BUZZ
Agreement comes after it allowed a man to participate in women’s fencing
New York City’s Wagner College has “voluntarily agreed to resolve concerns” surrounding the participation of men in women’s sports competitions.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Education, Wagner will comply with Title IX and also apologize for allowing a male to compete on its women’s fencing team.
In early spring, the school was put in the spotlight after fencer Stephanie Turner refused to compete against Wagner’s Redmond Sullivan, a biological male, in the Cherry Blossom Open at the University of Maryland.
Turner took a knee before the match against Sullivan, which got her penalized with a “black card,” fencing’s ultimate penalty for “serious rule infractions or unsportsmanlike behavior.”
She also was slapped with a year’s probation from the sport.
Sullivan, who was not officially representing Wagner at the tournament, reportedly warned Turner that a member of USA Fencing’s board of directors “supported” him, and that she would be penalized for refusing to compete against him.
Turner replied “I know.”
The Ed. Dept. noted Sullivan had competed on Wagner’s men’s fencing team in 2023-2024, but switched to the women’s team the following year where he was crowned champ at the Connecticut Division Junior Olympic Qualifiers last December.
??Historic Protest: Female Fencer Takes a Knee in Bout Against Male Opponent, Faces Immediate Disqualification
After receiving a black card for refusing to compete against a man, Redmond Sullivan’s female opponent was expelled from the @USAFencing event at the Univ. of… pic.twitter.com/IloSnrb2Iu
— ICONS (@icons_women) April 2, 2025
According to the settlement with the Ed. Dept., Wagner College will
— amend its athletic policy to adopt biology-based definitions for the words “male” and “female” pursuant to Title IX,
— issue a public statement to the college community stating that it will comply with Title IX, specifying that Title IX forbids Wagner from allowing male students to compete in female athletic programs and from occupying female intimate facilities …
— post the statement in a prominent location on its main website and on each of its websites for women’s athletics,
— rescind any guidance that authorized males to compete in women’s athletics, remove or revise any internal and public-facing statements or documents that are inconsistent with Title IX, and notify all staff and women’s athletics teams of all such rescissions,
— issue a personalized letter of apology to any Wagner College female fencer and issue a public statement of apology to all female athletes who were required to compete against a male in a Wagner athletics program designated for women.
In a statement, Wagner lamented “that some student-athletes were negatively impacted by Wagner’s following [previous] rules.” It also apologized “to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage” and for “any distress anyone experienced as a result of the College’s adherence to the policies in effect at the time.”
MORE: Two colleges say male athletes no longer competing on women’s teams after controversy
IMAGE CAPTION & CREDIT: Stephanie Turner takes a knee rather than face a male opponent; Fox News/X
