Two simultaneous battles occurred at the USA Fencing Cherry Blossom Open in College Park, Maryland on March 30—one with foils, and one for females.
Stephanie Turner made headlines when she took a knee to stand up against USA Fencing’s unfair policies which allow biological men to compete in women’s tournaments. Turner told Fox News, “I told them that I was refusing to fence because this person is a man, and I'm a woman, and this is a women's tournament and I refuse to fence on principle.”
USA Fencing insisted otherwise. “This policy exists to maintain fair competition standards and preserve the sport’s integrity,” the organization told the Associated Press.
Integrity? Let’s look at the scoreboard.
Redmond Sullivan, Turner’s opponent, was a mid-tier male fencer. But in his first women’s tournament? Gold. Canadian Olympic archer Stephanie Barrett soared to the Olympics after dominating female competitions in Canada—post-transition. And of course, Lia Thomas, who ranked 462nd in men’s collegiate swimming, suddenly smashed records once competing as a woman.
If biological males and females are so equal—as activists assert again and again—why is the scoreboard so lopsided?
As a former professional football player, I know firsthand the biological differences between male and female athletes. I would never ask to compete against women—it wouldn’t be physically fair. Male athletes have an inherent advantage and would win 11 times out of 10. Allowing biological males—regardless of gender identity—to compete in female sports doesn’t create equality. It erases opportunity. No more trophies for our daughters, sisters, nieces, or mothers.
We saw this play out again just last weekend in the United Kingdom, where two biological males claimed the final qualifying spots in the Ultimate Pool Women’s Pro Series Event 2. They knocked out female athletes—then competed against each other in a tournament meant for women.
When female athletes refuse to compete against males—who have a clear biological advantage over them—they face backlash. They're painted as intolerant, even though the real intolerance is from athletic organizations bowing to fringe ideology while ignoring basic biology. Sullivan’s defense? “Well you know, there is a member on the board of directors here who supports me, and there is a policy that acknowledges me as a woman, so I am allowed to fence, and you will get black-carded.”
Translation: Sit down, shut up, and lose to a man.
These girls are being lied to. Poll after poll shows most Americans do not approve of biological men competing in women’s sports. That’s not hate—that’s common sense.
President Trump fought to restore female sports to female athletes by signing Executive Order 14201, a major win for female collegiate athletes in America. Unfortunately, it seems the fight is not over yet. Many major athletic institutions, like USA Fencing and even the Olympics, still refuse to draw a clear, rational line: Women’s sports are for females.
Athletes like Riley Gaines—and now, Stephanie Turner—have displayed incredible courage by taking a stand, or a knee, to defend women’s sports from policies that let men take the podium, the medals, and the legacy these women work so hard to earn.
To every female athlete: Speak up, stand firm, and don’t surrender your sport.
Frank Murphy is a former NFL wide receiver who played for the Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers & the Miami Dolphins. He now chairs the Athletes for America Coalition at the America First Policy Institute.