Female fencer ‘gives it to God’, takes a knee, becomes instant hero for refusing to fight transgender

A female fencer became an instant hero for reasonable women and girls everywhere when she “took a knee” for all the right reasons.

Stephanie Turner knew she’d face backlash when she took off her mask and kneeled in front of her transgender opponent.

Turner, 31, was to compete at the Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland and learned the night before that she was slated to spar with transgender athlete Redmond Sullivan, Fox News Digital reported.

“I saw that I was going to be in a pool with Redmond, and from there I said, ‘OK, let’s do it. I’m going to take the knee,’” Turner told Fox News Digital.

Despite feeling “nervous” and “shaky,” Turner said she “knew what I had to do because USA Fencing had not been listening to women’s objections regarding [its gender eligibility policy].”

Historic Protest: Female Fencer Takes a Knee in Bout Against Male Opponent, Faces Immediate Disqualification

After receiving a black card for refusing to compete against a man, Redmond Sullivan’s female opponent was expelled from the @USAFencing event at the Univ. of… pic.twitter.com/IloSnrb2Iu

— ICONS (@icons_women) April 2, 2025

“I took a knee immediately at that point. Redmond was under the impression that I was going to start fencing. So when I took the knee, I looked at the ref and I said, ‘I’m sorry, I cannot do this. I am a woman, and this is a man, and this is a women’s tournament. And I will not fence this individual,’” Turner recalled.

“Redmond didn’t hear me, and he comes up to me, and he thinks that I may be hurt, or he doesn’t understand what’s happening. He asks, ‘Are you OK?’ And I said, ‘I’m sorry. I have much love and respect for you, but I will not fence you.”

“Redmond says to me, ‘Well you know, there is a member on the board of directors here who supports me, and there is a policy that acknowledges me as a woman, so I am allowed to fence, and you will get blackcarded,’ and I said, ‘I know,” Turner said.

Turner was then dealt the most severe penalty, the black card that can lead to expulsion for “serious infractions” or “unsportsmanlike behavior,” Fox reported.

Turner had been actively trying to avoid this scenario, refusing to sign up for events where transgender athletes would be participating.

“In previous years when I had known about transgender fencers being present, I just wouldn’t register, but for this one, Redmond must have signed up after me,” Turner told Fox. “I was like, ‘You know what, I’m just going to give it to God. If this person shows up to my event and is on my script, then I would take a knee, and that would be God’s will.’”

Video of Turner quickly made the rounds and garnered support from well-known conservatives, and even some Democrats like tennis pro Martina Navratilova who said on X: “This is what happens when female athletes protest! Anyone here still think this is fair??? I am fuming… and shame on @USAFencing, shame on you for doing this. How dare you throw women under the gender bullshit bus!!!”

Female fencer takes a knee and receives disqualification for refusing to compete against a man competing on the women’s team at @WagnerCollege

THIS is how you say enough is enough. BOYcott!!!

Kudos to this woman for taking a stand.
pic.twitter.com/dxRk6JVWa7

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 2, 2025

Bless this young woman for refusing to compete with a man. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/dMyZYK2rIo

— Mrs. Costa ❤️’s America (@syr3n45) April 2, 2025

Hey @USAFencing why are you forcing the girl to fight a boy?

You know that’s not right or fair.

XY chromosome dictates the boy has superior physical abilities to XX. That is a BIOLOGICAL FACT. We can’t change this by using a different terminology or even with biochemical…

— QT 3.14 (@coquita_c) April 2, 2025

pic.twitter.com/CcmXrtVgBf

— Keegan – The Conservative Cat (@DracoRuddy) April 2, 2025

Turner told Fox News Digital she was a lifelong Democrat, but the transgender issue has enlightened her and now identifies as a “new Republican conservative.”

Welcome!

Latest posts by Nicole Haas (see all)

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.