USA Fencing’s Minnesota Branch to Sanction Only ‘Mixed Events’ in Response to Trans Ban

The Minnesota division of USA Fencing will protest the league’s ban on men in women’s events by only sanctioning mixed-gender events going forward.

According to Fox News, USA Fencing issued a new policy by ensuring “that only biological females are able to compete in the women’s category last month after the entire U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) updated its athlete safety policy to suggest compliance with President Donald Trump’s ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’ executive order.”

The Minnesota USA Fencing division labeled it “harmful” and doubled down on its commitment to inclusion while demanding that USA Fencing adhere to the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

“The Minnesota Division would like to confirm our commitment to inclusion and acknowledge the harmful effects of the new USA Fencing policy as guided by the USOPC’s guidelines,” the division said. “The recent changes in the USA Fencing policy, in line with USOPC guidelines, has caused pain and confusion in the entire fencing community.”

“We are currently seeking guidance on how to move forward without violating either [the USA Fencing policy or the Minnesota Human Rights Act]. Due to this, only mixed events will be sanctioned at this time,” it continued. “Trans and nonbinary fencers belong here, and we see you.”

As Breitbart News reported recently, women’s fencer Stephanie Turner refused a match against a transgender opponent at the Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland, opting to take a knee instead. When Turner learned that she would be facing off against transgender fencer Redmond Sullivan, she wanted her protest to be caught on video and decided to take a knee just before the match began. She had already participated in warmups and competed in four bouts that day.

Not only did USA Fencing defend its inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports, but Damien Lehfelt, the chair of USA Fencing, was seen publicly championing men who disadvantage women after being called out. The Independent Council of Women’s Sports shared several screenshots from Lehfelt’s Instagram Stories in which he outright said that “cisgendered” women should be disadvantaged while arrogantly thumbing his nose in the face of a woman who complained about his stance.

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.