Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he is launching an investigation of the USA Fencing Association after a cisgender woman was disqualified from a recent fencing match because she refused to fight her transgender opponent.

“USA Fencing is on the wrong side of history and potentially the wrong side of the law due to violations of Texas consumer protection laws,” Paxton said in a press release yesterday announcing the investigation.

Stephanie Turner, 31, was competing in the regional tournament at the University of Maryland on March 30 when she took a knee at the start of a match rather than fight her transgender opponent. A judge quickly stopped the match, issued a black card, and disqualified Turner from the tournament.

The entire incident was captured on video. After the video garnered criticism online, USA Fencing issued a statement saying the judge was correct to disqualify Turner.

“A fencer is not permitted to refuse to fence another properly entered fencer for any reason,” USA Fencing said in a statement provided to the Associated Press. “Under these rules, such a refusal results in disqualification and the corresponding sanctions. This policy exists to maintain fair competition standards and preserve the sport’s integrity.”

USA Fencing also said it was committed to providing opportunities for trans women to fence in the division aligned with their gender identity.

“While we understand there are a range of perspectives, USA Fencing will continue to engage in respectful, research based dialogue and review as policy evolves in the Olympic & Paralympic movement as well as domestic law,” USA Fencing said in a post to social media, “hate speech or targeted hate of any kind is not acceptable – online or in person.”

Turner went on Fox News and claimed that the situation was a civil rights issue. She and the video also caught the attention of XX-XY Athletics, which awarded Turner $5,000 for her actions.

“By taking a knee, she became more powerful than any male,” Jennifer Sey, founder of XX-XY Athletics, said in a statement made available to the media. “She stood her ground to fight for women’s sports.”

The investigation will seek documents that could potentially show USA Fencing “engaging in false, deceptive, and misleading acts and practices.” Paxton also directly criticized the association’s transgender athlete policies.

“USA Fencing’s policies are not only potentially illegal, but also deeply insulting to the young women like Stephanie Turner who have sacrificed so much and dedicated countless hours to compete and succeed in competitions,” Paxton said. “I will fight to stop these unfair policies, and I will never back down from defending the integrity of women’s sports.”

USA Fencing’s transgender and nonbinary policy states that “Athletes being treated with testosterone suppression medication, for the purposes of USA Fencing-sanctioned competitions may continue to compete in men’s events, but may only compete in women’s events after completing one calendar year (12 months) of testosterone suppression treatment. Proof of compliant hormone therapy must be provided prior to competition.”