Fencer who took a knee against trans rival gets huge reward for brave gesture that stunned sports world

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: Stephanie Turner, a competitive fencer who took a knee against a transgender opponent at an event on March 30, was honored as a Courage Wins Champion for her bold decision. 

Turner was set to face Redmond Sullivan at a USA Fencing tournament held at the University of Maryland, but refused to compete and was shown a black card as a result, according to the Daily Mail.

Notably, the black card signifies that a player is immediately excluded from the competition and suspended for the remainder of it.

Stephanie Turner gets honored for taking the knee against a transgender opponent

XX-XY Athletics, which calls itself "the only athletic brand that stands up for women's sports," honored Stephanie Turner with the Courage Wins Award.

It also announced that she would receive a $5,000 prize as well as admission into a leadership program. 

XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey said in a news release, "By taking a knee, she became more powerful than any male. She stood her ground to fight for women’s sports. She’s a hero."

Sey added, "We aim to take the sting out of monetary cancellation and platform these women and bring them on board. They have community. They have support. They will not stand alone."

Notably, the earlier winner of the award was Sia Liilii, who led the University of Nevada volleyball team to boycott a game against San Jose State University when she found out that they were fielding a trans player, according to the Daily Mail.

At the USA Fencing tournament, Turner refused to compete against Sullivan and told her, "I am sorry. I have a lot of love and respect for you, but I will not fence you."

USA Fencing later released a statement and mentioned that Turner's disqualification was "not related to any personal statement" but it was "the direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent, which the FIE [International Fencing Federation] rules clearly prohibit."

Moreover, the statement strongly defended the inclusion of transgender athletes in the sport.

According to the organization, "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."

Stephanie Turner reveals she was scared to reach out to USA Fencing with her concerns

While talking to the Daily Mail, Stephanie Turner revealed that she was scared to reach out to USA Fencing with her concerns, considering the pro-trans views of high-ranking officials within the governing body.

She shared, "I was like, I don't even want to reach out because if I do, then I won't ever have a fair bout in my life. There are a lot of people who are for this [trans athletes in women's sports] who are referees."

"I would lose favor within the sight of referees, and I could end up with a biased bout. I could lose friends who I don't know what their position is on this," Turner added. 

Meanwhile, Sullivan ultimately placed 24th out of 39 in the competition, per the outlet.

On April 4, disc golfer Abigail Wilson also walked out of her tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, refusing to compete against trans opponent Natalie Ryan.