Organization still allowing men to compete in the women’s division

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called out USA Fencing for violating federal law by letting male athletes, who claim to be transgender women, compete against female athletes. The organization’s breach of federal law came to Sen. Cruz’s attention after Stephanie Turner was disqualified for taking a knee and refusing to compete against her male opponent. In a letter to USA Fencing Chief Executive Officer Phil Andrews, Sen. Cruz criticized the organization’s “commitment to inclusivity” claim as a ploy to support male athletes participating in female sports.

Sen. Cruz highlighted that as the recognized National Governing Body (NGB) for fencing, USA Fencing must comply with all express statutory duties, which include providing a safe environment for female athletes. Furthermore, President Trump issued an executive order entitled Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, which protects the integrity of female athletics by ensuring that only women compete in women’s sports.

USA Fencing’s blatant disregard of NGB statutory duties, as well as President Trump’s executive order, endangers female athletes and may be grounds for Congress to terminate USA Fencing’s recognition as the NGB for fencing.

In his letter, Sen. Cruz writes:

“It has come to my attention that USA Fencing is still permitting men to compete in women’s fencing in violation of federal law. I’m writing to ask why. Your organization is the recognized National Governing Body (NGB) for fencing in the United States, but to remain so it must comply with United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee rules and procedures, its statutory obligations to protect women, and President Trump’s recent Executive Order (EO) on Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports. If it does not, and instead continues to put women at risk, Congress may be forced to terminate USA Fencing’s NGB’s certification.

“Last week, Stephanie Turner from the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia competed at the USA Fencing-sanctioned Cherry Blossom Open Circuit at the University of Maryland. This young woman was set to face a man who now claims to be a transgender woman in a fencing bout. However, at the start of the match, Ms. Turner bravely took a knee and refused to compete against her male opponent. In response to this young woman’s courage, tournament officials presented her with a ‘black card’ and disqualified her from the entire tournament. USA Fencing’s Director of Communications, Bryan Wendell, said the young woman’s disqualification was the ‘direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent,’ a supposed violation of International Fencing Federation (FIE) rules. He then reiterated that USA Fencing remains ‘committed to inclusivity.’

“USA Fencing’s commitment to ‘inclusivity’ is nothing less than full-throated support for males competing in women’s sports in violation of federal law. As the recognized NGB for fencing, USA Fencing is required to provide ‘support and encouragement for participation by women where separate programs for male and female athletes are conducted on a national basis’ as well as a ‘safe environment in sports.’ Failure to do so is grounds for the United States Congress to terminate USA Fencing’s certification as a NGB. Moreover, USA Fencing must comply with President Trump’s February 2025 EO on Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, which protects the integrity of female athletics by ensuring that only women compete in women’s sports. The EO calls on the Secretary of State to ‘use all appropriate and available measures to see that the International Olympic Committee amends the standards governing Olympic sports to promote fairness, safety, and the best interests of female athletes by ensuring that eligibility for participation in women’s sporting events is determined according to sex and not gender identity or testosterone reduction.’ The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and all NGBs are required to adhere to federal policies set pursuant to this EO to remain in good standing as a recognized NGB.

“Male fencers naturally possess inherent advantages over potential female competitors. Men tend to be taller, have greater muscle mass, and more testosterone—all advantages for fencing movements like lunges, jumping, or leg power measures. The international community has broadly recognized the dire consequences of males unfairly competing in women’s sports. A recent United Nations report, Violence Against Women and Girls, Its Causes and Consequences, emphasizes that female athletes are ‘more vulnerable to sustaining serious physical injuries when female-only sports are opened to males.’ It highlights multiple instances where women athletes forced to compete against men sustained injuries like concussions, broken legs, and skull fractures. The report further notes that, as of March 2024, ‘over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions ha[d] lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports’ to males, and explicitly concluding that ‘males have certain performance advantages in sports.’ Simply put, it’s time our own national bodies recognize the same.”

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