Fencer who refused to face trans rival claims protest 'nuked her life' (2025)

The fencer who ignited a nationwide debate over transgender athletes in female sports now says her protest has come at a tangible cost to her life and passion.

Stephanie Turner made national news by forfeiting a March 30 match at a USA Fencing-sanctioned regional tournament in Maryland because she refused to face transgender opponent Redmond Sullivan.

As a result, the 31-year-old Turner was expelled from the event and placed on year-long probation by USA Fencing. To be clear, the organization will still allow her to compete, but she is choosing not to do so.

Meanwhile, the influential XX-XY Athletics gave Turner the 'Courage Wins' award and a $5,000 prize.

'There are quite a lot of women who are witnessing men in their sports, and they are trying to save their own sports on their own, and it's hard to come out because you essentially nuke your whole life,' Turner told OutKick's 'Gaines for Girls' podcast with Riley Gaines.

'You can face social ostracism, you can have financial blowback, you can have training disrupted, and you could have officials or referees now not being very favorable toward you for the rest of your life.'

Statistics on transgender participation in female sports aren't comprehensive.

However, in December, NCAA President Charlie Baker testified that fewer than 10 are competing among 500,000 collegiate student athletes in the country.

But despite the relative scarcity of transgender athletes in female sports, the issue has been seized upon by competitors, parents, and politicians who support President Donald Trump's calls for a nationwide ban.

'There's no end to the backlash that you may face, or you could have threats on your life like I know in your case you have had such things happen to you,' Turner continued.

'So, it's not fun being on the receiving end of this. It's not what I wanted to do, and it helps to have people who acknowledge that, that it takes some sort of sacrifice to bring attention to an issue and I appreciate XX-XY for their acknowledgment.'

Turner also addressed her decision to step away from fencing, saying she'll use the time to focus on her new mission of banning trans athletes from women's sports.

'I'm going to be taking a break from fencing for a while in the U.S. circuit, so that's a little bit of a disruption for me,' she said. 'It has disrupted my training, it has disrupted my interactions when I go out in public, and it will certainly disrupt my competition because I won't be competing in the United States any time soon.'

Maryland

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