USA Fencing says it allowed men into women's competitions to create 'inclusive' and 'safe' spaces

USA Fencing has responded to criticisms about allowing men in women's competitions by saying it wanted to create safe and inclusive spaces for "everyone" to participate in.

A male fencer named Redmond Sullivan recently competed in a women's tournament at the University of Maryland, which triggered a protest and forfeit from female fencer Stephanie Turner.

Turner was given a black card by an official and was subsequently kicked out of the tournament for her refusal to compete against what was deemed an "eligible opponent."

The male fencer was soon exposed for already having won two gold medals in just six events against women, versus a personal-best third place against men over the course of 2021-2023.

The news sparked a letter of demand from Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who asked the sport's governing body, USA Fencing, to answer inquiries related to how many matches women had been forced to take against men. As well, the letter asked if any injuries had occurred in those matches.

'The policy ... was based upon the research available of the day.'

Now, USA Fencing has responded to Blaze News and rationalized its pro-transgender policy by referring to changes that were made in 2023.

"The policy was designed to expand access to the sport of fencing and create inclusive, safe spaces," Nicole Kirk, USA Fencing's communications coordinator, told Blaze News. "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."

The spokeswoman added that while USA Fencing understands that "the conversation on equity and inclusion pertaining to transgender participation in sport is evolving," the organization will always "err on the side of inclusion."

"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," Kirk added. She also noted that it remains important for the fencing community to engage in dialogue of this nature.

Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated on Friday that she found it "just not fair" for women to be put in such circumstances. At the same time, McMahon told Fox News' Harris Faulkner that the ED had started a special Title IX investigations team to look into possible violations of President Trump's executive order that requires women's competitions to be women-only.

McMahon said the president had made it "crystal clear that he is not going to tolerate men being able to compete in women's sports."

The secretary added that her team will be investigating the claims and taking action against violators.

USA Fencing did not respond to an additional query regarding whether or not the organization would be changing its policy to reflect President Trump's executive order, nor did it reveal if officials had responded to Senator Cruz's letter.

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