Sportswomen have boldly taken a stand against biological men competing in women’s sports, with a female disc golfer and female fencer both refusing to compete against males.
Disc golfer Abigail Wilson walked off the course in protest at the Music City Open in Tennessee, USA, saying “Females must be protected in our division. This is unfair. I refuse to play.” She lost her place in the competition.
Just days before, fencer Stephanie Turner similarly refused to participate in a bout as part of the Cherry Blossom tournament at the University of Maryland when she found that she was pitted against Redmond Sullivan, who competed in men’s events in 2023.
‘Time to speak up’
Remarking on her walkout at the Music City Disc Golf tournament, Wilson explained: “Today I most likely ended my career and that is OK because this is bigger than me.”
She continued: “Females deserve to have their gender-protected division be protected. This is unfair.
“I have worked so hard to get to this point to play on the DGPT [Disc Golf Pro Tour], but the sacrifice of my career and my hard work is worth it if it means I can make a difference for other women, daughters, nieces, and the future of our sport.”
She urged the public: “If you feel how wrong it is to have biological males be competing in female-protected divisions in sports, now is the time to speak up and stand your ground.”
Safety concerns
As her fencing bout was set to begin, Stephanie Turner took a knee, lowered her weapon and removed her helmet before telling the referee: “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.”
She later explained her safety concerns: “In sabre, there’s a definite risk of concussion, because there are shots to the head. In épée, it is a much heavier weapon, so you can get very bruised and bloodied if you are hit particularly hard by a man. In general it creates a psychological factor.”
Turner expressed her frustration that any concerns she had were shut down by USA fencing, saying: “They just direct you to the policy and insist they’re in the right. But the policy isn’t pro-women or pro-girls in any way.”
She added: “I have a ‘buck stops here’ type of mentality. I’m done with this. I want my case to be the one that changes things”.
Inclusivity
USA Fencing’s transgender policy states: “athletes will be permitted to participate in a manner consistent with gender identity or expression, regardless of the gender associated with the sex they were assigned at birth”.
The organisation released a statement defending their policy after Turner’s protest went viral, saying: “USA Fencing enacted our current transgender and non-binary athlete policy in 2023. The policy was designed to expand access to the sport of fencing and create inclusive, safe spaces.”
Martina Navratilova, a former tennis champion, wrote on social media: “This is what happens when female athletes protest! Anyone here still thinks this is fair??? I am fuming… and shame on @USAFencing, shame on you for doing this.”
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