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Individual women and girls are bravely refusing to compete against biological males invading their sports, but real change will only come when all female competitors and their supporters stand up and boycott any sports association or event that allows male participants.
During the recent Cherry Blossom Open fencing tournament in Maryland, Stephanie Turner, a 31-year-old female fencer from the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia, was disqualified after refusing to compete against Redmond Sullivan, a transgender woman.
“I saw that I was going to be in a pool with Redmond, and from there I said, ‘Okay, let’s do it. I’m going to take the knee,’” Turner told Fox News Digital.
“So when I took the knee, I looked at the ref and I said, ‘I’m sorry, I cannot do this. I am a woman, and this is a man, and this is a women’s tournament. And I will not fence this individual,’” she added.
Sullivan, a student at Wagner College, had previously fenced on the men’s team before transitioning to the women’s division, where the athlete achieved notable success, including a first-place finish at the Connecticut Division Junior Olympic Qualifiers in December.
USA Fencing defended the referee’s decision, citing adherence to its transgender and non-binary athlete policy enacted in 2023, which allows athletes to compete in a manner consistent with their gender identity.
“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,” said Bryan Wendell, USA Fencing’s director of communications. “USA Fencing is obligated to follow the letter of those rules and ensure that participants respect the standards set at the international level. We remain committed to inclusivity within our sport while also upholding every requirement dictated by our governing body.”
The incident has sparked significant debate and drawn public responses from prominent figures. Author J.K. Rowling referred to Turner as a “heroine,” while tennis legend Martina Navratilova criticized USA Fencing, stating, “This is what happens when female athletes protest! I am fuming… shame on @USAFencing, shame on you for doing this.”
This event has further fueled the ongoing national conversation regarding the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports divisions. Sadly, in this era, women and girls must choose whether to give up opportunities to participate in sports or face male opponents.
Turner’s recent example of courage stands out even as transgender athletes increasingly enter and dominate women’s athletic competitions. At the recent Raincross Track Championships in Southern California, for example, Jurupa Valley High School athlete Ab Hernandez, a biologically male student identifying as female, took first place in the girls’ long jump with a mark of 18’ 3”, breaking a 37-year-old meet record. He also won the girls’ triple jump.
Meanwhile, Zachary “Lia” Rose, a biologically male high school athlete in Oregon, won first place in the girls’ varsity high jump at the Portland Interscholastic League Varsity Relays, clearing 4’ 8”, two inches higher than the runner-up. Approximately two years prior, Rose was competing in the same event against junior varsity boys but finished last with a jump of 4’ 6”.
In the U.K., the women’s sports crisis has ascended to a new, absurd level. The Ultimate Pool Women’s Pro Series Event 2 in Wigan was notable in that it featured two biological men — Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith, who identify as women — competing against each other for the championship title. Both athletes, who have clear strength and reach advantages, advanced to the final after defeating all of their female opponents in the tournament.
Such results raise serious concerns about the fairness and future of all levels of women’s sports. Girls and women are being overlooked, silenced, punished, and even threatened for having an issue with this.
In fact, the complaints of men invading women’s spaces in K-12 schools and colleges are at such a “staggering volume” that the U.S. Department of Education announced recently that it is creating a new Title IX investigative unit with the Department of Justice to handle them. And all of this is happening even as an executive order signed by President Trump threatens to rescind funding from schools that refuse to protect women’s sports and spaces.
Many female athletes, however, are no longer waiting for schools to come to their senses on this issue or to be forced into it by the prospect of losing money.
They recognize that by participating in the madness, they are giving it credence, and so like Turner, many women and girls are now refusing to play against transgender identifying men and boys — even if it comes at a deep cost.
This past weekend, shortly after Turner’s story became public, professional disc golfer Abigail Wilson walked off the green at the Nashville Music City Open rather than compete against a male, saying, “I refuse to play. This is unfair. Females must be protected in our division.”
Afterwards, she posted on Instagram, “Today I most likely ended my career and that is okay because this is bigger than me.”
In October 2024, several collegiate women’s volleyball teams forfeited matches against San Jose State University (SJSU) due to the presence of a biological male athlete, Blaire Fleming, on SJSU’s roster. Teams including Southern Utah, Boise State, the University of Wyoming, Utah State, and the University of Nevada declined to compete, citing concerns over fairness and safety.
In April 2024, five female athletes from Lincoln Middle School in West Virginia protested the inclusion of a transgender student, Becky Pepper-Jackson, in the girls’ shot-put event by refusing to compete, but instead of being lauded for their courage, the young girls were barred from future track meets, leading four of the students and their parents to file a lawsuit against the school district. Harrison County Judge Thomas Bedell later granted a preliminary injunction, allowing the girls to participate in the remaining season meets.
These female athletes have bravely taken a stand — refusing to compete in unfair events — but they’ve largely done so in isolation, risking disqualification, public backlash, or even potential ends to their future in sports.
That must change. A collective, unified, persistent refusal by women to compete against biological males is not only overdue, it’s necessary.
Women have fought for decades to earn equal opportunities in athletics. Title IX wasn’t just about giving women access to sports; it was about giving women a fair playing field. That fairness disappears when biological males, who benefit from significant physical advantages even after hormone therapy, are allowed to compete in female sports.
Female athletes face an impossible position: compete under unequal conditions or risk punishment for standing up for themselves. This is a form of coercion.
But it’s only through the bravery of more females refusing to compete against male athletes that change will ultimately occur.
Imagine if entire women’s teams, their coaches, and parents — elementary school through high school, college, and professional — stood together and said, “We will not compete until our category is respected as truly female.” Imagine the power of Olympic hopefuls, national champions, and scholarship athletes joining in solidarity against male competitors. That kind of movement could not be ignored.
This is about truth, fairness, and the integrity of women’s sports. It’s about telling young girls that their hard work matters and that their achievements won’t be taken from them by someone with a built-in advantage. It’s about protecting the spaces that women — and only women — have a right to enter.
The time has come for female athletes to rise, not just in isolated situations of bravery but all together — every single time. Only then will meaningful change happen. Women and girls deserve better, and they shouldn’t have to fight alone anymore.
PHOTO: Stephanie Turner takes a knee and refuses to compete against a transgender competitor during the recent Cherry Blossom Open fencing tournament at the University of Maryland. CREDIT: X screenshot
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