(LifeSiteNews) — The latest campus culture war has erupted at the University of Oklahoma (OU), where student Samantha Fulnecky has filed a discrimination suit after her transgender psychology instructor failed her for an essay on the subject “how people are perceived based on societal expectations of gender” that relied primarily on the Bible. OU’s Turning Point USA chapter picked up the story, and it promptly went viral.
Fulnecky was assigned a 650-word reaction paper for her psychology course asking her to respond to an article about how people are perceived on societal gender expectations. Clearly piqued by the premise, Fulnecky instead submitted an essay explaining that she does not object to gender stereotypes because “that is how God made us,” and writing that:
Society pushing the lie that there are multiple genders and everyone should be whatever they want to be is demonic and severely harms American youth. I live my life based on this truth and firmly believe that there would be less gender issues and insecurities in children if they were raised knowing that they do not belong to themselves, but they belong to the Lord.
“In her essay, Fulnecky argued that traditional gender roles should not be considered stereotypes,” Turning Point OU wrote on X. “She cited the Bible to support her stance that eliminating gender in society would be ‘detrimental’ because that would put people ‘farther from God’s original plan for humans.’ She received zero points out of 25 on the essay. Transgender professor, Mel Curtis, said Ms. Fulnecky failed to use empirical evidence/and called parts of her essay offensive.”
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Curtis was clearly offended by Fulnecky’s essay, writing on the online grading platform that: “To call an entire group of people ‘demonic’ is highly offensive, especially a minoritized population.” Fulnecky responded by stating that her assignment was written according to the requested guidelines, and stated that she was being penalized for her Christian perspective (something Curtis repeatedly denied throughout her comments on the essay).
Curtis stated that Fulnecky failed because the essay reflected only her “personal ideology.” Another grad student instructor on the same course backed Curtis’s grading decision.
On November 30, Oklahoma University posted a statement to X, although it is not confirmed that they are referring to the Fulnecky case:
Statement from the University of Oklahoma: pic.twitter.com/5YWBfyW9u0
— University of Oklahoma (@UofOklahoma) November 30, 2025
OU assured the public that it has been tracking the situation since the university became aware of it, and that “the student reported filing a claim of illegal discrimination based on religious beliefs to the appropriate university Office. OU has a clear process for reviewing such claims and it has been activated. The graduate instructor has been placed on administrative leave pending the finalization of the process. To ensure fairness in the process, a full-time professor is serving as the course instructor for the remainder of the semester.”
Turning Point’s social media posts about the incident have pushed it into the public conversation. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt called the situation “deeply concerning,” and wrote on X that: “The First Amendment is foundational to our freedom & inseparable from a well-rounded education. I’m calling on the OU regents to review the results of the investigation & ensure other students aren’t unfairly penalized for their beliefs.”
I agree with Governor Stitt 100 percent, but it is important to note that if Fulnecky did fail to write the essay using the guidelines assigned, then she deserves the mark regardless of whether a) the points she made were true or b) her instructor identifies as transgender. If her the investigation confirms her allegation of religious discrimination, on the other hand, then it is encouraging to see that both politicians and university administrators are taking the situation seriously.
