A female fencer who was disqualified for refusing to face a transgender competitor has been lauded with a “courage” award from a women’s rights brand.
Stephanie Turner, 31, was booted from USA Fencing’s Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland last month after she opted to take a knee instead of competing against Redmond Sullivan, a 20-year-old trans fencer who was born biologically male.
XX-XY Athletics — a brand that advocates for women’s rights in sport — has now named Turner its latest “Courage Wins Champion.”
“By taking a knee, she became more powerful than any male,” XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey said.
“She stood her ground to fight for women’s sports,” she added. “She’s a hero.”
Turner was thrust into the spotlight when a clip of her March 30 protest exploded online, with many blasting her punishment as “unfair” and an “injustice.”
The footage showed Turner preparing to duel — only for her to abruptly tear off her mask, toss it aside and kneel in front of her stunned opponent.
“I did this for my own physical safety, because this is a combat sport — and, in competition setting, men do fence a lot harder than women and I don’t want to get hurt,” Turner told The Post in the aftermath.
Turner, who has been fencing for more than a decade, added that she might not have gotten into the sport in the first place had she known this would happen.
“When I first started, this was unfathomable,” she said.
“It makes me very angry to see that we’re going along with somebody else’s fantasy.”
USA Fencing insisted Turner wasn’t disqualified for her protest but over her refusal to compete.
“USA Fencing remains committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful community for everyone in our sport. We believe in the principle of creating safe communities where all athletes, and community members, have a place,” a statement read.
“While we understand there are a range of perspectives, USA Fencing will continue to engage in respectful, research-based dialogue and review as policy evolves in the Olympic and Paralympic movement as well as domestic law, hate speech of any kind is not acceptable—online or in person. Let’s keep the conversation respectful and the strip welcoming to all.”
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