The University of Oklahoma has placed a trans graduate instructor on administrative leave after a student received a zero on a psychology assignment that described transgender people as “demonic” and asserted that gender roles are “Biblically ordained.” The dispute has quickly escalated into a statewide political flashpoint.
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The controversy began when junior Samantha Fulnecky submitted a 650-word reaction paper for a course on how social expectations shape gender. Instead of addressing the assignment’s questions using data, her essay claimed society is “pushing lies” about gender, warned that eliminating strict gender roles would be harmful, and described transgender identities as “demonic,” Them reports.
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Screenshots of the essay and instructors’ comments were posted by the campus chapter of Turning Point USA on Thanksgiving. Right-wing media networks quickly boosted it.
Graduate teaching assistant Mel Curth, who graded the paper, wrote that the zero was based on academic criteria, not retaliation for the student’s religious views. Curth wrote that the essay “does not answer the questions for this assignment, contradicts itself, heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class, and is at times offensive.” Curth also noted that portraying a marginalized group as “demonic” is “highly offensive,” and urged the student to use empirical sources rather than doctrinal statements when critiquing course material.
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A second instructor, Megan Waldron, independently reviewed the paper and agreed that it did not satisfy the assignment prompt or basic academic writing expectations.
Fulnecky then filed a religious discrimination complaint with the university.
OU confirmed Sunday in a new public statement that it “takes seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms.”
The university said it “immediately began a full review” after receiving the student’s complaint, maintained regular communication with the student, and ensured “no academic harm” resulted from the disputed grade. OU also said the student filed a discrimination claim based on religious belief, that the review process “has been activated,” and that the graduate instructor was placed on administrative leave “to ensure fairness.” A full-time professor is now teaching the course for the rest of the semester. OU said the instructor will not face academic or financial harm during the review.
On Sunday, Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt urged OU’s Board of Regents to investigate and warned that students should not be “penalized” for their religious beliefs, in a social media post.
His intervention helped transform a grading dispute into a statewide ideological battle over higher education governance and LGBTQ+ inclusion.
On Monday, the campus chapter of Turning Point USA posted on Instagram that Curth was placed on leave for “blatant discrimination” and framed the grade as punishment “for quoting the Bible,” claiming the university’s Sunday statement confirmed its position.
OU has not said when its investigation will conclude.
