A U.S. college has confirmed that a transgender fencer involved in a recent kneeling controversy is no longer part of the women’s fencing team.
Redmond Sullivan made headlines over an incident at a recent tournament that ended with a female fencer being disqualified.
Redmond Sullivan, a transgender fencer, is no longer a member of Wagner College’s women’s team
Highlights
- Transgender fencer Redmond Sullivan is no longer part of Wagner College's women's fencing team following recent NCAA policy changes.
- The news comes after a controversy where a female opponent refused to compete against Sullivan at a fencing tournament, citing gender identity issues.
- Following a presidential order, the NCAA's new policy limits women’s sports participation to those assigned female at birth
Image credits: WagnerCollege
The fencer, who was at the center of the controversy at the USA Fencing tournament in Maryland, became a hot topic on social media.
Sullivan participated in the Cherry Blossom Open last week as part of Wagner College’s women’s team, during which a female opponent refused to compete against her due to her identity as a transgender woman.
Sources said Sullivan, who was assigned male at birth and now uses she/her pronouns, was on Wagner College’s men’s team during the 2023-24 season before joining the women’s team in November 2024.
The announcement comes after the NCAA changed its policy on competition limitations based on gender
Image credits: Wagner Athletics
The news comes shortly after the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) changed its participation policy on February 2, which limits competition in women’s sports to student-athletes assigned female at birth.
The NCAA made its announcement after the U.S. Department of Education said it would launch investigations into several colleges over “apparent Title IX violations” related to transgender women playing women’s sports.
A Wagner College spokesperson said they are in “full compliance with the NCAA”
Image credits: FOX News
When asked why Sullivan will no longer compete on the women’s fencing team, Wagner College Spokesperson Jim Chiavelli said, “We are in full compliance with NCAA and NEC rules and regulations. The fencer is not a member of our fencing team.”
Chiavelli added that Sullivan is not doing interviews with the press for the time being.
In addition to the announcement, it appears that Wagner College’s website also removed information that mentioned Sullivan and the tournaments she had competed in.
Whether Sullivan was removed from the team or left voluntarily is unclear
Image credits: icons_women
According to the Department of Education, Title IX protects people from discrimination based on s*x in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.
The policy change follows a presidential executive order aimed at preventing transgender individuals from taking part in women’s sports.
Sullivan’s departure from the college team is likely tied to the new policy and due to threats of withdrawn federal funding, though the college has not confirmed this.
It’s unclear whether Sullivan left the team voluntarily or was removed.
In a previous tournament, Sullivan made headlines when her opponent refused to compete against her over her identity
Image credits: icons_women
At the Maryland fencing competition last month, Sullivan’s opponent, Stephanie Turner, took a knee and refused to compete against her opponent, telling her, “I am sorry. I have a lot of love and respect for you, but I will not fence you.”
As a result of her refusal, Turner was issued a black card, expelling her from the competition.
“When I took the knee, I looked at the ref and I said, ‘I’m sorry, I cannot do this. I am a woman, and this is a man, and this is a women’s tournament. And I will not fence this individual,’” Turner said in an interview with Fox News.
Sullivan was told: “I have a lot of love and respect for you, but I will not fence you”
Image credits: Reduxx
Following her stance at the Maryland tournament, Turner was recognized by the controversial anti-trans brand XX-XY Athletics, which calls itself “the only athletic brand that stands up for women's sports.”
The brand, led by its founder Jennifer Sey, awarded the fencer $5,000, a Courage Wins Award, and admittance into a leadership program.
Stephanie Turner was disqualified from the tournament after refusing to compete against Sullivan
Image credits: icons_women
USA Fencing released a statement saying that Turner's disqualification was “not related to any personal statement,” but instead “the direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent, which the FIE [International Fencing Federation] rules clearly prohibit.”
After her disqualification, Turner went on social media to share her story, which quickly went viral.
Turner received $5,000 for her stance against Sullivan from XX-XY Athletics, led by founder Jennifer Sey (pictured below)
Image credits: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Some online users disagreed with Turner, saying fencing is not a gender-specific sport.
One user asked, “Why does it matter? They use swords, not hand-to-hand.”
Another praised USA Fencing, saying, “Good. She should’ve fought her opponent and gave herself a chance to win. If she lost, then she could contest the loss. You can’t just refuse because you don’t like your opponent."
Image credits: JenniferSey
A third called Turner a bigot, saying, “Sounds like she got what she asked for. Fencing is not a sport that should be gender specific. This woman was clearly just a bigot and afraid of losing. Like refusing to play Chess with a trans person. There was zero advantage just bigotry at play here.”
Another user with fencing experience added, “As someone who has actually fenced, gender does not matter here. My fencing partners were always male, and I never felt they had an advantage. Even if they were larger.”
After the incident, Texas attorney Paxton initiated an investigation into USA Fencing
Image credits: FOX News
Following the incident, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton initiated an investigation into USA Fencing over Turner’s disqualification, issuing a “Civil Investigative Demand” over potential violations of Texas law, even though the event was held in Maryland.
Paxton defended Turner, saying she had “bravely” taken a knee “instead of competing against a biological male.”
Online users reacted to Wagner College's announcement
