USA Fencing reverses controversial policies after female fencer’s protest against transgender competitor sparked national debate and congressional scrutiny.

At a Glance

• USA Fencing has ended its policy that gave preferential hosting treatment to states with LGBTQ-friendly laws
• A new national anthem policy will be implemented at the 2025 Summer Nationals, ensuring the anthem is played at all tournaments
• The organization is preparing to change its policy on transgender athletes competing in women’s categories
• Female fencer Stephanie Turner, who received a 12-month probation for protesting against a transgender opponent, called for leadership resignations

Policy Reversal Following Protest and Scrutiny

USA Fencing’s board of directors has voted to amend its controversial venue selection policy that previously avoided states with laws perceived as harmful to LGBTQ communities and women’s reproductive rights. The new policy prioritizes cost, safety, and convenience for national events across all 50 states. This significant change comes after female fencer Stephanie Turner knelt in protest of competing against a transgender opponent, an action that resulted in her disqualification and a 12-month probation period from the organization.

Turner’s protest brought national attention to USA Fencing’s policies and led to a Title IX investigation and congressional hearing where the organization’s leadership faced tough questions from lawmakers. States previously blacklisted for hosting events included Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas – many states with conservative-leaning policies on social issues.

National Anthem and State Selection Policies

In addition to the venue selection change, USA Fencing announced a new national anthem policy that will be implemented at the 2025 Summer Nationals. The organization stated the policy will “provide consistent, respectful minimum guidance for honoring the flag and anthem across nine annual tournaments.” Under the new guidance, the national anthem will be played at the start of every national tournament and on U.S. holidays during events.

“USA Fencing has fallen into the hands of unpatriotic tyrants who put obscure politics ahead of promoting the sport across the country. Whether to play the national anthem or not should have never been in question. And excluding states from the national tournament selection process because of their abortion and LGBT policies is ludicrous and has nothing to do with fencing,” said Stephanie Turner.

The previous venue selection policy had been criticized by Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who pointed out that the organization used “Equality Maps” to determine which states to favor or avoid. This practice was seen by critics as injecting politics into sports administration rather than focusing on what was best for athletes and the sport itself.

Transgender Athlete Policy Under Review

While USA Fencing has already amended its venue selection and national anthem policies, the organization is still preparing changes to its policy on transgender athletes competing in women’s categories. Reports indicate the new policy may require athletes to compete according to their biological sex, though specific details have not yet been released.

Turner, who has stepped back from competitive fencing following the controversy, continues to advocate for reform within the organization. “I’m going to be pushing for people to resign, to be honest. I’d like to see some people resign for the comments that they’ve made, especially publicly, ones that are harassing and meant to humiliate concerned women, mothers and daughters,” Turner stated.

Congressional Oversight and Future Direction

The controversy surrounding USA Fencing’s policies attracted congressional attention, with lawmakers questioning USA Fencing Chair Damien Lehfeldt about the organization’s practices. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the previous policy, stating, “In selecting sites for its national fencing events, for instance, the board policy is to avoid states whose laws and policies on LGBTQ rights and abortion it opposes… This ends up favoring a lot of blue states and harming a lot of red ones. So, it creates politically determined winners and losers — but it has absolutely nothing to do with fencing.”

With two of its three controversial policies now amended, USA Fencing appears to be responding to the pressure from athletes, lawmakers, and public scrutiny. The organization’s forthcoming decision on transgender athlete participation will likely determine whether the controversy fully subsides or continues to divide the fencing community. In the meantime, events are expected to return to several states that were previously excluded from consideration.

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