Turner discussed with Fox News the one-year probation she is serving and mentioned that due to the significant attention she received after kneeling against male fencer Redmond Sullivan at the Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland, she has decided not to participate in any competitions in the United States for the time being.
The scrutiny she has faced in public settings has been disruptive, as stated by Turner herself: “It has disrupted my interactions when I go out in public and it will certainly disrupt my competition because I won’t be competing in the United States anytime soon.”
Although the probation does not explicitly forbid her from competing, Turner expressed her intention to take a hiatus from fencing within the US circuit. She emphasized that she will continue to advocate against allowing transgender individuals who were assigned male at birth to compete in women’s sports.
“I will remain in the public eye for as long as it takes to resolve this,” Turner told Fox News.
Female fencer Stephanie Turner, who refused to compete against a trans opponent, is stepping away from the sport after USA Fencing issued a 1-year probation punishment for her protest. pic.twitter.com/pEDqhPq3FZ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 16, 2025
She also reflected on other women like her who have been dealing with males competing in their sport and said “There’s no end to the backlash that you may face.”
“And it’s hard to come out because you essentially nuke your whole life,” Turner said.
“You can face social ostracism. You can have financial blowback,” she added. “You can have training disrupted. You could have officials or referees now not being very favorable toward you for the rest of your life.”
After the female fencer refused to compete against Sullivan and was given a black card in response, reports surfaced that the biological male was no longer on the women’s team, as previously reported.
“We are in full compliance with NCAA and NEC rules and regulations. The fencer is not a member of our fencing team,” Wagner College Spokesperson Jim Chiavelli said in a statement to silive.com about Sullivan.
It is unclear if Sullivan was removed from the team or voluntarily stepped down.
The statement from Wagner College comes after Turner went viral when she posted about being removed from the Maryland competition on March 30th. Turner took a knee against Sullivan, citing how unfair it was to compete against a man.
In response, USA Fencing released a statement about fostering an “inclusive, respectful community for everyone in our sport,” backing Sullivan’s participation on the women’s team.
“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,” the statement added. “Hate speech or targeted hate of any kind is not acceptable — online or in person.”
President Donald Trump previously signed an executive order banning biological men from competing in women’s sports.
