Riley Gaines praises fencer who refused to compete against trans opponent

Right before a match against a transgender opponent, fencer Stephanie Turner took a knee and forefeited her match.

Ahead of a bout at the Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland over the weekend, Turner, 31, decided not to compete against trans athlete Redmond Sullivan.

It was a move Riley Gaines supported, calling Turner a “heroine.”

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Women’s fencer Stephanie Turner kneels in protest in front of transgender athlete Redmond Sullivan (Courtesy of Icons)

“Isn’t it amazing how simply this can be explained? The other side likes to say this is complex, it’s a complex issue. Stephanie Turner is a heroine in my eyes,” Gaines told “America’s Newsroom.” 

“This was at a junior women’s Olympic qualifying event. So, it’s a really big deal. These aren’t scrubs. This is the pinnacle of their sport at this point. I commend her for taking this measure. It’s not easy to do, ultimately deciding to boycott. But it’s the most effective way to say enough is enough.”

Gaines, who swam four years at the University of Kentucky, including against Penn’s Lia Thomas, then took a shot at the NCAA.

“The NCAA has continued to deceive the American people, and they’ve deceived President Trump in this. … The NCAA is repeatedly rewarding the replacement of women in order to champion men and women’s sport, which is exactly why myself and about 19 other plaintiffs are suing the NCAA.

Fencer Stephanie Turner kneels in front of a USA Fencing official (Courtesy of Icons)

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“When they use the word inclusion, what they really mean is exclusion. And the people they are excluding are women.”

Turner made her decision to forfeit the night before the event when she checked the competition pools and saw that she would be facing Sullivan, whom she had read about in an article last year. 

“I knew what I had to do because USA Fencing had not been listening to women’s objections regarding [its gender eligibility policy],” Turner said. “I took a knee immediately at that point. Redmond was under the impression that I was going to start fencing. So, 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.'”

Minutes later, the referees issued Turner a black card, the sport’s most severe penalty, leading to her ejection from the tournament.

Fencer Stephanie Turner kneels before a USA Fencing official (Courtesy of Icons)

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A USA Fencing spokesperson told Fox News Digital Turner was not penalized for her stance against trans inclusion. Instead, she was punished for refusing to compete. 

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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