Minnesota Fencing Division Eliminates Women's Competitions Rather Than Ban Trans Athletes

The USA Fencing Minnesota division has announced it will no longer sanction sex-based competitions, opting instead for only mixed-gender events — a move that will force female athletes to compete against not only transgender-identifying males but also the entire male field.

The decision is a direct response to USA Fencing’s updated transgender athlete policy, which took effect on August 1 and now bans biological males from competing in the women’s division. USA Fencing made the change after the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) updated its athlete safety policy to align with President Donald Trump’s "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" executive order.

Rather than comply, Minnesota’s division condemned the change as "harmful."

"The Minnesota Division would like to affirm our commitment to inclusion and acknowledge the harmful effects of the new USA Fencing policy as guided by the USOPC's guidelines," the organization said in a statement. "The recent changes in the USA Fencing policy, in line with USOPC guidelines, has caused pain and confusion in the entire fencing community."

The division further claimed it is bound by the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which protects gender identity.

"We are currently seeking guidance on how to move forward without violating either [the USA Fencing policy or the Minnesota Human Rights Act]," the statement reads. "Due to this, only mixed events will be sanctioned at this time. Trans and nonbinary fencers belong here, and we see you."

USA Fencing Finally Amends Its Gender Eligibility Policy

The Minnesota decision comes after months of controversy surrounding USA Fencing’s gender eligibility policy. The national governing body has been under scrutiny since April 2, when video surfaced of female fencer Stephanie Turner kneeling to protest a trans-identifying male opponent at a Maryland competition. Turner was disqualified and given a black card, sparking widespread backlash.

The incident was later discussed at the May 7 Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports congressional hearing, where Turner testified against USA Fencing chair Damien Lehfeldt.

In early June, USA Fencing’s board voted to amend two other controversial policies: one that prioritized LGBTQ-friendly states for hosting events and another that could have prevented the national anthem from being played at some competitions.

Shortly after, two USA Fencing board members — Andrey Geva and Abdel Salem — sued the other six at-large members, accusing Lehfeldt of making false statements to Congress. USA Fencing has vowed to "vigorously defend the organization in court."

Minnesota Continues To Defy Both Title IX And President Trump's Executive Order

For women in Minnesota sports, the fencing decision is not an isolated incident. It’s just the latest example of a state willing to sacrifice safety and fairness in the name of "inclusion."

Following Trump's February executive order, the U.S. Department of Education launched Title IX investigations into several states — including Minnesota — over policies allowing biological males in girls’ sports.

Earlier this summer, the state made national headlines when Champlin Park High School’s girls’ softball team won the Class AAAA Minnesota state championship with a trans-identifying male pitcher on the mound. That player, Marissa Rothenberger, pitched every inning of the postseason and helped deliver the title while players, coaches and parents across the state were told to keep their objections quiet.

EXCLUSIVE: After Being Forced To Compete With A Male Athlete, This Minnesota Softball Player Is Fighting Back

That controversy prompted the Department of Education to elevate its case to the federal Title IX Special Investigations Team — a joint enforcement effort with the Department of Justice.

Minnesota law also makes it easier for biological males to enter female divisions through a birth certificate loophole: individuals can change the sex marker on their birth certificate with only a doctor’s note or a court order, and the updated document does not have to indicate it was amended. This allows male athletes to appear eligible for female-only categories even when national policies forbid it.

Minnesota has eliminated sex-based competitions in repsonse to a new USA Fencing policy that bans biological males from women's division.

(Getty Images)

Minnesota has made it very clear: when faced with a choice between protecting women and ideological grandstanding, the state will side with ideology every time — even if it means girls lose their own category entirely.