Now, Turner says a new detail proves exactly why she took a knee in the first place.CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGERedmond Sullivan, the transgender fencer Turner refused to face at the Cherry Blossom Open in March 2025, previously received a $5,000 athletic scholarship per semester while competing at Wagner College, according to a recent CT Mirror profile.Two fencers clash foil swords on a dramatically lit stage to determine the match winner.(Getty Images)Sullivan, who previously fenced for Wagner’s men’s team before moving to the women’s team in 2024, lost the scholarship after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at keeping males out of women’s sports and after the NCAA changed its transgender athlete policy.The CT Mirror profile framed Sullivan’s story as one of loss and rebuilding.
Turner sees it very differently."It’s funny Redmond let it slip in this sob piece that he’s been earning women’s athletic scholarship money, as if women should feel sorry that he’s been stealing money and opportunities from them," Turner told OutKick."It really highlights the obscenity of trans activist claims that ‘transwomen’ just want to be included when in fact they’re earning coveted positions on college sports teams, scholarship money, and awards off the backs of deserving women."Stephanie Turner prepares for competition.(Photo courtesy of Stephanie Turner)Turner became a viral figure in March 2025 when she took a knee rather than fence Sullivan in the Division 1A women’s foil event at the Cherry Blossom Open, a USA Fencing-sanctioned regional tournament held at the University of Maryland.Turner removed her mask, knelt and refused to compete.
She was issued a black card and disqualified from the tournament.At the time, USA Fencing said Turner was not punished for her beliefs, but rather for refusing to fence an eligible competitor.The organization later placed Turner on one year of probation.The incident quickly became ...