The Columbia fencing team plans to confront President Donald Trump over his administration’s stance on gender issues during its White House visit on Friday, according to the Washington Post.

The co-ed program, which won its 16th national championship in March, is part of a White House celebration of several NCAA national championship winning teams. Members of the team will wearing matching white lapel pins, while team captains Nolen Scruggs and Elise Gout plan to hand Trump a letter.

“The victory for which you mean to honor us today cannot be separated from the diversity that comprises our team,” the letter reads, per the Post. “We as collegiate fencers have committed our athletic careers to understanding how our individual strengths, irrespective of gender, may be best leveraged for the advancement of the collective,” the letter reads, according to a copy provided to The Washington Post. “But while ours is a victory born from values of gender equality, yours is one shadowed by continued acts of gender-based prejudice and partisanship.”

Several members of the team attending the ceremony -- about half plan to boycott it entirely -- plan to carry signed copies of the letter in case the others become damaged or confiscated, Scruggs told the Post. The plan is to hand Trump the letter during a handshake photo op as well as holding the letter up during any other pictures with the President.

The Columbia fencing team members told the Post they oppose his administration’s stances on reproductive health, attempts to restructure Title IX and changes to how college campuses handle cases of sexual assault.

They’ll also try to register their displeasure with the president over his rhetoric and behavior toward women. Sixteen women accused Trump of sexual misconduct before he took office, per the Post.

“There are a lot of things the president has said on his own that discourage women from claiming their space and telling their stories in the way they have a right to,” Gout said. “Those were things that were important and resonated with us, but we wanted to be careful not to hone in on any one issue. This is more about gender equality in general, rather than any specific policy.”

Scruggs, who admitted members of the team debated declining the invitation altogether like other teams have done during the Trump administration, compared the protest to that of Colin Kaepernick.

“It’s one thing to decline the invitation, but that’s quiet,” he said. “This is making noise and causing a ruckus and starting a discussion.”

Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @briannnnf. Find NJ.com on Facebook.