An Open Letter to Our Fencing Club re. Stephanie Turner & Rep. Greene's Congressional Inquiry
- Maria Keffler
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
On March 30, 2025, fencer Stephanie Turner took a knee at the Cherry Blossom Open in College Park, MD, rather than spar against a transgender-identified male fencer who just the year before had fenced on both the men's and women's teams at his college. Turner was black-carded and escorted off the tournament grounds.
Turner's quiet act of defiance sparked outrage both among the fencing and transgender-rights communities as well as among those who agree with Turner that men do not belong in women's sports.
My daughter fenced at that tournament as well. This week, I and other parents received an email from the manager of her club, asking us to "[support] equity and inclusion in sport." Below is the email I received, followed by my response.
Dear Friends,
As many of you know, Coach D--- is not only a loved member of our coaching staff, but he also serves as the President of USA Fencing. Both USA Fencing and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) are committed to ensuring inclusive access to sport for all athletes, including transgender athletes.
Recently, USA Fencing’s inclusive stance has become a topic of national attention. This follows an incident at the Cherry Blossom ROC, where a foil fencer refused to compete against a transgender athlete. A video of the incident went viral, garnering coverage from Fox News and ultimately drawing the attention of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
As a result, Rep. Greene has subpoenaed Coach D--- to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in his capacity as President of USA Fencing.
While it's important to note that USA Fencing receives no federal funding, the Committee has broad investigatory powers under House Rule X.
We invite you to show your support for [Coach D---] and USA Fencing by attending the upcoming congressional hearing:
Hearing Title: Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports Date: May 7, 2025 Time: 2:00 PM Location: HVC-210, House Visitor’s Center
Please note: To attend the hearing, you must be escorted to the hearing room by a member of your Representative’s office. If you would like to be added to the escort list for Representative Don Beyer’s office, please contact Astrid Garcia at: astrid.garcia@mail.house.gov
Thank you for standing with [Coach] and for supporting equity and inclusion in sport.
Good morning, [Coaches],
I'm sorry that I can't attend this hearing, as I'll be teaching all day. I wish it were a month later, when schools will be on summer vacation.
Coach G--- and I had a conversation a couple of weeks ago about Stephanie Turner and the issue of men in women's sports. I would like to respectfully ask that [our club] consider the unfairness to women when transgender-identified men (men who say they are women) compete in women's sports. I agree that Miss Turner intentionally made her refusal to fence a public event by having a friend film her tacit taking-a-knee performance. But I would argue that she did this because women in sport are being dismissed, silenced, and shamed for wanting women's sports for women.
There is an epidemic of "transwomen" taking women's sports records. And in fact, Redmond Sullivan, the fencer whom Stephanie Turner refused to fight, was fencing on both male and female teams in 2024. How is that fair in any way?
Men have nearly every physical advantage over women. At the Cherry Blossom, where my daughter fenced, her coach told her to use her height and wingspan to her advantage. He recognizes that greater height and arm length confer advantages in fencing.
Stephanie Turner has avoided fencing against men in tournaments, but the problem has become so widespread that she could no longer avoid confrontation. Please consider the unfairness to her and other women, when they are forced to compete against men when the majority of women are at a physical disadvantage to the majority of men.
Please consider also that the only standard by which a person is deemed transgender is his or her own say-so. Any man can simply say, "I'm a transwoman" (as Redmond Sullivan has) and enjoy taking women's opportunities away from them. This is an unfair and unacceptable slap in the face to women.
Thank you for your consideration.
Maria Keffler
Please consider making your voice heard during this Congressional Inquiry if you are able to be on Capitol Hill on May 7. You can also add your voice to the many who have stood up to say that men do not belong in women's sports. Find your Senators and Representatives via this search tool, then simply tell them via email or letter:
"Please vote to protect women and children from men who claim to be women. Men do not belong in women's spaces or women's sports."
Advocates Protecting Children supports individuals, families, churches, and organizations in navigating transgender ideology and the gender industry. Please contact us via our website or email.
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