Stephanie Turner opens up on whether she'll return to USA Fencing after major organizational changes

EXCLUSIVE: Fencer Stephanie Turner became a salient activistic to support women's sports successful 2025 aft footage of her kneeling successful protestation of a transgender hostile went viral successful April. 

It was the past USA Fencing contention she took portion in. In the 9 months since then, USA Fencing has been scrutinized astatine a legislature hearing, faced aggregate lawsuits implicit the contented of trans inclusion, changed its sex eligibility argumentation to lone let females to vie successful women's competitions, replaced its committee chair, and adjacent issued a connection acknowledging it is looking to gain the spot of its athletes and fans aft a twelvemonth of controversy. 

But Turner suggested she is looking for much assurances erstwhile asked by Fox News Digital if she would see returning to USA Fencing competitions successful the aftermath of the caller changes.

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"This alteration of enactment astatine USA Fencing is simply a crippled of philharmonic chairs. These Board members are chopped from the aforesaid woke cloth and, without a watchful eye, they volition edifice to the aforesaid policies that got them a Congressional proceeding successful the archetypal place. Due to the ongoing lawsuits, I similar to instrumentality erstwhile the particulate settles," Turner said.

USA Fencing responded connected whether Turner would beryllium invited back.

"USA Fencing welcomes information from immoderate eligible jock who meets our existent rank requirements and contention rules. Our absorption remains connected fostering a safe, respectful, and affirmative situation for everyone progressive successful the sport," the enactment said successful a connection provided to Fox News Digital.

When Turner knelt successful protestation of a trans fencer astatine the Cherry Blossom Open successful Maryland during the last play of March, she was fixed a achromatic paper – the astir terrible punishment successful the sport. She was disqualified from the event, escorted retired of the venue and past fixed a 12-month probation by the organization. 

But Turner opted to measurement distant from the enactment each together, and focused her attraction connected activism for the extortion of women's sports. 

Turner testified astatine the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee proceeding connected transgender athletes, which became a large flashpoint successful the governmental struggle implicit the extortion of women's sports successful the U.S.

USA FENCING SEEKS TO 'EARN TRUST' OF ATHLETES AND FANS AFTER YEAR PLAGUED BY TRANSGENDER CONTROVERSIES

Turner antecedently told Fox News Digital aft the May proceeding that she would enactment to lobby enactment changes to USA Fencing aft stepping distant from the sport. 

"I'm going to beryllium pushing for radical to resign, to beryllium honest. I'd similar to spot immoderate radical resign for the comments that they've made, particularly publicly, ones that are harassing and meant to humiliate acrophobic women, mothers and daughters," Turner said. 

USA Fencing's committee past voted to amend its argumentation that prioritized states with LGBTQ-friendly laws for big sites for competitions and a argumentation that whitethorn person prevented the playing of the nationalist anthem astatine immoderate events, astatine its June 7 meeting.

Then successful July, USA Fencing past changed its transgender information argumentation to lone licence pistillate competitors to enactment successful the women's category. The alteration was made to guarantee compliance with the USOPC's caller jock information policy, which present cites President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" enforcement order. 

In October, erstwhile USA Fencing committee seat Damien Lehfeldt declined to question re-election. Paralympic medalist Dr. Scott Rodgers was elected the organization's caller chair, becoming the archetypal progressive jock and archetypal parafencer to pb the board. 

At the extremity of November, USA Fencing provided a connection to Fox News Digital, expressing its tendency to gain spot among fans and athletes.

"USA Fencing remains profoundly committed to earning and maintaining the spot of our athletes, fans, and the wider fencing community. The predetermination of Dr. Scott Rodgers arsenic Board Chair reflects our dedication to athlete-centered governance and the continued maturation of fencing astatine each level," the connection said. "We admit the challenges of the past respective months and are focused connected moving guardant with integrity, transparency, and a wide imaginativeness for the future."

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U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) (C) speaks to Stephanie Turner (L) and Payton McNabb (R) during the proceeding connected "Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" held by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee astatine the U.S. Capitol successful Washington, District of Columbia, connected May 7, 2025. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

USA Fencing volition beryllium increasing the athletics astatine the NCAA level, announcing that Arcadia University successful Pennsylvania and Fairleigh Dickinson University successful New Jersey volition beryllium adding men's and women's fencing teams to its varsity sports, opening successful autumn 2027. 

The enactment is presently being sued by U.S. Olympic fencer Margherita Guzzi Vincenti, alongside chap competitory women's fencers Emma Griffin and Patricia Hughes, who allege USA Fencing knowingly permitted biologic males to vie successful women’s divisions portion advertizing events arsenic female-only astatine the 2025 North American Cup (NAC) successful Kansas City, Missouri, successful January. 

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