Athletes sue USA Fencing for allowing transgender fencers in KC tournament
Three fencers have filed a federal lawsuit against USA Fencing, alleging that transgender female fencers were allowed to compete in a Kansas City tournament in January under false advertisement and without disclosing the status of athletes .
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Kansas City, alleges the fencing body never implemented a system to monitor or verify compliance with the hormone guidelines for transgender female fencers and allowed transgender female fencers to compete without hormone suppression medication.
The fencers claim false advertisement because the status of transgender and non-binary athletes is not disclosed “leaving female athletes and parents unable to make informed participation decisions,” the suit alleges.
The suit, filed by attorney Karin Sweigart, who has previously represented President Donald Trump in lawsuits, alleges USA Fencing’s policies on transgender athletes violated Title IX protocols on sex discrimination in federally funded educational programs and created a “deceptive impression of sex-segregated competition while, in reality, abolishing it.”
USA Fencing is a nonprofit based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that receives direct and indirect federal funding, the suit alleges.
The class-action suit was filed on behalf of United States Olympian Margherita Guzzi Vincenti, veteran fencer Patricia Hughes and senior fencer Emma Griffin, who all competed at the North American Cup in Kansas City from January 3-6.
USA Fencing, the body’s CEO Phil Andrews, former chair Damien Lehfeldt, and current chair Scott Rodgers are among the 10 board members named as defendants.
The suit alleges Lehfeldt falsely testified to a U.S. Congress subcommittee in May that the fencing body is not an educational institution and never received federal funding, making them not subject to Title IX or President Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order.
In a statement, USA Fencing stated it is aware of the lawsuit.
“We strongly dispute its allegations,” the statement said. “We will address this matter through the legal process and have no further comment at this time.”
USA Fencing’s policies from 2022 to summer 2025 allowed youth fencers to compete under the gender they identify with under no restrictions.
Transgender junior, senior and veteran male fencers had to receive a medical exception for testosterone treatment and couldn’t compete in women’s competitions. Transgender female athletes under the same classes had to have one year of testosterone suppression treatment and provide proof of compliant hormone therapy.
Non-binary fencers could compete as which gender identified as; if they chose the gender opposite of their sex assigned at birth, they were required to follow guidelines for transgender athletes.
On August 1, USA Fencing was instructed by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee to change its guidelines to adhere to a federal executive order which forced all transgender and non-binary athletes to compete in men’s competitions in non-mixed competitions.
The plaintiffs seek $500,000 in damages and to ban the listed board members in participating from the USA Fencing board for five years.
