The female female Stephanie Turner has become a familiar name overnight among the rights of women’s rights in sport.
A viral video of Turner on his knees to protest against a transgender opponent sparked more debates on transgender inclusion in female sports, in particular fencing.
“It will probably destroy, at least for the moment, in my life,” Turner told PK Press Club Digital. “It’s very difficult for me to do that.”
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His decision was motivated by his opposition to competition with biological men.
“This is a serious problem that happens in all sports, and it is necessary to solve. There is a difference between men and women,” said Turner. “This is a movement of civil rights for women and girls, and I give priority to security and rights and the protection of women and girls in relation to trans-identified men.”
His belief even controlled his political allegiance to life.
Turner, a longtime recorded democrat who has separated from the party for the most recent elections, says that she is now a “new republican curator”.
She has changed celebrations on the issue of transgender athletes in female and girls sports.
“A small group of people holds a much larger athlete base hostage with extremist liberal views,” said Turner.
How did it get to this point?
She comes from a liberal environment
Fencer Stephanie Turner kneels before a fencing manager in the United States. (Gracefulness of icons)
Turner was born and grew up in Washington DC, and now lives in Blue Montgomery County, Maryland.
Over the years, it has been involved in a group of close friends, who includes other shooters. It also includes several members of the LGBT community.
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“They did not know that I had this opinion on transgender women in female sports. And one of them was one of my very good friends at [fencing] club. He is in the LGBT community, and many of my friends are also in the LGBT community. And I don’t want them to be angry with me for that. I love them on a personal level.
“I don’t want them to think I hate them somehow. And I don’t want to lose them as friends.”
But Turner also thinks that she cannot have legitimate discussions with some people on the problem.
“They lie and say that estrogens can make a man a woman also to the point where you cannot make the difference, and it just becomes a crazy argument.”
She began to end in college and gradually avoided trans competitors
Turner, 31, ventured into a competitive fence 12 years ago at the age of 19. She joined the club at the University of Maryland and has stayed with her since. She then qualified to participate in fencing in the United States.
“I commit a lot of time and money for that,” said Turner, citing travel, equipment and recording costs.
The official page of Turner’s fence tracker shows 21 podiums, including a gold medal in female foil during an event called The Trick Or Retreat Roc on August 18 in Edison, New Jersey.
Stéphanie Turner (Gracieuse of Sophie Turner; Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
But she reached a point in her career when she had to be aware of the official gender eligibility policy in the United States.
Official policy allows transgender to participate in the female category at the junior and senior level after finishing a calendar year of testosterone removal treatment. Proof of compliant hormone therapy must be provided before competition.
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USA Fencing has a policy announced in November 2022 to give preference when selecting the host tournaments of national tournaments to laws without laws which “harm members of LGBTQ communities” and to states which do not have “laws undermining the reproductive health of women”.
“In fencing, personally, I see it quite often,” said Turner. “I attended transgender shooters in female tournaments and girls’ tournaments in different age categories, in particular Y-14 (the youngest age group).”
Turner had previous experience by avoiding a trans opponent in the summer of 2013. She saw reports of a trans athlete whom she had previously known as the Biological Bteur, by another name. When Turner saw that the athlete was listed as a competitor in this year’s summer nationals, she decided not to go.
“I never registered because I knew he was going to be in there,” said Turner. “In previous years, when I had experienced transgender shooters who were present, I did not register.”
She ended up facing a trans athlete last last weekend and decided to do something different
Turner has always made sure to avoid registering for events after checking them for trans athletes.
But what she could not plan was one of them registering after she did.
This happened for the first time last weekend for an IA division event called The Cherry Blossom Open in his Alma Mater, the University of Maryland. Redmond Sullivan, who had previously participated in the male division, according to Fencing Tracker, was recorded and placed in the same support as Turner.
She only learned that at 10:30 p.m. the day before her match with Sullivan.
At this stage, she envisaged a different approach to the management of the situation by considering the frequency of trans inclusion.
“I had considered in the future that I wanted to avoid not registering for events, simply because a transgender person was there, because it could be everyone of my events to a transgender person,” Turner said.
“So I said to myself:” You know what, I’m just going to give it to God. If this person presents himself in my event, and they are on my strip, then I take a knee, and that would be the will of God. “”
But Turner wanted to go further, a step she knew could “destroy her life”, but she did it anyway.
A few minutes before taking the band to kneel against Sullivan, she went to one of her friends closest to the club for a favor.
“I said,” I’m about to do something, and I want you to film it.
Her friend agreed to film her knees, recording a scene that would be observed in the world of fences.
Turner was then treated a black card, disqualified from the event and escorted so quickly that she could not say another word to her teammates, coaches or anyone else.
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Turner did not want this role. She admits to being a private person without any social media channel who “likes anonymity”.
“I hoped that someone else would manifest themselves or the board of directors would have a change of heart,” said Turner.
An organization of non-profit fences wrote an open letter to the members of the United States board of directors in December, urging the national director body so that sport re-evaluates its position on several questions, including transgender inclusion.
“Aside from politics, it is a reasonable demand to form a working group to dive more deeply on this question in fencing and create a safe space where the voices of all women are heard without ridiculous and abuse,” said the letter.
But nothing has been done.
Turner is the last fighter of the current cultural war on the issue of trans athletes in female sports. She did a television interview on PK Press Club Channel, her story was covered by several media and she is even presented in an advertisement.
The Sports Activist brand XX -X-LE ATHLETICS published its new advertisement with the Turner’s Keel clip on Thursday.
For her, all of this is worth it if it means holding institutions such as American fences and politicians who have continued to allow responsible trans inclusion.
“It is a decisive test for common sense to know if a politician is able to lie to your face to respect common culture,” said Turner.
“Something must be done.”
USA Fencing provided a statement to PK Press Club Digital sending the incident.
“American fences promulgated our current transgender and non -binary athletes in 2023. The policy was designed to extend access to fencing sport and create inclusive and safe spaces. Politics is based on the principle that everyone should have the possibility of participating in sports and was based on the available research of the day,” said the press release.
“We respect the points of view on all sides and encourage our members to continue sharing them with us as the question evolves. It is important for the community of fences to engage in this dialogue, but we expect this conversation to be held respectfully, whether during our tournaments or in online spaces. The way to progress is out of discussion.”
A spokesperson for fencing in the United States also said that PK Press Club Digital Turner had not been penalized for his position against trans inclusion, but simply for refusing to close.
“In the case of Stephanie Turner, his disqualification was not linked to any personal declaration, but was only the direct result of his decision to refuse to close an eligible opponent, which the rules of the fie clearly prohibit,” said the spokesman.
“According to the technical rules of fie (Fénération of international fences), in particular article T.113, a shooter is not authorized to refuse to close another closure correctly entered for any reason whatsoever. Under these rules, such a refusal leads to disqualification and corresponding sanctions. This policy exists to maintain the standards of equitable competition and preserve the integrity of the sport.” “”
