A quiet revolution has been taking place in the world of sword sports in the wake of controversy about trans participation in fencing in the United States. At a regional tournament held in Maryland on April 13, fencer Stephanie Turner—who had successfully competed against men in a mixed tournament the previous weekend—took a knee and refused to fence in a pool bout (that is, a preliminary match) with a transgender fencer. Turner was consequently, and in line with the sport’s published rules, expelled from the event.
Turner, who had ensured her refusal and expulsion were filmed, quickly took to social media, and the right-wing spin machine swiftly made hay out of what would have otherwise been a non-event. Senator Ted Cruz sent USA Fencing, the sport’s official governing body, a letter stating that the organization was compelled to obey President Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order and demanding information on the number of trans female fencers participating.
USA Fencing chair Damien Lehfeldt was called before Congress, where DOGE subcommittee chair Marjorie Taylor Greene castigated him for allowing “biological males” to compete in women’s sport. Lehfeldt stated before the committee that fencing was more about skill than sheer physicality and was subsequently sued by former U.S. Olympic coach Andrey Geva and former U.S. Air Force Academy head coach Abdel Salem for making “false statements.”
USA Fencing disqualified fencer Stephanie Turner from a women's tournament in Maryland after she refused to face an opponent who she says is transgender.
Supporters maintain that USA Fencing, as a National Governing Organization for an Olympic sport, is not directly under government oversight. It is allowed by the U.S. and International Olympic Committees, as well as the Fédération Internationale d’Escrime, the sport’s international governing body, to establish its own gender-participation policies. Currently, USA Fencing follows the widespread guideline allowing transgender women to compete in women’s categories after one year of hormone replacement therapy. Conversely, Stephanie Turner’s would-be opponent had, in fact, to leave her college women’s team due to the Trump administration’s forcing the NCAA to change its participation policies.
Other sword-sport organizations, however, have no need to conform to either executive orders or international rules and reacted to the imbroglio by reaffirming their commitment to inclusion. Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) has long been a trans-affirming space, even going so far as to offer “gender equity” divisions based on self-identification instead of establishing objective criteria, while the Society for Creative Anachronism, the world’s largest reenactment/recreation organization, has long been actively trans-affirming.
“Transphobia has no place in HEMA,” the HEMA Alliance, which may be characterized as a national umbrella group rather than a governing body, stated in an official Facebook post. “The HEMA Alliance believes our art should be an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”
The SCA, which does not have gender categories in its combat sports, did not issue a direct statement. However, the organization has a long history of trans visibility and participation. The May President’s letter doubled down on affirming the SCA as an inclusive space and moved to implement a code of conduct that prohibits (among other things) discrimination and bullying on the basis of gender.
SCA members, meanwhile, have been vocally affirming their support for trans rights on social media. The private “SCA Rapier Combat” group on Facebook, for instance, has had discussions about appropriate monikers for non-binary fencers, genital protection for trans women who have not had gender-affirming surgery, and how best to coach women and trans people.
It gives us hope that no matter what happens on a national level, or what pressure the Trump administration may be able to leverage on the modern sport of fencing, modern medievalist spaces, in keeping with their counterculture roots, will most likely remain ungovernable.
By Ken Mondschein
A quiet revolution has been taking place in the world of sword sports in the wake of controversy about trans participation in fencing in the United States. At a regional tournament held in Maryland on April 13, fencer Stephanie Turner—who had successfully competed against men in a mixed tournament the previous weekend—took a knee and refused to fence in a pool bout (that is, a preliminary match) with a transgender fencer. Turner was consequently, and in line with the sport’s published rules, expelled from the event.
Turner, who had ensured her refusal and expulsion were filmed, quickly took to social media, and the right-wing spin machine swiftly made hay out of what would have otherwise been a non-event. Senator Ted Cruz sent USA Fencing, the sport’s official governing body, a letter stating that the organization was compelled to obey President Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order and demanding information on the number of trans female fencers participating.
USA Fencing chair Damien Lehfeldt was called before Congress, where DOGE subcommittee chair Marjorie Taylor Greene castigated him for allowing “biological males” to compete in women’s sport. Lehfeldt stated before the committee that fencing was more about skill than sheer physicality and was subsequently sued by former U.S. Olympic coach Andrey Geva and former U.S. Air Force Academy head coach Abdel Salem for making “false statements.”
Supporters maintain that USA Fencing, as a National Governing Organization for an Olympic sport, is not directly under government oversight. It is allowed by the U.S. and International Olympic Committees, as well as the Fédération Internationale d’Escrime, the sport’s international governing body, to establish its own gender-participation policies. Currently, USA Fencing follows the widespread guideline allowing transgender women to compete in women’s categories after one year of hormone replacement therapy. Conversely, Stephanie Turner’s would-be opponent had, in fact, to leave her college women’s team due to the Trump administration’s forcing the NCAA to change its participation policies.
Other sword-sport organizations, however, have no need to conform to either executive orders or international rules and reacted to the imbroglio by reaffirming their commitment to inclusion. Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) has long been a trans-affirming space, even going so far as to offer “gender equity” divisions based on self-identification instead of establishing objective criteria, while the Society for Creative Anachronism, the world’s largest reenactment/recreation organization, has long been actively trans-affirming.
“Transphobia has no place in HEMA,” the HEMA Alliance, which may be characterized as a national umbrella group rather than a governing body, stated in an official Facebook post. “The HEMA Alliance believes our art should be an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”
The SCA, which does not have gender categories in its combat sports, did not issue a direct statement. However, the organization has a long history of trans visibility and participation. The May President’s letter doubled down on affirming the SCA as an inclusive space and moved to implement a code of conduct that prohibits (among other things) discrimination and bullying on the basis of gender.
SCA members, meanwhile, have been vocally affirming their support for trans rights on social media. The private “SCA Rapier Combat” group on Facebook, for instance, has had discussions about appropriate monikers for non-binary fencers, genital protection for trans women who have not had gender-affirming surgery, and how best to coach women and trans people.
It gives us hope that no matter what happens on a national level, or what pressure the Trump administration may be able to leverage on the modern sport of fencing, modern medievalist spaces, in keeping with their counterculture roots, will most likely remain ungovernable.
Ken Mondschein is a scholar, writer, college professor, fencing master, and occasional jouster. Ken’s latest book is On Time: A History of Western Timekeeping. Click here to visit his website.
Click here to read more from Ken Mondschein
Top Image: Melee fighting in the Society for Creative Anachronism – photo by Jonathunder / Wikimedia Commons
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