Fencer Stephanie Turner, Who Took a Knee Against Transgender Opponent, Invited to Testify Before Congress By GOP

Stephanie Turner, 31, was disqualified from a fencing match after taking a knee, refusing to compete against Redmond Sullivan, who was born male.

Turner is now being invited to testify before Congress, along with the Chairman of USA Fencing, Damien Lehfeldt.

The match between Sullivan and Turner, which has since gone viral online, took place at USA Fencing’s Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland on March 30. Transgender women were allowed to compete in the event, along with all USA fencing events.

“Transgender women are women and gender is not a sex,” Lehfeldt said in an Instagram post in August 2023.

Now, Lehfeldt and Turner are being invited before the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.

Transgender women competing in women’s sports has been a hot-button topic for years. Many believe that it is an unfair advantage for transgender women to compete against cisgender women. However, Lehfeldt doesn’t view it that way.

“There is a possibility that transgender women have a physical advantage over their cisgender opponents after transitioning. There is also a possibility they do not.” Lehfeldt said. “In fencing, there is no data to support either viewpoint.”

USA Fencing, in a statement, said that Turner was disqualified for refusing to compete, not for her protest.

Turner has been called a hero by some. She told the New York Post that she conceded the match for “her own safety.”

“Men fence a lot harder than women, and I don’t want to get hurt,” Turner said.