A graduate teaching assistant at the University of Oklahoma has been removed from instructional duties following a high-profile dispute over a student essay that cited religious beliefs while rejecting the idea of multiple genders. The controversy centers on Samantha Fulnecky, a 20-year-old junior, who submitted a 650-word response in late November for a psychology course assignment.
Students were asked to analyze an academic article exploring whether conformity to gender norms was linked to popularity or bullying among middle school students. Fulnecky’s essay argued against the concept of more than two genders, grounding her position in her Christian faith, though she did not formally cite the Bible.
In her paper, Fulnecky wrote that she does not believe in more than two genders because “that is how God made us.” She went further, stating, “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.” She added, “I live my life based on this truth and firmly believe that there would be fewer gender issues and insecurities in children if they were raised knowing that they do not belong to themselves, but they belong to the Lord.”
The essay received a failing grade from the course’s graduate instructor, Mel Curth, who later explained in written feedback that Fulnecky did not adequately address the assignment prompt and relied too heavily on “personal ideology” rather than “empirical evidence.” Curth also noted that some of the language was problematic, writing, “To call an entire group of people ‘demonic’ is highly offensive, especially a minoritized population.”
Curth further challenged what she described as contradictions in the essay. “You can say that strict gender norms don’t create gender stereotypes, but that isn’t true by definition of what a stereotype is,” she wrote. “Please note that acknowledging gender stereotypes does not immediately denote a negative connotation, a nuance this article discusses.”
After the essay circulated widely online and sparked backlash, the university placed Curth on leave and confirmed that the failing grade would not affect Fulnecky’s final course grade. On Monday, the university announced that Curth would no longer have instructional duties. In a statement, the school said that an internal review found the grading of the paper to be arbitrary.
The decision drew praise from conservative figures. Oklahoma schools superintendent Ryan Walters called Fulnecky “an American hero” for standing up in what he described as “the war on Christianity.” State representative Gabe Woolley also honored Fulnecky with a citation from his office, saying, “This was the right decision,” and arguing that Curth should not have been employed at a public university.
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