A recent profile of Redmond Sullivan, a transgender fencer, revealed that Sullivan previously received a $5,000 athletic scholarship per semester while competing on the women’s team at Wagner College.

Background

Sullivan, who previously fenced for Wagner’s men’s team, began competing on the women’s team in 2024. However, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at keeping males out of women’s sports and the NCAA changed its transgender athlete policy, Sullivan lost the scholarship.

Stephanie Turner, a fencer who refused to compete against Sullivan in a women’s tournament, argues that the scholarship detail highlights the issue of fairness in women’s sports. Turner believes that the issue is not about participation, but about roster spots, competitive opportunities, awards, and scholarship money.

Recent Developments

The landscape has shifted dramatically since Turner’s protest. USA Fencing changed its policy to require athletes to compete according to biological sex, and the NCAA also changed its policy to limit women’s competition to biological females only. The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of laws restricting males from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.

Turner sees the ruling as a relief, but believes that there is still work to be done at the state level to ensure that women’s sports are protected. Sullivan, on the other hand, has transferred to UConn and is no longer focusing on fencing.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.