Tennis legend Martina Navratilova 'fuming' after female fencer punished for refusing to take on trans athlete

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova slammed USA Fencing after a female fencer took a knee when she refused to compete against a transgender athlete at an event over the weekend.

Stephanie Turner made the decision not to compete against trans athlete Redmond Sullivan at the Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland. Instead, she decided to take a knee. The referee dealt Turner a black card, which represents the most severe penalty in the sport. She told Fox News Digital she was then escorted out of the event and was made to sign a document acknowledging the penalty.

The moment went viral on social media on Wednesday, and Navratilova, who has become a champion of fairness in women’s sports, weighed in.

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"This is what happens when female athletes protest! Anyone here still thinks this is fair??? I am fuming… and shame on @USAFencing, shame on you for doing this. How dare you throw women under the gender bulls--- bus!!!" she wrote on X.

Former NCAA fencer Juliana Peceli also weighed in.

"As a retired D1 @NCAA fencer, I was forced to compete against men who claimed to be women. Female athletes dedicate our lives to our sport, only to have men take our spots, our titles, and our future," she wrote on X.

"Kudos to the women who refuse to accept this injustice."

USA Fencing responded to the incident in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"USA Fencing enacted our current transgender and non-binary athlete policy in 2023. The policy was designed to expand access to the sport of fencing and create inclusive, safe spaces. 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 statement read.

"We respect the viewpoints on all sides and encourage our members to continue sharing them with us as the matter evolves. It's important for the fencing community to engage in this dialogue, but we expect this conversation to be conducted respectfully, whether at our tournaments or in online spaces. The way to progress is by respectful discussion based in evidence."

A USA Fencing spokesperson also told Fox News Digital that Turner was not penalized for her stance against trans inclusion, but simply for refusing to fence. 

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"In the case of Stephanie Turner, her disqualification was not related to any personal statement but was merely the direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent, which the FIE rules clearly prohibit," the spokesperson said.

"According to the FIE (International Fencing Federation) Technical Rules, specifically Article t.113, a fencer is not permitted to refuse to fence another properly entered fencer for any reason. Under these rules, such a refusal results in disqualification and the corresponding sanctions. This policy exists to maintain fair competition standards and preserve the sport’s integrity."

Turner told Fox News Digital she was a lifelong Democrat, but the idea of having biological males in women’s sports never sat right with her. She said she identifies as a "new Republican conservative."

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"I voted red down the ticket this year," Turner said. "It was like waking up to the lies of the mainstream media… Just to watch so many of my friends have this glassy-eyed look while just defending this policy because their brains can not manage the possibility that their party or their position has been wrong on this, and perhaps this isn't a civil rights movement, and they have been misled."

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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