Stephanie Turner’s defiant kneel at the Cherry Blossom Open has become more than a personal protest — it has sparked a national firestorm, drawing in the federal government, Congress, and America’s ongoing debate over the role of trans athletes in women’s sports.
Turner, 31, made headlines when she refused to fence against Redmond Sullivan, a trans athlete, during a nationally sanctioned USA Fencing event on March 30. Her protest — a silent, kneeling refusal — resulted in a black card, immediate disqualification, and a 12-month probation. While the probation allows her to compete, Turner has voluntarily stepped away from domestic competition and instead shifted her focus toward activism.
What might have been dismissed as a one-off incident has now become a federal issue. The Trump administration confirmed a Title IX investigation is underway, led jointly by the Department of Education and the Department of Justice. Officials cite concerns that female athletes are being denied equal protections guaranteed under federal law. Education spokeswoman Julie Hartman stated: “The Trump Administration’s Department of Education and the Department of Justice’s Title IX Special investigations team will not allow recipients of federal funding to deny women’s equal opportunity protections under the law.”
USA Fencing has acknowledged the investigation and confirmed its willingness to cooperate. At the same time, the organization stood by its disciplinary decision, citing standard procedures for all black card offenses.
Turner has faced immediate consequences—not in her career, but in her personal life. Once supported by a circle that included members of the LGBT community, Turner now says she experiences cold shoulders and harsh looks from former friends. She predicted her kneel might “destroy her life.” It hasn’t, but it’s certainly disrupted it. She’s still employed, but her training and public interactions have been deeply affected.
In response, Turner has embraced a new role. She has become a rising figure in the movement to protect women’s sports, aligning herself with prominent advocates like Riley Gaines. In a recent podcast appearance, Turner cited Gaines’ public confrontation with trans swimmer Lia Thomas as a turning point — one that made her reconsider not only gender policy but the broader Democratic platform.
Once a registered Democrat, Turner now identifies as a “new Republican conservative,” citing a loss of trust in a party she says misled women to further political goals. “I became concerned about politicians deliberately lying… it made me wonder, how much else you could be lying to me about?” she told Fox News Digital.
Turner will take her message to Capitol Hill. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has announced a congressional hearing on USA Fencing’s gender eligibility policies, and Turner is slated to testify. She says she’s committed to remaining in the public eye until the current policies are reversed. “I don’t envy the opposition,” she said. “They’ve been desperately trying to cover this up.”
Though her black card only legally prevents her from competing at that March 30 event, Turner is making use of her time away from the strip to build momentum around an issue that has caught fire nationwide. She’s not merely stepping away from fencing — she’s stepping into a full-time role in one of America’s most contentious cultural battles.
Despite the mounting scrutiny, USA Fencing has reaffirmed that Turner’s discipline followed established procedure. “We treat every black card consistently,” the organization stated, emphasizing that her probation is not a suspension and she remains eligible for future events.
But eligibility may no longer be the point. For Turner, the protest was never just about one match. It was about the direction of women’s sports in America — and she’s betting that the tide, at last, is turning.
