The USA Fencing board recently convened for a special meeting, voting down several proposed amendments to its existing policies. These included motions to play the national anthem before competitions, establish an all-female task force to review the transgender athlete policy, and revise the organization's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI) initiatives.
This meeting followed an open letter from the Fair Fencing Organization (FFO), urging the board to reconsider its positions on various matters. The FFO's concerns encompassed issues such as tournament location selection criteria related to state abortion laws, transgender athlete inclusion, and DEI policies. The organization emphasized the importance of prioritizing the interests of its members over political correctness.
One motion sought to modify the USA Fencing Site Selection Inclusion Policy to offer increased flexibility at the city level regarding protections for women and LGBTQIA+ members. While the board unanimously approved the aspect of increased city-level flexibility, they rejected (9-1 with one abstention) the proposed amendment to discontinue the use of LGBTMAP.org in site selection.
The board also voted against (8-3) forming an all-female task force, which would have potentially included a transgender fencer, to reassess the current transgender athlete policy. A separate motion to restructure the DEI office and reallocate its funding was similarly rejected (9-1 with one abstention).
Beyond the issues raised by the FFO, the board addressed other topics. A proposal to play the national anthem at the beginning of national championships and other major tournaments was defeated (8-2 with one abstention). Another motion aimed at prohibiting podium and tournament protests was also voted down (8-3), effectively allowing such demonstrations to continue.
In a statement released before the meeting, USA Fencing highlighted that its board members are elected representatives tasked with acting in the best interests of the entire fencing community.
