USA Fencing transgender controversy gets DOGE hearing after Stephanie Turner is punished for protest kneel

The hearing is scheduled for May 7. 

Turner has been invited to the hearing along with Damien Lehfeldt, board chair of USA Fencing, to testify.

"Women's sports are for women only. Radical leftists pushing to let biological men compete against women are destroying fair competition and putting female athletes in physical danger. Stephanie Turner had the courage to call out this insanity, and she's a hero to women across America," Greene said in the announcement. 

"USA Fencing must be held accountable for demeaning women and denying them of the chance to succeed in their own sport. It is out of compliance with President Trump's executive order and it should not be recognized as the National Governing Body for fencing if it continues to defy the law."

"USA Fencing will respond and cooperate to any inquiry as required by law," the statement said. 

The incident involving Turner quickly drew national attention after a video of her taking a knee to protest Sullivan went viral. The footage ignited widespread awareness and backlash against USA Fencing's gender eligibility policies. 

Turner told Fox News Digital she decided to take a knee the night before the event when she checked the competition pools and saw she would be competing against Sullivan.

"I saw that I was going to be in a pool with Redmond, and from there I said, 'OK, let's do it. I'm going to take the knee,'" Turner said. "I knew what I had to do because USA Fencing had not been listening to women's objections regarding [its gender eligibility policy]."

"USA Fencing enacted our current transgender and nonbinary athlete policy in 2023. The policy was designed to expand access to the sport of fencing and create inclusive, safe spaces. The policy is based on the principle that everyone should have the ability to participate in sports and was based upon the research available of the day," the statement said.

A USA Fencing spokesperson also told Fox News Digital Turner was not penalized for her stance against trans inclusion. She was penalized for refusing to compete. 

"In the case of Stephanie Turner, her disqualification was not related to any personal statement but was merely the direct result of her decision to decline to fence an eligible opponent, which the FIE rules clearly prohibit," the spokesperson said.

USA Fencing then addressed the controversy with a public statement Thursday, defending its trans-inclusion policies. 

"USA Fencing remains committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful community for everyone in our sport. We believe in the principle of creating safe communities where all athletes, and community members, have a place," the statement said. 

"While we understand there are a range of perspectives, USA Fencing will continue to engage in respectful, research-based dialogue and review as policy evolves in the Olympic and Paralympic movement as well as domestic law. Hate speech of any kind is not acceptable - online or in person. Let's keep the conversation respectful and the strip welcoming to all." 

The organization first enacted its current trans-inclusion policy in 2023. It allows transgender athletes to compete in the women's category at both the junior and senior level after completing one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment. Proof of compliant hormone therapy must be provided prior to competition, but the organization has taken even further steps to prioritize its trans competitors.