When female fencer Stephanie Turner took a knee to protest against fighting a trans player, Redmond Sullivan, she was handed a black card, the most serious repercussion in the tournament. She was immediately disqualified from the event.
Many people have come in her support, including the Tennis star Martina Navratilova. The tennis star says how furious she is over Stephanie being disqualified. She agrees that Sullivan had an unfair advantage here and Turner should not have to fight a biological male.
Martina Navratilova posted on X, “This is what happens when female athletes protest!” She asked people if anyone here thinks this is fair. Navratilova further says, “I am fuming… and shame on @USAFencing, shame on you for doing this. How dare you throw women under the gender bullsh*t bus!!!”
‘HOW DARE YOU’: Martina Navratilova unleashes on USA Fencing after female fencer Stephanie Turner was issued the most severe penalty in the sport and escorted out of an American fencing tournament after kneeling and refusing to compete against a trans opponent. pic.twitter.com/tvRpsSOrw1
— Rick Nick (@ricknick59) April 4, 2025
Many social media users have come in support of both Turner and Navratilova. However, the trans community isn’t too happy. Navratilova isn’t new to voicing her opinion over transgender participation in sports. In 2018, she tweeted that anyone cannot participate in women’s sports just by saying they are female. There must be some standard, and biological males do not fit that standard.
As a result, she was dropped by an LGBTQ+ non-profit that she had co-founded. The organization Athlete Ally called her transphobic and that she does not follow science to be aware of the reality. Moreover, they said she is perpetuating dangerous myths and targeting the trans community.
Navratilova had her defense ready! She retaliated, saying, “I had a transgender coach [Renée Richards] for f**k’s sake. But I am supposed to be transphobic!” This seems logical. If she was transphobic, why would she associate herself with someone who’s trans?
Martina Navratilova blasts USA Fencing over disqualification of Stephanie Turner due to her refusal to compete against a transgender athlete 🤺
READ more here: https://t.co/oEMXR5aLYS pic.twitter.com/FljaehKBEU
— FirstSportz Tennis (@FS_Tennis1) April 3, 2025
Navratilova clearly says that trans players ‘cheat,’ implying how strong they are in comparison to female players. Just with some hormone replacement, they cannot become females if they were born males. 40 years ago, Navratilova defeated Renee Richards, a trans player. Navratilova was the same player she would coach in the future for the same sport.
Her coach was Renée Richards who was a successful American tennis player. Navratilova has always supported female-only teams in sports and has been against biological males in the same teams. She says they definitely have more advantage over women. By not supporting trans players in the female sports, she does not mean they are impossible to beat, it’s just unfair for women.
Even though the USA Fencing Association allows the participation of trans players, they do not have any set rules or test hormonal levels to ensure fairness in the game. Their policy includes all genders. Moreover, their statement to the whole issue was that they are inclusive and respect each party. However, they haven’t retracted Turner’s black card punishment or reached out to her.
