Female fencer who took a knee is invited to testify before Congress — alongside ‘trans inclusionary’ USA Fencing chair

A female fencer who was disqualified from a tourney aft refusing to vie against a transgender hostile has been invited to attest earlier Congress — alongside the president of USA Fencing who has backed “trans inclusion” successful the sport.

Stephanie Turner, 31, took a genu alternatively of fencing against Redmond Sullivan, a 20-year-old who was calved biologically male, astatine USA Fencing’s Cherry Blossom Open successful Maryland on March 30.

Now Turner is being invited earlier the House Oversight Subcommittee connected Delivering connected Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reply questions astir the incidental — and USA Fencing Board Chair Damien Lehfeldt has besides been invited to attend.

Lehfeldt, successful an August 2023 blog post, claimed that “transgender women are women and sex is not sex” arsenic USA Fencing began allowing transgender athletes to vie successful the women’s class aft completing one calendar twelvemonth of testosterone suppression treatment.

The seat besides opposed abstracted diversion divisions for trans athletes since that would beryllium “antithetical to USA Fencing’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) vision.”

“Transgender fencers merit the close to vie with the sex they place with, and those of big property should comply with the contention guidelines and regulations outlined by USA Fencing and the IOC—even if the subject those [sic] IOC guidelines might be imperfect,” Lehfeldt wrote.

“There is simply a anticipation that transgender women person a carnal vantage implicit their cisgender opponents aft transitioning. There is besides a anticipation they bash not. In Fencing, determination is nary information to enactment either viewpoint.”

He added: “Giving athletes a consciousness of belonging and a volition to unrecorded is much almighty than medals and competitory glory.”

The proceeding is scheduled for May 7.

“Women’s sports are for women only. Radical leftists pushing to fto biologic men vie against women are destroying just contention and putting pistillate athletes successful carnal danger,” said DOGE subcommittee chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

“Stephanie Turner had the courageousness to telephone retired this insanity, and she’s a leader to women crossed America. USA Fencing indispensable beryllium held accountable for demeaning women and denying them of the accidental to win successful their ain sport. It is retired of compliance with President Trump’s enforcement bid and it should not beryllium recognized arsenic the National Governing Body for fencing if it continues to defy the law.”

Turner told The Post that she conceded the lucifer “for my ain carnal safety.”

“Men bash obstruction a batch harder than women and I don’t privation to get hurt,” she said, adding that erstwhile she archetypal started successful the athletics “this was unfathomable.”

“It makes maine precise aggravated to spot that we’re going on with idiosyncratic else’s fantasy.”

USA Fencing claimed successful a connection that Turner was disqualified for refusing to vie alternatively than her protest.

“USA Fencing remains committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful assemblage for everyone successful our sport. We judge successful the rule of creating harmless communities wherever each athletes, and assemblage members, person a place,” the connection read.

“While we recognize determination are a scope of perspectives, USA Fencing volition proceed to prosecute successful respectful, research-based dialog and reappraisal arsenic argumentation evolves successful the Olympic and Paralympic question arsenic good arsenic home law, hatred code of immoderate benignant is not acceptable — online oregon successful person. Let’s support the speech respectful and the portion welcoming to all.”

Three years ago, USA Fencing adopted a policy giving penchant erstwhile selecting big cities for nationalist tournaments to locations without laws that “harm members of LGBTQ communities” — and aboriginal released a list of states that it intended to “avoid wherever possible” erstwhile hosting large events.

Meanwhile, President Trump’s Department of Education is investigating the incident to spot if USA Fencing is violating Title IX by refusing to comply with an enforcement bid titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”

“USA Fencing volition respond and cooperate to immoderate enquiry arsenic required by law,” the organizations said successful a connection responding to the investigation.

Last week, Turner was highlighted arsenic a “Courage Wins Champion” by XX-XY Athletics — a marque that advocates for women — for having “stood her crushed to combat for women’s sports.”

“She’s a hero,” XX-XY laminitis and CEO Jennifer Sey said of the fencer.