Stephanie Turner, a women’s fencer who was black-carded last year for refusing to compete against transgender athlete Redmond Sullivan, says new information validates her protest. Sullivan, who competed on Wagner College’s men’s fencing team before joining the women’s team in 2024, received a $5,000 athletic scholarship per semester while competing on the women’s team, according to a recent CT Mirror profile.

Turner became widely known in March 2025 when she took a knee rather than fence Sullivan at the Cherry Blossom Open, a USA Fencing-sanctioned regional tournament held at the University of Maryland. She testified before Congress in May 2025, describing her protest as an act of desperation after years of frustration with USA Fencing’s transgender athlete policy.

Sullivan lost the scholarship after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at keeping males out of women’s sports and following changes to the NCAA’s transgender athlete policy.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon highlighted the Supreme Court’s recent 6-3 ruling upholding transgender sports bans in Idaho and West Virginia, emphasizing the importance of protecting women’s sports and addressing concerns about fairness, lost opportunities, and safety.

Turner commented on the situation, stating, “It really highlights the obscenity of trans activist claims that ‘transwomen’ just want to be included when in fact they’re earning coveted positions on college sports teams, scholarship money, and awards off the backs of deserving women.” She also remarked, “It’s funny Redmond let it slip in this sob piece that he’s been earning women’s athletic scholarship money, as if women should feel sorry that he’s been stealing money and opportunities from them.”

Reflecting on the Supreme Court decision, Turner said, “It’s such a relief to see the Supreme Court ruling against men in women’s sports. I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment.” She added, “My life is now rotated to focus on different goals, and it’s not fencing.”

Turner and supporters of women’s sports remain hopeful that continued advocacy will lead to further legislative action. “As long as we keep sounding the alarm, waking people up to common sense, and cataloging our grievance, these bills will get passed. It’s only a matter of time.”

Sources