A transgender teaching assistant at the University of Oklahoma has been placed on leave after a conservative student accused both the assistant and the course’s professor of discriminating against her for citing the Bible in an essay that received a zero.

The student, OU junior Samantha Fulnecky, a psychology major, had been assigned a 650-word essay reacting to a study on whether children’s popularity correlates with how closely they conform to prescribed gender norms, reports Oklahoma-based NPR station KOSU.

The study — Gender Typicality, Peer Relations and Mental Health — found that popular children are more likely to be described as “gender-typical” by their peers than children who are frequently teased. Among those who are teased, young boys show the worst mental health outcomes.

Fulnecky rejected the study’s premise, writing in her November 9 essay — later republished by The Oklahoman — that teasing children who don’t conform to stereotypical gender norms is “not necessarily…a problem.” She argued that encouraging gender-nonconformity is harmful to society because it “pulls us farther from God’s original plan for humans.”

“God made male and female and made us differently from each other on purpose and for a purpose,” Fulnecky wrote, citing the Bible as the only justification for her opinion. “Gender roles and tendencies should not be considered ‘stereotypes.’ Women naturally want to do womanly things because God created us with those womanly desires in our hearts. The same goes for men.”

Fulnecky added that she does not believe that individuals are pressured to adhere to gender norms,  but that gender norms are an expression of a man or woman’s innate nature, as designed by God.

“I strongly disagree with the idea from the article that encouraging acceptance of diverse gender expressions could improve students’ confidence,” she wrote. “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.

Why the Essay Received a Zero

Mel Curth, the teaching assistant who graded the assignment, said Fulnecky’s essay failed to meet the requirements because it did not respond appropriately to the prompt and lacked “empirical evidence” to support its claims. Noting that Fulnecky cited only the Bible, and no scholarly sources, Curth gave her a zero out of 25 possible points.

The assignment rubric did not explicitly require “empirical evidence,” but it offered examples of appropriate responses, including weighing whether the topic merited further study, relating the article’s claims to real-life applications or observations, citing other sources or course material, or offering evidence-based critiques of the article’s assertions.

Curth also wrote that Fulnecky’s essay contradicted itself and was offensive, noting her characterization of nonbinary gender identities as “demonic” — a remark Curth said was offensive to gender minorities.

“I implore you [to] apply some more perspective and empathy in your work,” Curth wrote. “If you personally disagree with the findings, then by all means share your criticisms, but make sure to do so in a way that is appropriate and using the methodology of empirical psychology, as aligned with the learning goals of this class.”

The course’s instructor, Megan Waldron, wrote in a message to Fulnecky via an online portal that she concurred with Curth’s assessment.

“This paper should not be considered as a completion of the assignment,” Waldron wrote. “Everyone has different ways in which they see the world, but in an academic course such as this you are being asked to support your ideas with empirical evidence and higher-level reasoning.”

Waldron also said she was concerned that Fulnecky did not view bullying as a problem and that her criticism of her peers’ opinions was not only harsh but disrespectful.

Student Files Discrimination Complaint

Fulnecky balked at the grade, asserting that she was being discriminated against and that her free speech rights were being violated because she cited the Bible to support her opinion, which reflects her religious beliefs — something she said she had done on previous papers that received full credit.

The junior told The Oklahoman that the assignment rubric said students would be evaluated on three criteria: clear writing, a clear tie-in to the article, and a thoughtful reaction rather than a summary. She added that she does not understand how her opinion, which is subjective, could be labeled “offensive.”

She subsequently emailed Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt on November 17, as well as University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz Jr. and the Teacher Freedom Alliance, an anti-teachers’ union group led by former Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, seeking assistance. She later filed a formal discrimination complaint against the university, along with a grade appeal that remains pending.

On November 30, the University of Oklahoma announced that Curth had been placed on administrative leave and that Waldron would serve as the course instructor for the rest of the semester. The university also said it was reviewing Fulnecky’s grade appeal and her discrimination claims.

“The University of Oklahoma takes seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms,” the university wrote in an unsigned statement posted to social media. “Upon receiving notice from the student on the grading of an assignment, the University immediately began a full review of the situation and has acted swiftly on the matter.”

Conservatives Rally Around the Student

In response to the incident, the OU chapter of the conservative group Turning Point USA tweeted: “We should not be letting mentally ill professors around students. Clearly this professor lacks the intellectual maturity to set her own bias aside and take grading seriously. Professors like this are the very reason conservatives can’t voice their beliefs in the classroom.”

Meanwhile, several Oklahoma politicians have portrayed Fulnecky as a martyr, arguing that she is the latest example of a conservative student being unfairly treated by progressive instructors because of her religious beliefs.

“The situation at OU is deeply concerning,” Gov. Stitt wrote in a Facebook post. “I’m calling on the OU regents to review the results of the investigation and ensure all appropriate actions are taken to ensure other students aren’t unfairly penalized for their beliefs.”

In a statement misgendering Curth, Oklahoma State Sen. Lisa Standridge (R-Norman) called for the teaching assistant’s termination.

“The only way to stop this kind of discrimination is to fire the professor,” Standridge wrote.

Transgender journalist Katelyn Burns wrote on her website The Burns Notice that Curth was being punished for allegedly “discriminating” against Fulnecky, calling the controversy “just another attack on trans people in positions of authority in academia.” She predicted that conservatives would continue to push similar cases in an effort to bar transgender people — and any professors holding pro-trans views — from teaching on college campuses.

“Conservatives see themselves losing voters with college degrees, they see trans people as an outgrowth of a too liberal society, they have a longstanding grudge with universities existing in the first place, and they see Democrats with a squishy spine when it comes to standing up for trans people in public,” Burns wrote. “Roll all of these factors together and you have the perfect conditions for gutting the higher education system, using conservative students and organizations like TPUSA as narcs.”