policy]”Turner said.

“I immediately took a knee at the time. Redmond was under the impression that I was going to start fences. So when I took my knee, I saw on the judge and I said, ‘

“Redmond didn’t hear me and he’s coming up to me and he thinks I can be hurt or he doesn’t understand what’s happening. He asks, ‘Are you doing well?’ And I said, ‘I’m sorry.

And right after this, Turner’s punishment began from the fence of the United States.

“Redmond says to me, ‘Well, you know there is a member of the board here who supports me, and there is a policy that recognizes me as a woman, so I am allowed to fence and you will be black card,’ and I said, ‘I know,’ Turner said.

Minutes later, the judges dealt with a black card that represents the most serious punishment, leading to the expulsion of the tournament or event for serious rule violations or unsportsmanlike behavior.

Turner said she was then escorted to the Bout Committee, where she had to explain what she was doing. She says the members then handed her a copy of the association’s transgender policy and made her sign a document that recognizes the black card. Turner said she signed the document under objection.

Then Turner was escorted out of the room, she said.

Women’s Fence Stephanie Turner knees in protest in front of the transking athlete Redmond Sullivan (Courtesy of icons)

USA fence made a statement to Pakinomist Digital that addresses the incident.

“The US Fence adopted our current Transgender and non-binary athlete policy by 2023. The policy was designed to expand access to fence sports and create inclusive, secure space. The policy is based on the principle that everyone should have the ability to participate in sports and was based on the available research, ”the statement reads.

“We respect the views on all sides and encourage our members to continue sharing them with us as the case develops. It is important for the fence community to participate in this dialogue, but we expect this conversation to be respectfully conducted, whether in our tournaments or in online space. The way to progress is by respectful discussion -based evidence.”

A spokesman for Hencing Fencing also told Pakinomist Digital that Turner was not punished for her attitude against trans -cluttering, but simply to refuse to fence.

“In the case of Stephanie Turner, her disqualification was not related to any personal statement, but was merely the direct result of her decision to refuse to fence a qualified opponent that the FIE rules clearly ban,” the spokesman said.

“According to FIE (International Hencing Federation) Technical rules, specifically Article T.113, a fence is not allowed to refuse to fence another properly entered into fence for some reason or another. According to these rules, such a rejection of disqualification and the corresponding sanctions results. This policy exists to maintain fair competition standards and preserve the sport’s integrity.”

Fencer Stephanie Sullivan knees in front of an official (Courtesy of icons)

Turner said she has not heard anything back from the organization since the incident.

It was an incident she had actively tried to avoid at prior events. Turner said she previously refused to participate in several previous fence events that included other transnry fences she knew about. It is a question that she made an effort to stay on top of her own attention and security.

“In previous years, when I had known that trans -fun fences were present, I just wouldn’t register, but for this one Redmond must have signed up for me,” Turner said.

“I was like, ‘You know what, I just want to give it to God. If this person shows up to my event and is on my manuscript, I would take a knee and it would be the will of God.’

However, it was not a decision she came to light.

Redmond was aware of the “Protect Women’s Sports” movement, which has emerged in recent years, and the setback and harassment, as the women who participated in it. She remembered the story that Riley Gaines was held hostage and assaulted at San Francisco State University in April 2023.

The idea of ​​setback haunted Turner, but was not enough to prevent her from taking her knee.

“It will probably at least a moment ruin my life. I don’t think it will be easy for me from now on going to fence tournaments. I don’t think it will be easy for me on practice,” Turner said. “It’s very hard for me to do this.”

For Turner, one of the victims she is most concerned about is hindered the friendships she has with people in the LHBT community, which she did not currently know about her attitude to the question.

As a lifelong Democrat, Turner insists that she never opposed LGBTQ people. But the question of trans inclusion of women’s sports has driven her away from supporting the party, and she now identifies herself as a “new Republican Conservative.”

“I voted rode down on the ticket this year,” Turner said. “It was like waking up to the lies of the mainstream media … just to see so many of my friends have this vitreous eye while just defending this policy because their brains cannot control the possibility that their party or their attitude has been wrong with this, and maybe this is not a civil rights movement and they have been misled.”

Turner added that she fully supports President Donald Trump, who cuts funding to states that allow Trans athletes to compete in women’s and girls sports.

“Something needs to be done, and there are activists who have embedded themselves in authoritative positions in sports organs.”