Stephanie Turner awarded $5k for taking a knee against trans rival in fencing competition last month
The female fencer who refused to compete against a transgender opponent last month has received an award and a nice payday for her actions.
Fencer Stephanie Turner was set to battle with Redmond Sullivan at a USA Fencing tournament on March 30, but took a knee in protest and said she wouldn’t be competing.
On Monday, XX-XY Athletics, which calls itself ‘the only athletic brand that stands up for women’s sports,’ awarded Turner with the Courage Wins Award.
‘By taking a knee, she became more powerful than any male. She stood her ground to fight for women’s sports,’ XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey said in a press release, as reported by Fox News. ‘She’s a hero.’
The company, which boasts anti-trans activist Riley Gaines as an ambassador, added that it would also be paying Turner $5,000 and admitting her into a ‘leadership program.’
Moments before she was meant to face Sullivan, Turner removed her mask and took a knee.
Stephanie Turner, 31, took a knee and walked out of her match against a transgender rival
Turner was disqualified from her tournament after taking a knee and refusing to compete
‘I’m sorry,’ she is believed to have said to Sullivan. ‘I have a lot of love and respect for you, but I will not fence you.
After refusing to compete, Turner was issued a ‘blackcard’ by fencing officials – which suspended her from the competition.
USA Fencing later released a statement saying that Turner’s disqualification was ‘not related to any personal statement,’ but instead ‘the direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent, which the FIE [International Fencing Federation] rules clearly prohibit.
Nonetheless, the statement strongly defended transgender inclusion in the sport.
‘USA Fencing enacted our current transgender and non-binary athlete policy in 2023. The policy was designed to expand access to the sport of fencing and create inclusive, safe spaces,’ the organization said.
‘The policy is based on the principle that everyone should have the ability to participate in sports and was based upon the research available of the day. We understand that the conversation on equity and inclusion pertaining to transgender participation in sport is evolving.
Turner immediately took a knee and removed her mask instead of facing Sullivan
‘USA Fencing will always err on the side of inclusion, and we’re committed to amending the policy as more relevant evidence-based research emerges, or as policy changes take effect in the wider Olympic & Paralympic movement.’
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Turner revealed she had been scared to reach out to USA Fencing with her concerns, given the pro-trans views of high-ranking officials within the governing body.
Sullivan, who switched from Wagner College’s men’s team to it’s women’s squad last year, ultimately placed 24th out of 39 in the competition.
According to XX-XY, Sullivan fared better at the Connecticut Division Summer National Qualifiers earlier in March, finishing first.
