Minnesota Fencing has decided to ensure that women are excluded from the podium, no matter what the powers-that-be say.
This is what "inclusion" means in the 21st century. No women allowed.
Read more: https://t.co/oPyrQD34yO
— ICONS (@icons_women) August 5, 2025
The decision was made to eliminate the women's fencing category in response to USA Fencing's decision to exclude "transgender women" from competing in the sport.
USA Fencing's decision was obviously the right call because many men have natural advantages over women based on their biological makeup, and testosterone suppression is not a sufficient tool to even the playing field.
Minnesota Fencing, though, is angry because the decision might hurt the feelings of some men who want to cheat.
The USA Fencing Minnesota division announced plans to only sanction mixed-gender events moving forward in response to new policies that prevent biologically male trans athletes from competing in women's competitions.
USA Fencing changed its policies to ensure that only biological females are able to compete in the women's category last month after the entire U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) updated its athlete safety policy to suggest compliance with President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order.
As a practical matter, of course, the real victims of Minnesota Fencing's decision are women who should be allowed to compete with other women. But that is no barrier to making this change to their policy, because these women are "cisgender," and hence lower on the intersectional ladder than transgender "women."
This is what they call "equity."
"The Minnesota Division would like to confirm our commitment to inclusion and acknowledge the harmful effects of the new USA Fencing policy as guidened by the USOPC's guidelines," the announcement began. "The recent changes in the USA Fencing policy, in line with USOPC guidelines, has caused pain and confusion in the entire fencing community."
The announcement went on to insist that the division must follow 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]. Due to this, only mixed events will be sanctioned at this time," the announcement read.
Minnesota Fencing may have a point on the second issue they bring up, although their first--the "inclusiveness" claim--is utterly absurd. Minnesota Human Rigths laws were changed recently to make gender identity a protected class and could be interpreted--and would be by Minnesota courts--to require ignoring the masculine biology of transgender "women."
It's all based on The Science™, you know. Men in dresses are women because they use the word, and words are magic.
USA Fencing has been under a national microscope for its gender eligibility policy since April 2, when footage of women's fencer Stephanie Turner kneeling to protest a trans opponent at a competition in Maryland went viral. Turner was disqualified and given a black card for her refusal to face the trans opponent, prompting mass backlash against USA Fencing.
The controversy was then the subject of a federal hearing on May 7. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee's "Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" saw Turner testify against USA Fencing chair Damien Lehfeldt.
In early June, USA Fencing's board of directors voted to amend its previous policy that prioritized states with LGBTQ-friendly laws for host sites for competitions and a policy that may have prevented the playing of the national anthem at some events. Both of those policies were also highly criticized in the aftermath of Turner's viral protest.
This controversy shows how insane our politics and culture have become. Based on the absurdities of Critical Theory, basic scientific facts have been tossed out the window as irrelevant for no other reason than to cater to the delusions, or often the sexual fantasies, of men who want to invade women's spaces.
Women fought for and achieved advancements that ensured they had women's spaces recognizing their essential needs, which differ from those of men. However, these achievements have been erased for no other reason than the invention of a new reality by a group of academics and activists.
That anybody tolerated this, no less defended the idea and turned it into law, is bizarre and worrying. It serves as a reminder that, despite its seeming ivory tower nature, academia has a profound influence over our lives.
