A transgender woman and amateur fencer is suing fencing tournament organizers and rule-makers including the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, claiming in a New Jersey state complaint that they blocked her from competing due to her gender identity in violation of New York's anti-discrimination laws.

Officials at the Premier Fencing Club, USA Fencing, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee conspired to keep Dinah Yukich, a low-ranking fencer "based upon her skill level," from competing in official events as a woman because she is transgender.

She was specifically blocked from competing in the Veteran Women's Epee in September, in New York, by local club organizers who pointed to a policy being enforced by the national organization, USAF, and designed by USOPC.

But the lawsuit claims that the three groups actually colluded to impose this "bigoted trans ban." What's more, the suit claims they enacted the policy in New York, a state which explicitly prohibits such discrimination, the complaint said.

"USAF has claimed that the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee forced them to implement the discriminatory policy," the lawsuit said. 

The suit, filed on Friday, seeks damages under the New York state law which makes it unlawful to deny a person access to a place of public accommodation due to their gender identity or to aid and abet such discrimination. It also seeks damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy. The suit is filed in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Superior Court, where the club is located.

Yukich's attorney Susan M. Cirilli of Cirilli LLC told Law360 on Tuesday that the tournament organizers were aware that implementing the transgender policy may violate state law.

"As stated in the pleading, upon information and belief, the USOPC and USAF worked together and conspired to ensure that transgender women were excluded from women's competitions," Cirilli said.

According to the complaint, Yukich reactivated her USA Fencing membership in April 2023, changing her gender marker from male to female at her request.

In 2025, the USOPC compelled USA Fencing to adopt a new Transgender & Non-Binary Participation Policy that banned transgender women from competing in women's events, the suit said. USA Fencing unilaterally changed Yukich's gender marker in its system from "F" to "M" on or about Aug. 1, 2025, thereby automatically blocking her from registering for any women's competitions. When she attempted to register for the Veteran Women's Epee event at the Premier Challenge ROC — a competition held in Suffern, New York, and organized by Premier Fencing Club — she was prevented from entering as a woman, the suit said.

Yukich contacted Abdel Aziz, the tournament organizer and a defendant, to contest the decision, the suit said. He said he was also blocked by the system from registering her and directed her to USA Fencing. Shannon Daugherty, of USA Fencing who is also a defendant, said that the ban was mandatory for all sanctioned USA Fencing tournaments, local, regional and nationals, the suit said.

Yukich subsequently reached out to Aziz, again, arguing that the policy was discriminatory under New York and New Jersey law. Aziz deflected responsibility, the suit said.

"Although the organization club is Premier Fencing Club, based in New Jersey, and the event location is Suffern, [New York], this remains a USA Fencing-sanctioned event. Accordingly, we are required to comply fully with USA Fencing policies," he said in a message.

The suit also claims that USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews told her that the organization had "no choice but to adhere to the requirements of the USOPC at this time."

A psychologist with the USOPC, Mac Brown, admitted the policy was "painful and distressing."

The fencing organizations didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Yukich is represented by Susan M. Cirilli of Cirilli LLC.

The case is Yukich v. Premier Fencing Club et al., case number MID-L-007245-25, in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Middlesex County.

--Editing by Leah Bennett.