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USA Fencing announced changes to two of its controversial policies after its board of directors voted on changes last Saturday. The organization addressed the modifications of PK Press Club Digital.
A change has been to a policy that has discouraged accommodation events in states that have been deemed to have anti-LGBTQ laws, because the organization now intends to take on a consideration equal to the 50 states. The other change was to a policy that did not require that the national anthem be played before certain events.
USA Fencing refused to explain the decisions behind new policies.
“It would be inappropriate for the personnel to speculate on the personal motivations of the board of directors of the USA Fencing volunteers,” PK Press Club Digital spokesperson told PK Press Club Digital.
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USA Fencing is already planning competitions in the states she previously advised to avoid
Lee Kiefer, Lauren Scruggs, Maia Mei Weintraub and Jacqueline Dubrovich of Team United States celebrate their gold medals at the end of the female team final on the sixth day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Grand Palais on August 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (Image Photo Agency / Getty Images)
Closing events in the United States are expected to take place six of the republican states.
In fact, only three states that the organization did not advise to avoid should organize a national tournament next season.
“We have merged several documents that overlap into a single policy that marks each offer – whatever the state – on the cost, security and convenience of the trip. Using this section, the national events of next season are spread out on nine states, including Texas, Missouri, Florida, Utah, Ohio, Virginie, Oregon, Le Tennesee and Nevada” The spokesperson.
The policy of selection of previous host sites gave preference when selecting host cities for national tournaments to laws without laws which “harm members of LGBTQ communities” and to states that do not have “laws undermining the genesic health of women”.
The states on the “Do not authing” list of the organization were Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.
USA gymnastics Evaluate the transgender inclusion policy
States on its list “avoid as much as possible” included Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, Dakota of the North, Ohio, Utah, Virginia-Western, Wyoming, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana Kentucky, South, Mississippi, Missouri, Dakota of the North, Oklahoma, South, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South, Mississippi, Missouri, Dakota of the North, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Virginie-Western.
The previous policy has become one of the biggest criticism of the organization after the Escorer Stephanie Turner ignited the world’s counterpouil against the organization when she recorded a video of her centenette to protest against a trans opponent during a competition in Maryland at the end of March.
On May 7, the Government Department of Effectiveness (DOGE) “Unfinmerical play of the subcommittee: keeping men outside female sports” saw Turner testify against the president of American fencing Damien Lehfeldt for his transgender eligibility policies. There, the president of the Doge’s subcommittee, Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA., Called the organization for its City Hot Policy.
“By selecting sites for its national fencing events, for example, the policy of the board of directors is to avoid states whose laws and policies on LGBTQ rights and the abortion it is opposed. He uses” equality cards “to determine what states of the black list of his competitions and of which to favor,” said Greene.
“This ends up promoting many blue states and harming many reds. So it creates politically determined winners and losers – but that has absolutely nothing to do with fencing. And it contradicts the closing of fencing as NGB to” develop the interest and participation of the United States at the closure “.
Now, this will not be a problem for American fences, because state LGBTQ policies no longer seem to play a rule in the selection of host sites.
The national anthem will now have to play at each event
Lauren Scruggs (United States) competes with Alice Volpi (ITA) in the gold medal match of the women’s female team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Grand Palais. (Katie Goodale-USA today Sports)
The new policy of the National Hymn of the Council will come into force for summer nationals 2025 and will be examined each year by the tournament committee. Previously, there was no rule requiring the anthem to be played at any event. The organization claims that the anthem has been played with each national tournament.
“The anthem has always been played at the start of each national tournament. The board of directors simply wrote this long-standing practice in politics and added that it will also be played at any American party that occurs during an event, like the day of independence, which falls during our next summer nationals,” said the spokesperson about the new policy.
USA Fencing’s initial announcement said that the new policy “will provide consistent and respectful minimum directives to honor the flag and anthem in nine annual tournaments”.
Back in December, USA Fencing Board held a vote To play the national anthem at the start of the tournaments before “all the CNA and national championships”, but it was voted against 8-2 with an abstention.
The previous hymn policy was also criticized by Greene at the May 7 hearing.
“Recently, the board of directors even voted against playing the national anthem during its events,” said Green.
Now the organization has codified that the anthem will be played at each event in the future. However, this is not a permanent rule. The new policy of the National Hymn of the Council will come into force to the summer nationals of 2025, but will be examined each year by the tournament committee.
