Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, has initiated an investigation into USA Fencing’s policy permitting transgender-identifying males to compete in women’s categories.
This action follows female fencer Stephanie Turner’s recent refusal to compete against Redmond Sullivan, a biological male identifying as female.
USA Fencing’s policy allows athletes to participate based on their self-identified gender rather than biological sex. In a letter obtained by OutKick, Cruz asserts that this policy violates federal law, referencing President Donald Trump’s executive order barring transgender-identifying males from women’s sports. He warns that non-compliance could lead to the revocation of USA Fencing’s status as the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport.
In the letter, Cruz wrote, “It has come to my attention that USA Fencing is still permitting men to compete in women’s fencing in violation of federal law.”
“To remain [the fencing NGB, the organization] must comply with United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee rules and procedures, its statutory obligations to protect women, and President Trump’s recent Executive Order (EO) on Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports. If it does not, and instead continues to put women at risk, Congress may be forced to terminate USA Fencing’s NGB certification,” the letter went on to add.
Cruz emphasizes the inherent physical advantages males possess over females in sports, citing factors such as greater height, muscle mass, and testosterone levels, which he argues provide competitive edges in fencing movements like lunges and jumps.
While USA Fencing declined to respond directly to the letter, it has defended its policy. The organization reiterated its stance, stating: “The policy is based on the principle that everyone should have the ability to participate in sports and was based upon the research available of the day… USA Fencing will always err on the side of inclusion, and we’re committed to amending the policy as more relevant evidence-based research emerges, or as policy changes take effect in the wider Olympic & Paralympic movement.”
