US fencing board members voted against several motions to change current sports governing body policies, including moving to have the national anthem played before competition and approving an all-female task force to reevaluate and revise current transgender policies.
The special board meeting held on Saturday came just days after the Fair Fencing Organization (FFO) wrote an open letter to the board asking it to re-evaluate its position on several issues, including the selection criteria for tournament venues, as it concerns on individual states. abortion policy, transgender inclusion and DEI.
Saber fencing equipment is on display during the USA Fencing Division I National Championships at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on April 11, 2016 in Richmond, Virginia. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The FFO, which describes itself as a national non-profit organization, called on board members to make decisions that were not based on “political correctness,” but rather in the best interests of its members.
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Several motions put forward during Saturday’s meeting addressed a number of current issues in the country.
One of the first motions filed was to change the current inclusionary policy for fencing site selection in the U.S. “to allow greater flexibility at the city level for those willing to provide protections for women and LGBTQIA+ members.”
The current policy includes factors based on profitability, member experience, satisfaction, cost, ease of travel, square footage requirements (including parafencing accommodations), city importance and availability in hosting, and inclusivity. USA Fencing states in its policy that it “gives preference” to sites based on the use of LGBTMAP.org reviews and “states that there are no laws that endanger the health of members or immediate family members of members, and will sites with laws that could allow a medical professional to be prosecuted for assisting a member in need of critical medical care or reproductive medical care.”
The motion to change the policy and stop the use of LGBTMAP.org was voted down 9-1 with one abstention. The original motion “to allow more flexibility at the city level” was adopted unanimously.
Fencers compete during the USA Fencing Division I National Championships at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on April 11, 2016 in Richmond, Virginia. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Another motion to create an all-female task force to “re-evaluate and revise” current policies. transgender athletes was also voted against by 8-3. The proposal would have included a “transgender fencer” on the task force if passed.
A motion to amend the governing body’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging office, including turning it into a committee and redirecting its funds, was also voted down 9-1 with one abstention.
Several other issues raised during the board meeting that were not addressed in FFO’s letter, including the playing of the national anthem and stage protests, were also discussed during the special meeting. A vote to play the national anthem at the start of tournaments before “all NACs and national championships” was voted against 8-2 with one abstention. A motion to ban on-stage protests or protests at the tournaments in general was also voted down, with an 8-3 vote in favor of allowing these protests to continue.
An American fencing mask is left in the warm-up area during a practice session ahead of the 2012 London Olympics at the ExCeL Center on July 24, 2012 in London. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
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In a statement to Fox News Digital about the FFO letter and ahead of Saturday’s meeting, USA Fencing noted that its board members “are elected by our members and are entrusted to represent their interests and make decisions that they believe these are in the best interests of the fencing. community as a whole.”
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